archaeozoologists have struggled to find morphological criteria that allow them to reliably distinguish between the bones of these two closely related taxa
— Zeder and Lapham, 2010[1]
In zooarchaeology and paleontology, ovicaprids or caprines are domestic sheep and goats taken together.
Distinguishing sheep and goats from post-cranial skeletal remains has historically been difficult, so in many archaeological reports, the two are often reported in a single ovis/capra category.[1] This is problematic because of their different roles in early animal husbandry.[2]
Nonetheless, experienced analysts using systematic criteria can distinguish the two with high reliability.[1] They can also be distinguished using DNA analysis or collagen fingerprinting. Collagen has the advantage of surviving longer than DNA.[2]
Notes edit
- ^ a b c Melinda A. Zeder, Heather A. Lapham, "Assessing the reliability of criteria used to identify postcranial bones in sheep, Ovis, and goats, Capra", Journal of Archaeological Science 37:2887-2905 (2010) doi:10.1016/j.jas.2010.06.032
- ^ a b Michael Buckley, "Zooarchaeology by Mass Spectrometry (ZooMS) Collagen Fingerprinting for the Species Identification of Archaeological Bone Fragments", p. 227-250 in Christina M. Giovas, Michelle J. LeFebvre, eds., Zooarchaeology in Practice, ISBN 9783319647630
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