The emergence of Neolithic economies at Chogha Golan in the western foothills of the Zagros Mountains, Iran

Chogha Golan (modern Ilam Province, Iran) plays a key role in ongoing debates concerning the emergence of Neolithic economies in the Hilly Flanks of the eastern Fertile Crescent due to its high-resolution record of animal and plant exploitation from ca. 11,700 to 9600 cal BP. Here, we synthesize geoarchaeological, zooarchaeological and archaeobotanical data from Chogha Golan to examine environmental and economic changes throughout the Aceramic Neolithic. Since the beginning of the occupation, the inhabitants of the site focused on the use of wild barley, goat grass, and other progenitors of modern crops, while they also exploited ovicaprids, gazelles, and small game taxa. The frequencies and taxonomic composition of both plant and animal species fluctuate through time, against the backdrop of superimposed architectural features. Tortoises were overexploited soon after people settled at Chogha Golan. At ca. 9800 cal BP, we document morphologically domesticated-type emmer wheat, indicating the intensified cultivation of cereals. The progressive increase in the proportion of ovicaprids relative to gazelles evidences an increased reliance on the progenitors of domesticated animals. Finally, the presence of Indian gerbils, which preferentially live near cultivated fields today, reflects new habitats for small mammals resulting from long-term resource management and cultivation. Thus, the archaeological record of Chogha Golan illustrates the intertwining of changes in environmental conditions, resource intensification, and co-evolutionary dynamics that led to the emergence of agriculture and Neolithic lifeways in the foothills of the Zagros Mountains.