Overview

The aurochs (Bos primigenius) is generally agreed to be the wild ancestor of domestic cattle (Bos taurus) and therefore an in-depth knowledge of this animal is key to research exploring human-cattle interactions, and the origins and spread of cattle domestication. Domestic cattle are smaller than their wild ancestors, but there is also a degree of overlap between the two species, which means that distinguishing them can be problematic. However, previous analyses of aurochs morphology have generally been patchy, and do not provide a picture of aurochs variation across Europe according to environment, climate and geography. As a consequence, zooarchaeologists have had limited resources to assist in identifying remains from their study area. This book provides the widest ranging review of aurochs archaeological material in Europe to date, bringing together bone and tooth biometrical information from a number of European geographical areas and time periods. A number of patterns of body size and shape variation have been identified and discussed.

Full Product Details

Author:   Elizabeth Wright
Publisher:   BAR Publishing
Imprint:   BAR Publishing
Volume:   2815
Dimensions:   Width: 21.00cm , Height: 1.10cm , Length: 29.70cm
Weight:   0.837kg
ISBN:  

9781407314839

ISBN 10:   1407314831
Pages:   210
Publication Date:   29 July 2016
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Available To Order  
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Table of Contents

"List of Figures List of Tables Acknowledgements Chapter 1: Introduction and Background 1.1 Introduction: research questions and outline of the study 1.2 The aurochs (Bos primigenius): taxonomy and geographical distribution 1.3 Factors affecting body size 1.4 Climate and environment in Europe during the Upper Pleistocene and Holocene 1.5 Domestication 1.6 Bos vs Bison 1.7 Summary Chapter 2: Material and Methods 2.1 Material 2.2 Methods 2.3 Summary Chapter 3: Biometrical Variation Across Time by Geographical Area 3.1 Denmark and Sweden 3.2 Britain 3.3 Germany and Poland 3.4 Iberia 3.5 Italy 3.6 Summary Chapter 4: Morphological Variation Across Europe by Broad Time Period 4.1 The Pleistocene 4.2 Holocene 4.3 Summary Chapter 5: Discussion, Conclusions and Reflections on the Study 5.1 Morphometric variability of the aurochs across time 5.2 Morphometric variability of the aurochs across its European range 5.3 Potential contributions of this work to the morphometric identification of wild and domestic cattle bones 5.4 Potential contributions of this work to palaeogenetic studies 5.5 Reflections on this study, and potential future directions 5.6 Conclusions Appendix I: Recording Protocol Appendix II: Log Ratio Plots Showing Individual Skeletons and Sites Appendix III: Summary Statistics Bibliography5pt;font-family:""Verdana"",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family:Verdana'>"

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Author Information

Elizabeth Wright is currently a Post-Doctoral Research Associate at the University of Sheffield (UK). She completed her PhD on the morphological variability of the European aurochs in 2014, and this volume is one of her publications on this topic.?

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