Danmarks Not-So-Oldest Sheep

Autor: Daniel Groß, Samantha Presslee, Ulrich Schmölcke, Elena A. Nikulina, Jessica Hendy
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2024
Předmět:
Zdroj: Danish Journal of Archaeology, Vol 13, Iss 1 (2024)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 2166-2290
DOI: 10.7146/dja.v13i1.145009
Popis: Sheep and goats are often considered to be the oldest livestock animals in Denmark. In this contribution, we present the results of ZooMS measurements from seven ovicaprid bones from the Femern project, an excavation in the area of the former Syltholm Fjord (Lolland, Denmark). The bones were morphologically identified as sheep or goats and represented the oldest dated remains of both species in Denmark. However, the ZooMS analysis showed that more than half of the morphological identifications were incorrect. For the other samples, we refined the identifications. Hence, our study confirms that indications of sheep and goat husbandry based on bone morphology alone should be treated with caution. The probability of misidentification in our case was high, even in the case of well-preserved bones.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals