Identifying domesticated animals in ancient times.?

Question

I am working on a paper for my anthropology class, I need to find ways archaeologists identify domesticated animals when on a dig. Obviously the animal would be discovered with the civilization. Please don't state the obvious.

My book is vague. Any help would be appreciated. I am having trouble finding other resources.

How do archaeologists and anthropologists distinguish between animals that have been hunted and ones that were domesticated for personal reasons?

Answer 1

You can tell a lot by the demographics of the animal collection.  This takes a LARGE collection, not just a few bones.  The domesticated animals that tend to be slaughtered are usually the young adult males.  They're tender, and you don't need that many males to keep your population going.

Hunted animals tend to have a much wider demographic range, including females and older animals.

Also, species change (over enough time) with domestication.  Artificial selection causes the difference we see (for example) between the domestic pig and the wild boar.  These differences are visible in the skeletonn.  Domesticated pigs are fatter and less muscular, and they've been bred out of their tusks.  Other species of domesticated animals (cows, chickens, dogs, sheep) show similar changes in structure.

Answer 2

ussualy an archeoligist will find an animal skeliton in a tomb with the dead, but ussualy only the rich.

Answer 3

i just want some points

Answer 4

Species is important.  So is the state of the bone.  Has it been chewed on?  Was it cooked?  Context is also important.  Are there other artifacts or evidence nearby to suggest a purpose for the animal.  Some things to look for would be, for a draft species, anything which is similar to known tack of draft animals in similar societies.  Signs of a barn or enclosure would also be a hint.  Particularly in cases of mass destruction, ex: Pompeii, this would be easier than in places where a draft animal may have died and been disposed of. Still, there may be a common burial site for domesticated animals in sedentary settlements and if you already know that the society had pet dogs and cats and you find a burial spot with those and birds buried with similar methods you may suspect that the society also had birds as pets.  Achievements of the culture may also be considered.  For example, could the farming methods used have been done by hand or is it likely that draft animals were required.  Another hint might be if you find a skeleton of a dog near a settlement site and it shows signs of treated injuries.  For a draft species, there might be signs of wear on the joints or perhaps iron shoes.  I'm running out of ideas here but I hope you can think of more.

Answer 5

What others said is for sure the answer.  you have to look at what is around the bones in question.  its all about context.  also what that one person said about cut marks or burn marks on bones, or if there were points on rib bones that would suggest hunting.  and for the most part we have a good idea of what animals were domesticated by whom and when.

Answer 6

Domesticated ones were written about and also shown in carvings on temples or in drawings on papyrus.

The Egyptians were also fond of keeping pets that weren't domesticated - like giraffes, lions, cheetahs.  But the domestic ones always were shown in scenes with the herders or caretakers.  They had sheep, goats, horses, asses (Ponies were from northern Europe), cows, ducks, geese.

Chickens were from Asia, they didn't make it to Egypt in ancient times.  Pigs were more Mediterranean, not African..

Then you had the 'predators' who helped people.  Dogs, cats, mongose/ferrets.

Answer 7

Well, usually the ones which were hunted are dead and stuff.

Answer 8

Generally if the animal was hunted for food there will be projectile points associated with the bone bed and the bones should have cut marks on them from the people butchering their kill. Kill sites also usually have more than one of the same type of animal such as bison jumps.

Answer 9

Elaine has the right idea.  Others who mentioned butchering or cooking are missing the point.  The primary use of domesticated animals was most likely to eat, with milk or egg extraction, hunting partners (dogs), and pack animals for transportation being other uses.

To add to Elaine's ideas (because writings and paintings aren't always available and are secondary sources), the identification of domesticated versus non domesticated animals is aided by mitochondrial DNA which can trace modern domesticates back to their approximate point of departure from wild.  As for direct archaeological identification, the skeletal remains of an animal may have indicators of domestication, such as bit wear on horse molars, wear on the legs of pack animals, or unusual diets of the animals which may be determined by lab analysis of the chemical structure of the bones.

Answer 10

check out Guns, Germs, Steel by Jared Diamond.  good book about the fates of human societies and domestication of animals back in tha day!