Neolithic Cattle Mobility at Stonehenge: A Matrix of Possibilities

A recent study (Evans et al., 2025) analyses a Neolithic cattle molar (M3, 3350–2920 BC) from Stonehenge, revealing insights into husbandry through sequential multi-isotope sampling. The research maps diet, mobility, and reproductive stress over six months, presenting a matrix of possibilities for the cow’s seasonal movements and foddering practises, highlighting Neolithic agricultural complexity and regional connectivity.

Methods

The study divided the tooth into nine enamel slices (winter, slice 1, to summer, slice 9), analysing strontium (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr) and lead (²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb, ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁶Pb, ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁶Pb) isotopes for geographical origins, carbon (δ¹³C) and oxygen (δ¹⁸O) for diet and seasonality, and peptides (AMELX/AMELY) for sex (result: female). Clean-room techniques ensured data reliability. Lead isotopes, novel in Neolithic fauna, detected metabolic stress, possibly calving, advancing isotopic archaeology.

Comparison with Other Studies

Previous isotopic studies, e.g., Madgwick et al. (2019), linked Durrington Walls cattle to Wales or South-West England using strontium and oxygen isotopes, lacking temporal detail. Snoeck et al. (2018) tied Stonehenge’s human remains to Wales, suggesting regional networks. Evans et al. (2025) enhance this with sequential multi-isotope analysis, offering finer resolution, and introduce lead isotopes for physiological insights, building on human studies (Gulson et al., 1998) and multi-proxy approaches (Bentley, 2006).

Matrix of Possibilities

Isotopic patterns—high strontium (~0.7144) and lower δ¹³C (woodland diet) in winter, low strontium (<0.7110) and higher δ¹³C (grassland grazing) in summer—yield two main models: migration or static foddering, with a bone transport third possibility. Lead spikes (e.g., ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁶Pb = 2.104, slice 4) suggest metabolic stress, possibly calving. The table outlines the matrix.

Model	Winter (High Sr, Lower δ13C)	Summer (Low Sr, Higher δ13C)	Origin	Likelihood
1A. Migration	Wales Woodland	Wessex Grassland	Wales	High
1B. Migration	South-West England Woodland	Wessex Grassland	South-West	Medium
2A. Static	Welsh Woodland Hay (in Wessex)	Wessex Grassland	Wales	Medium
2B. Static	South-West Woodland Hay (in Wessex)	Wessex Grassland	South-West	Medium
2C. Static	Non-Local Hay (Wales/South-West)	Wessex Grassland	Wessex	Low-Medium
3A. Bone Transport	Wales Woodland	Wales Grassland (Low Sr Area)	Wales	Low

Discussion of Results and Likelihoods

The matrix reveals sophisticated Neolithic husbandry. Model 1A (migration: Welsh woodlands to Wessex grasslands) and 2A (static: Welsh-born, Wessex-fed with Welsh hay) are most likely, supported by lead isotopes consistent with Welsh ores, though not definitive due to skeletal remobilization (Müller et al., 2019). These align with Stonehenge’s Welsh links, e.g., Preseli bluestones (Parker Pearson et al., 2022). 1B and 2B (South-West England) are less probable, as lead favours Wales. 2C (Wessex-born, non-local hay) requires extensive fodder transport, less supported archaeologically (Halstead, 1998). 3A (bone transport: Wales grazing, bones to Wessex) is unlikely, as summer low strontium (<0.7110) and dietary lead (more likely from English ores rather than Welsh ones, unlike the Skeletal Pb) suggest Wessex residence, not a Welsh low-strontium area (Evans et al., 2022). Curation (55–270 years pre-deposition) allows bone transport, but isotopic data favour live cattle in Wessex (Serjeantson, 1995). Lead spikes indicate metabolic stress, possibly calving, suggesting managed breeding.

Limitations

The study’s reliance on a single tooth limits generalisability. Lead isotope interpretations, influenced by skeletal remobilization, are not definitive for origin or pregnancy, which is inferred from stress rather than direct evidence. Further samples are needed to refine the matrix.

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