Of Milk and Men: Evidence for Milk Production in the Late 7th Millennium cal BC at Tell Sabi Abyad, Syria

The term ‘secondary products’ was first coined by Sherratt (1981) based around the assumption that these products were not initially used when animals were first domesticated, and it was originally hypothesised that secondary products were only exploited to any extent in the third millennium cal BC. New evidence from the Late Neolithic levels (c. 6900 – 5900 cal BC) at the site of Tell Sabi Abyad show that milk production may in fact have been an important consideration in animal husbandry strategies much earlier. Evidence for the use of ovicaprids for milk production in the Late 7th millennium cal BC at Tell Sabi Abyad will be discussed, drawing on the results of the analysis of the faunal remains together with artifactual evidence and residue analysis.