Abundance of Fish, Source of Fat

Abstract Fish was an important natural resource in Lower Mesopotamia. The ancient inhabitants could easily rely on the nutrients and fats derived from fishes abundant in the diverse aquatic biomes of its rivers, lakes, marshes and the gulf. Specifically, fats held significant value in ancient societies, and, besides its nutritional benefit, fish can also provide oil as a useful fatty substance. However, archaeo(zoo)logical data are uninformative as far as fish oil is concerned, while written documents detail its usage and supply but remain silent on its production methods. This contribution aims at presenting, comparing and combining the available evidence from modern data, the archaeological remains and Early Bronze Age written sources on the local ichthyofauna, focusing on the strategies adopted to optimize the exploitation of its fat.