This study presents the 87Sr/86Sr ratios from the tooth enamel of 57 sheep and goat specimens, in order to explore animal mobility in the Middle and Late Bronze Age society of the Balearic Islands (Naviform period). Seven archaeological sites from Mallorca and Menorca located in different biotopes and with different functionalities were selected. The results provide some of the first data on the geographic range of meat provisioning at each site. In addition, several present-day leaves, as well as tooth dentine and bones were analysed to assess local strontium isotopic ratios in different geological layers existing in the Balearic Islands. The results suggest that most caprines were sourced from the neighbouring areas of each site, but also suggest a correlation between strontium isotope variability and site function: domestic settlements and sites related with maritime exchanges had significantly more variability compared to fortified sites. In addition, the ritual cave of Cova del Camp del Bisbe had the highest diversity of strontium isotopic ratios, thus suggesting that caprines were brought here from a variety of different locations.
This work was part of the knowledge transfer of the I + D Project ‘Archipiélagos: Paisajes, comunidades prehistóricas insulares y estrategias de conectividad en el mediterráneo Occidental. El caso de las Islas Baleares durante la Prehistoria’ (HAR 2015-67211-P) and ‘Movilidad y conectividad de las comunidades prehistóricas en el Mediterráneo Occidental durante la prehistoria reciente: El caso de las Islas Baleares (PID2019-108692GB) of the ArqueoUIB Research Group, University of the Balearic Islands, funded by the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación. The work of Lua Valenzuela-Suau was funded by a predoctoral fellowship of the Conselleria d'Educació, Cultura i Universitats of the Government of the Balearic Islands and the European Social Fund (FPI/1693/2014). The work of Sílvia Valenzuela-Lamas was supported by the ERC-StG 716298 ZooMWest - Zooarchaeology and Mobility in the Western Mediterranean.