The role of sheep husbandry during the Arab agricultural revolution in medieval Sicily (7th-14th c. AD)

Sheep, and to a lesser extent goat, pastoralism was a central component of the economy of medieval Sicily. Unlike the Byzantine period (6th- early 9th c. AD), when sheep/goat were mainly raised for their wool, husbandry strategies were much more generalised during the Arab occupation (9th-11th c. AD). In this latter period, caprines were equally exploited for meat, dairy products and wool. Biometrical analyses indicate an increase in sheep size in the Arab period, which is probably a consequence of an interest in maximising outputs. This phenomenon can be interpreted as a component of the broader changes associated with the so-called Arab Agricultural Revolution. In the Norman/Aragonese period (11th- late 13th c. AD), a further improvement in sheep size indicates a continuity of the animal husbandry strategies initiated by the Arabs. In this period, sheep/goat culling profiles suggest the existence of a more specialised economy focused on meat and, to a lesser extent, wool production.