Introduction: Perspectives on the History and Ethnoarchaeology of Reindeer Domestication and Herding

Salmi, Anna‐Kaisa

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-98643-8_1

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 68 publications

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“…Ageing methods are especially valuable for key species such as caribou and reindeer (Rangifer tarandus). These animals are widespread across much of northern Eurasia and North America [20][21][22][23], and their remains are frequently found in abundance at archaeological sites beginning in the Late Pleistocene [e.g., [24][25][26][27][28][29][30]. Furthermore, reindeer and caribou, in both wild and domestic forms, continue to be essential to maintaining ways of life and well-being for many northern peoples [23,[31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing current visual tooth wear age estimation methods for Rangifer tarandus using a known age sample from Canada

Kohut,

Losey,

Kutz

et al. 2024

PLoS ONE

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Age estimation is crucial for investigating animal populations in the past and present. Visual examination of tooth wear and eruption is one of the most common ageing methods in zooarchaeology, wildlife management, palaeontology, and veterinary research. Such approaches are particularly advantageous because they are non-destructive, can be completed using photographs, and do not require specialized training. Several tooth wear and eruption methods have been developed for Rangifer tarandus, a widely distributed and long-utilized species in the North. This paper evaluates the practicality and effectiveness of three existing visual tooth wear and eruption methods for this species using a large known-age sample from several caribou populations in northern Canada (Bluenose East, Bluenose West, Dolphin-Union, Qamanirjuaq, and Beverly herds). These methods are evaluated based on: (1) the amount of error and bias between estimated and actual ages, (2) suitable and interpretable results, (3) user-friendly and unambiguous procedures, and (4) which teeth and visual features of those teeth are used to record wear and eruption status. This study finds that the three evaluated methods all have variable errors and biases, and two show extensive biases when applied to older individuals. Demographic data is simpler to generate and more flexible to report when methods allow age to be estimated as a continuous or discrete variable, rather than as age ranges. The dentition samples used by two of the previously developed methods impact their applicability to other populations of Rangifer. In one existing method, individuals were unavailable from some age ranges leaving gaps when assigning ages. For another Rangifer-ageing method, the population utilized was too distinct in morphology or diet to be used with the Canadian caribou analyzed here. Additional refinement of tooth wear and eruption ageing methods will benefit zooarchaeological research on reindeer and caribou remains.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing current visual tooth wear age estimation methods for Rangifer tarandus using a known age sample from Canada

Kohut,

Losey,

Kutz

et al. 2024

PLoS ONE

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The 10,000-year biocultural history of fallow deer and its implications for conservation policy

Baker,

Miller,

Doherty

et al. 2024

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Over the last 10,000 y, humans have manipulated fallow deer populations with varying outcomes. Persian fallow deer ( Dama mesopotamica ) are now endangered. European fallow deer ( Dama dama ) are globally widespread and are simultaneously considered wild, domestic, endangered, invasive and are even the national animal of Barbuda and Antigua. Despite their close association with people, there is no consensus regarding their natural ranges or the timing and circumstances of their human-mediated translocations and extirpations. Our mitochondrial analyses of modern and archaeological specimens revealed two distinct clades of European fallow deer present in Anatolia and the Balkans. Zooarchaeological evidence suggests these regions were their sole glacial refugia. By combining biomolecular analyses with archaeological and textual evidence, we chart the declining distribution of Persian fallow deer and demonstrate that humans repeatedly translocated European fallow deer, sourced from the most geographically distant populations. Deer taken to Neolithic Chios and Rhodes derived not from nearby Anatolia, but from the Balkans. Though fallow deer were translocated throughout the Mediterranean as part of their association with the Greco-Roman goddesses Artemis and Diana, deer taken to Roman Mallorca were not locally available Dama dama , but Dama mesopotamica . Romans also initially introduced fallow deer to Northern Europe but the species became extinct and was reintroduced in the medieval period, this time from Anatolia. European colonial powers then transported deer populations across the globe. The biocultural histories of fallow deer challenge preconceptions about the divisions between wild and domestic species and provide information that should underpin modern management strategies.

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Introduction: Perspectives on the History and Ethnoarchaeology of Reindeer Domestication and Herding

Cited by 2 publications

References 68 publications

Assessing current visual tooth wear age estimation methods for Rangifer tarandus using a known age sample from Canada

Assessing current visual tooth wear age estimation methods for Rangifer tarandus using a known age sample from Canada

The 10,000-year biocultural history of fallow deer and its implications for conservation policy

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