Title:
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What is on the menu today? Creating a microwear reference collection through a controlled-food trial to study feeding management systems of ancient agropastoral societies
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Author:
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Gallego-Valle, Abel; Colominas Barberà, Lídia; Burguet-Coca, Aitor; Aguilera, Monica; Palet i Martínez, Josep M.; Tornero Dacasa, Carlos
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Abstract:
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The study of ancient herd-feeding systems is essential to investigate livestock management and the interactions of humans with domestic animals and past environments. This topic for historic periods has recently been investigated through dental microwear analyses. This approach, however, must be used with caution, as it is based on comparisons of established microwear patterns of modern wild animals. Here we present an experimental reference collection of dental microwear for domestic sheep (Ovis aries), created by a controlled-food trial to fill this methodological gap. Fifty sheep were split into five groups of ten, fed with four different types of vegetation potentially used by agropastoral societies (alfalfa, ray-grass, forage, and barley), and administrated following different techniques of processing (wet, dried and fresh). After being fed with a specific and controlled diet, the animals were slaughtered and the microwear patterns on the enamel surface of the lower molars were analysed via standard light stereomicroscopy. The differences found in our experiment between the different diets and processed plants have allowed us to characterize each dietary group and feeding management system. This information is extremely important to correctly interpret the archaeological record. |
Notes:
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This research is funded by the projects HAR2015-64636-P: Interacciones llano-montaña en el NE peninsular: ocupación y dinámica del territorio en el llano del Empordà y en los Pirineos orientales a partir de la Arqueología del Paisaje (PI: J.-M. Palet) and SUMA_R3_2017_2: Integrated analysis on transhumance activities in the Eastern Pyrenees: enhancing mountain Cultural Landscapes (PIs: J.-M. Palet & C. Tornero). AG is currently supported by a predoctoral grant from Ministerio de Ciencia through « MINECO, FPI 2016: Ayudas para contratos predoctorales para la formación de doctores (BES-2016-076784)». LC is currently supported by a postdoctoral grant from the Catalan Institute of Classical Archaeology (ICAC); CT is beneficiary of a BP Post-doctoral fellowship (2016-00346). |
Publication date:
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2020-02-18 |
Subject (UDC):
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90 - Arqueologia. Prehistòria |
Subject(s):
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Restes de plantes (Arqueologia) Dieta -- Història Hàbits alimentaris -- Història Paleoantropologia |
Rights:
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© 2020 Elsevier Ltd and INQUA. All rights reserved. |
Pages:
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9 p. |
Document type:
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Article Article - Accepted version |
DOI:
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10.1016/j.quaint.2020.02.020
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Published by:
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Elsevier
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Publish at:
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Quaternary International Volume 557, 20 August 2020, Pages 3-11
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