Geç Tunç Çağı hayvan mobilitesi ve hayvancılık stratejileri: Hitit Dönemi Sapinuwa (Ortaköy/Türkiye) kenti koyun ve keçi kalıntılarının geometrik morfometrik çalışması

Throughout the Late Bronze Age period, pastoralism remained crucial for the social and economic system of the Hittite states (Beckman, 1988; Schachner, 2012; Yakar, 2000). The faunal analysis of different Hittite sites indicates a well-developed animal husbandry and a good knowledge of breeding practices which is also mentioned in Hittite archives. In tandem with this information, this thesis aims to explore the animal husbandry management, animal mobility and breeding practices during the Hittite Late Bronze Age period. This thesis will apply interdisciplinary research by taking the faunal remains of Šapinuwa (Ortaköy) as a case study. Šapinuwa, located in the North Central Anatolia, has long been assigned as the second capital of Hittite Empire in the 14th century BCE. In this thesis, two-dimensional geometric morphometric analysis is employed to investigate whether a specialized veterinary activity was practiced by the Hittite Empire and if so, how it affected socio-economic hierarchy during the Late Bronze Age period. In order to increase the effectiveness of examination beside geometric morphometric analysis, traditional measurements will be used as a comparative methodology. This research focuses on the analysis of Ovis aries and Capra hircus astragalus, metacarpal and metatarsal bones on the basis of a multidisciplinary approach. For the effectiveness of the technique, other than geometric morphometrics, traditional measurements will then be used as a comparison. This study employs standard and specialized zooarchaeological techniques to present two aspects of animal husbandry in Hittite; mobility of animals and selective breeding.