新砦遗址出土羊的死亡年龄及畜产品开发策略

The Kill-off Pattern of the Caprids and the Animal Resource Utilization Strategy of Xinzhai Site

人类自诞生以来即与动物保持着密切联系。动物不仅为人类提供了重要的肉食来源，还为人类提供了诸如奶、毛、畜力等可反复利用的资源。通常，这些可被反复利用的资源，被统称为动物的次级产品或副产品（secondary products）。

Analysis of the animal assemblage unearthed in Xinzhai Site since 2002 suggests that the quantity of caprids （sheep and goats） increased rapidly since the Phase II. Their percentage in the Number of Identified Specimens （NISP） and Minimum Number of Individuals （MNI） is just second to that of pigs among the whole domestic animals, which obviously means that caprid was one of most important domestic animals people made use of. The age profile based on tooth eruption/wear and epiphyseal fusion shows that a large percentage （more than 70%） of sheep lived to adulthood through older ages while less than 30% was killed between the ages from half to two years old. This pattern is quite similar to that from Taosi Site, both of which are different from the meat exploitation pattern but match the wool exploitation pattern supposed by Payne. Therefore, people in the Central Plains could utilize animal resources in various ways at the end of the Neolithic Age.