Zooarkeological analysis of animal bones extracted from Boncuklu Tarla rescue excavations

People who are intertwined with nature have most observed, pictured, domesticated and hunted most animals. The aim of the study is to examine the animal remains of past periods; to understand and interpret the relationship between human, environment and animal populations. As a result of studies on animal bones, data about life styles of old societies are obtained. Some of them include the determination of general diet, prey strategies, animal species, provided food, butchery activities, animal economy, domestication, fauna of the region. The animal bones of the Boncuklu Tarla Rescue Excavation, dated to the PPNB phase of the Neolithic Age in Mardin Province, have been investigated from the zooarchaeological point of view. As a result of the study, it was determined that the community used wild animals intensively. It is thought that they did domestication practices especially on animals such as goats and sheep. The data suggest that the society maintained a semi-hunter lifestyle.