Pig Frequency as a Proxy Measure of Inter Site Variability: A Case Study from Early Helladic Greece

Abstract

In the absence of more traditional forms of archaeological evidence, the frequency of pigs in faunal assemblages may act as a proxy indicator of socio-economic complexity in ancient settlements. The frequency of pigs in four Early Helladic settlements in the Peloponnesee: Helike, Lerna, Tsoungiza and Tiryns were used to explore inter-site variation in faunal assemblages and the way in which these changes correlate to known site function. It is apparent that pigs act as a barometer of economic complexity in ancient settlements, and in doing so provide clues to other changes in the social complexity of Early Helladic Greece that is to become the hallmark of the later Mycenaean states.