Seaweed-eating sheep and the adaptation of husbandry in Neolithic Orkney: new insights from Skara Brae

Sheep introduced to the Orkney archipelago around 3500 cal BC were found to consume moderate amounts of seaweed from their arrival, a practice that facilitated the spread of farming lifestyles across remote European regions. This discovery, derived from stable isotope analysis of faunal remains at Skara Brae, clarifies the chronology and significance of seaweed consumption in Neolithic husbandry adaptations. The study sheds light on how socio-economic and biological adjustments to new environments played a pivotal role in the Neolithisation of Europe.

Balasse, M., Tresset, A., Obein, G., Fiorillo, D., & Gandois, H. (2019). Seaweed-eating sheep and the adaptation of husbandry in Neolithic Orkney: new insights from Skara Brae. Antiquity, 93(370), 919–932. https://doi.org/10.15184/aqy.2019.95