Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Fellowship
Unravelling livestock diet and mobility across the Bronze–Iron Age transition in the Western Mediterranean
OVIS (Origins of Variability in Island Systems. Unraveling livestock diet and mobility accross the Bronze-Irone Age transition) is a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions project focused on understanding how island communities in the Western Mediterranean —such as the Balearic Islands and Sardinia— transformed during the transition from the Bronze Age to the Iron Age. It mainly analyses animal remains to reconstruct how people managed livestock, used resources, and adapted to socio-economic, political, environmental and climatic changes.
This study will help identify environmental changes, episodes of drought, and the strategies communities used to adapt, as well as the impact of new knowledge, technologies, and external contacts. Its main goa lis to understand how these populations responded to climatic variability, especially during the Bronze-Iron Age transition. This knowledge is key for addressing current climate challenges, particularly in island contexts, which are especially vulnerable to such impacts.
Read more about the project →Study Areas
Three island systems across the Western Mediterranean — connected by Bronze and Iron Age pastoral networks.
Balearic Islands — Talayotic culture
Bronze & Iron Age settlements with distinctive talayot towers and rich faunal assemblages that record centuries of pastoral change.
Italy — Nuragic culture
Iconic nuraghe stone structures and complex pastoral societies with evidence of long-range Mediterranean trade networks.
Balearic Islands — Talayotic culture
The largest Balearic island, with major Talayotic settlements and faunal assemblages key to understanding Bronze–Iron Age pastoral transitions.
Project Updates
A new article on livestock mobility during the Bronze–Iron Age transition in insular contexts, presenting preliminary OVIS data.
Read more →New excavation and sampling campaign for the OVIS project, with international collaboration from three partner institutions.
Read more →Field & Science
The European Association of Archaeologists holds its 31st annual meeting, with sessions on zooarchaeology and insular Mediterranean prehistory.
Read more →A landmark synthesis article published in Journal of World Prehistory revises current models of livestock management in island contexts.
Read more →Discussion
A space for researchers and collaborators to share questions and reflections on the OVIS project.
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