The Middle Neolithic and the Platia Magoula Zarkou - a review of current archaeozoological research in Thessaly (Greece)

The substantial settlement mound of Platia Magoula Zarkou, located near the Peneios river in the north of Thessaly, is famous for its Neolithic pottery and for a house-model with figurines. During extended archaeological research at this site, large amounts of animal remains have been excavated (n = 11.613). They cover periods from the Middle Neolithic to the Middle Bronze Age. These assemblages crucially enlarge the body of archaeozoological data for Thessaly. In this paper the main emphasis will be put on Middle Neolithic material (n = 2477), in particular on the reconstruction of livestock management and the exploitation of natural resources, practised by the inhabitants of the Magoula during this very period. The results are evaluated against the background of present archaeological knowledge on Middle Neolithic economy and social life in this part of Greece.