The excavations of the Neopalatial strata at Mochlos, Crete, produced a very large number of animal remains. These include mammal bones and molluscan remains, along with fish and bird bones. Dimitra Mylona (INSTAP – Study Center for East Crete) will discuss “Animal remains in context: issues of economy and food choices at Neopalatial Mochlos, Crete”. The presentation is part of the Aegean lecture series, organized by the Aegeus – Society for Aegean Prehistory and the Swedish Institute at Athens.
The animal remains represent a wide range of activities that took place in several different houses and open spaces all over the settlement of Mochlos. The analysis of this material provides evidence on pastoral, hunting and fishing activities by the inhabitants of the site. It provides details on the management of the herds, the intensity of the exploitation of wild resources and the existence of an amateur and a professional sector in fishing.
These data are contextualised in light of regional trends and within the palatial economy. Additional issues that are discussed on the basis of the osteological evidence from Mochlos are the differentiation in the consumption of animal foods among the various Neopalatial households and the artisanal use of animal by-products. These expand the relationship between humans and animals beyond subsistence and strict economic choices into the sphere of social competition and artistry.