Late Neolithic seal hunting in southern Brittany: a zooarchaeological study of the site of ErYYoh (Morbihan)

This paper considers the contribution of the seal at the Late Neolithic site of Er Yoh (Morbihan, Brittany), to the local subsistence strategy of livestock breeders occupying that area of coastal north western France. The site of Er Yoh is of interest because it is one of only very few in the Morbihan region where faunal material has been recovered, especially in any quantity. The material in this taxonomically rich and diverse assemblage is particularly interesting as it illustrates the fact that viewing agricultural practice as a relatively, homogeneous economic base of the Neolithic is a mistake, for-it becomes clear that the economic base of the period in the area is far from homogeneous. The local subsistence economy instead features a highly significant wild resource component which complements the domestic staples and which is obtained by hunting both terrestrial and marine mammalian species and birds in addition to fishing anal possible shellfish gathering. By examining the wild assemblage (mainly seal) in terms of MNI and MAU frequencies and primary evidence of. butchery anal carcase management, its taphonomic status and preliminary evidence for seasonality and kill-off patterns, it is possible to determine local hunting patterns and integrate the wild and domestic components of the economy - in stun, to go some way towards establishing patterns of resource management in this coastal area four to five thousand years ergo.