The earliest water buffalo in the Caucasus: shifting animals and people in the medieval Islamic world

The expansion of the Umayyad and Abbasid Caliphates (seventh to ninth centuries AD) brought diverse regions from Indus Valley Eurasian Steppe under hegemonic control. An overlooked aspect this political process is subsequent translocation species across ecological zones. This article explores introduction in early Islamic world, presenting first archaeological evidence for domestic water buffalo Caucasus—identified using zooarchaeological ZooMS methods on material historical site Bardhaʿa Azerbaijan. We contextualise these finds with accounts demonstrate exploitation medieval marginal zones effects centralised social reorganisation upon dispersal.