Mediaeval cattle from Bern (Switzerland): An archaeozoological, genetic and historical approach

Abstract

This study deals with genetic analyses of an assemblage of mediaeval (13th century) cattle metapodials from Bern that had previously been osteometrically examined regarding sex, shape and wither height. The results from the genetic sexing of these small (height 100 to 120 cm) cattle correlate well with the osteometric interpretations. Some few exceptions we interpreted as cows used as draft animals with stouter bones and thus osteometrically determined as males. Two morphologically different groups of cow metatarsals however, we took as proof of the historical fact that Bern relied on livestock from different geographical origins: the town's vicinity and the alpine pastures with their favourable grazing conditions. It was not possible to distinguish them genetically. An analysis of one single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the melanocortin receptor 1 (MC1R) showed that predominant coat colour most likely was red-brown. Furthermore, an analysis of the SNP in the Y-chromosomal intron UTY19 that divide modern taurine cattle in two major haplogroups (Y1 and Y2) showed that the mediaeval cattle belonged to the haplogroup Y2 with one single exception of a Y1.

Temporal variation in coat colour (genotypes) supports major changes in the Nordic cattle population after Iron Age

“… Data genotyped for the black colour; C/C or C/T at site 296 and red and wild‐type T/T at site 296 (Svensson et al . , ; Telldahl et al . ). …”

Temporal Fluctuation in North East Baltic Sea Region Cattle Population Revealed by Mitochondrial and Y-Chromosomal DNA Analyses

“…The combined data from Fennoscandian bulls were divided into four temporal groups: Iron Age (n = 8 [ 25 ]), Medieval (n = 37 this study and [ 24 , 25 ]), Post-Medieval (n = 19 this study and [ 24 ]), and modern (n = 28 [ 22 ] and [ 11 ] as reported in [ 23 ]). To compare the temporal analyses in Fennoscandia to Central Europe, data from Medieval bulls (n = 14, [ 26 ]) from Switzerland was analysed together with data from modern Swiss breeds (Braunvieh, Ehringer, and Simmental, n = 39, [ 22 ] and [ 11 , 40 ] as reported in [ 23 ]).…”

“…The aim of this study was to explore temporal population variation by maternally and paternally inherited markers in cattle from the North East Baltic Sea region (N-EBSR), and to compare ancient populations with modern breeds. Haplotype data from 45 ancient mtDNA and 7 Y-chromosome samples was used together with contemporary data from 2094 mtDNA [ 10 , 11 , 15 , 16 , 20 ] and 1614 modern [ 22 – 24 ] and 71 ancient Y-chromosomes [ 24 – 26 ] samples. The data indicates clear changes in the N-EBSR cattle populations from late Bronze/Iron Age to modern times.…”

Late History of Cattle Breeds in Central Europe in Light of Genetic and Archaeogenetic Sources—Overview, Thoughts, and Perspectives

“…Nevertheless, the spread of new generation sequencing in archaeogenetics to extend the studied region will always be hampered by the degree of DNA fragmentation in ancient samples. This process restricts the size of amplified and sequenced fragments even in the limited percent of archaeological finds still containing DNA under the environmental conditions of Central Europe [91]. The inevitable degradation also prevents the transfer of new technologies of long-range sequencing to the ancient samples, although this progress greatly simplifies targeted resequencing in extant populations.…”