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. Unravelling livestock diet and mobility across the Bronze-Iron 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 goal is 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, differing in size, cultural traditions, and resource availability
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From Nuraghic culture to Roman conquest
Iconic nuraghe stone structures and complex pastoral societies with evidence of long-range Mediterranean trade networks.
Sites
From Navetic culture to Roman conquest
The largest Balearic island, with major Talayotic settlements and faunal assemblages key to understanding Bronze–Iron Age pastoral transitions.
Sites
From Navetic culture to Roman conquest
Bronze & Iron Age settlements with distinctive talayot towers and rich faunal assemblages that record centuries of pastoral change.
Sites
Project Updates
OVIS co-organises the ICAZ 2027 session "Developing Islandscapes: Animals, mobility and environmental practices" in Vancouver — the call for papers is now open.
Read more →Lecture "Uniformity or diversity? Livestock management in the Balearic Islands during the Bronze Age", part of the series organised by the UIB Department of Historical Sciences and Theory of the Arts.
Read more →Discussion
A space for researchers and collaborators to share questions and reflections on the OVIS project.
Want to join the discussion? Send your question or comment directly to the research team.
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