The lambs break their silence

Date:
March 23, 2021
Source:
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universita"t Mu"nchen
Summary:
A study of ancient bones shows that Early Neolithic sheep-breeders
were faced with high levels of mortality among young animals in
their herds. A statistical model allowed the age distribution of
the bones to be precisely determined.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
A study of ancient bones shows that Early Neolithic sheep-breeders were
faced with high levels of mortality among young animals in their herds. A statistical model, partly developed at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet
(LMU) in Munich, allowed the age distribution of the bones to be precisely determined.


==========================================================================
In the 8th millennium BCE, early sheep-herders were already aware that
the conditions under which their animals were housed had an impact on
mortality rates among the lambs. This one result of a study researchers
led by Nadja Po"llath (a curator at the State Collection for Anthropology
and Palaeoanatomy in Munich), LMU zooarchaeologist Joris Peters (who is
also the Director of the state collection) and LMU statistician Sevag
Kevork have now taken a closer look at the bones of unborn and neonatal
lambs, which form part of the collections studied by them. The material
comes from the Early Neolithic site Aşıklı Ho"yu"k,
one of the largest and best investigated settlements from this period
in Central Anatolia. The site was occupied from 8350 to around 7300 BCE,
and the study reveals that the life expectancy of newborn lambs gradually increased over this timespan. The researchers attribute this finding to improvements in husbandry of the herds, which enabled a larger proportion
of neonates to survive the nursing period, and be let out to graze the
nearby pastures.

The archaeological remains that have come to light at
Aşıklı Ho"yu"k provide valuable information, not only
on its domestic architecture and cultural practices, but also on the surrounding vegetation and the diets of the people and animals living in
the area. Moreover, it sheds light on the development of agriculture and
animal husbandry during the Early Neolithic period. The finds indicate
that, in the settlement's earliest phase, its inhabitants still obtained
their meat mainly from hunting. Later on, however, domesticated animals
- primarily sheep - supplied much of the animal protein consumed. The
discovery of compacted dung layers within the settlement indicates
that sheep were kept for longer periods within the boundaries of the settlement.

A new analysis of the age distribution of the animal bones found at Aşıklı Ho"yu"k illustrates the problems with which early
sheep- herders were confronted - and on how they learned to mitigate
them. Most of the conventional approaches used to determine the exact age
at which the animals died focus on teeth. However, such methods are not sufficiently sensitive to enable researchers to reliably differentiate
between developmental stages in very young animals - in this case,
sheep covering the age range from the fetus to newborns and juveniles.

In order to determine the ages of fetuses and lambs as accurately as
possible, the researchers developed a new statistical model. They first analyzed the morphology of the humerus or upper-arm bone in a sample
of modern sheep breeds, based on material kept in anatomical reference collections in the US, the UK, Spain, Portugal and Germany, and used the results to construct a comparative model for Neolithic sheep. In this
way, the age at death of the bones of lambs from Aşıklı
Ho"yu"k could be precisely determined. "Our analyses were of great
value in enabling us to narrow down the range of possible ages of
death in fetuses and lambs," says Nadja Po"llath. "We now have a
better understanding of the difficulties that early herders faced
in the early phases of sheep domestication in Aşıklı
Ho"yu"k." Infections were the primary causes of early mortality, together
with malnutrition and dietary deficiencies. In addition, the animals
were kept under overcrowded conditions.

When they were subsequently let out to grass their health improved. The zooarchaeological data also suggest that, towards the end of the
occupation of Aşıklı Ho"yu"k, fetal mortality fell and
more lambs survived.

Prof. Peters concludes: "Our research thus proves for
the first time that learning by doing determined the early
phase of livestock farming in the 9th and 8th millennia BCE." ========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universita"t_Mu"nchen. Note: Content may be edited
for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Nadja Po"llath, Ricardo Garci'a-Gonza'lez, Sevag Kevork, Ursula
Mutze,
Michaela I. Zimmermann, Mihriban O"zbaşaran, Joris Peters. A
non- linear prediction model for ageing foetal and neonatal sheep
reveals basic issues in early neolithic husbandry. Journal of
Archaeological Science, 2021; 105344 DOI: 10.1016/j.jas.2021.105344 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/03/210323131307.htm

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