The Production and Preservation of Faecal Spherulites: Animals, Environment and Taphonomy

Canti, Matthew

doi:10.1006/jasc.1998.0322

Cited by 166 publications

(117 citation statements)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

104

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…One of the more reliable means of identifying a dung signature in sediments is through the study of spherulites, fibrous crystalline aggregates of calcium carbonate from the guts of ungulates (Brochier et al 1992;Canti 1997Canti , 1999Shahack-Gross and Finkelstein 2008;Lancelotti and Madella 2012). Studies of spherulites can provide a direct indication of dung, and they have been identified at the early farming site of Jeitun in Turkmenistan (Canti 1997).…”

Section: The Archaeology Of Dungmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dung burning in the archaeobotanical record of West Asia: where are we now?

Spengler

2018

Veget Hist Archaeobot

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In the early 1980s Naomi Miller changed the field of palaeoethnobotany; her research into whether the ancient seed eaters of southwest Asia were human or herbivore opened an ongoing debate over the impact that burning of animal dung had on the formation of archaeobotanical assemblages, and how researchers can differentiate between human and animal food remains. As the number of systematic archaeobotanical studies across West Asia and many other parts of the world increase, we are continually confronted with the question of the significance of dung burning. Herd animal dung is the dominant fuel source in many parts of West Asia today and the high densities of seeds of wild plants in archaeobotanical assemblages suggest that people were using dung as fuel across Inner Asia for millennia. Seed assemblages that represent herd animal dung are assisting scholars in understanding palaeoecology and herd animal diet in the past as well as human economy and pasturing practices. However, interpreting these assemblages is not always simple and there are predictable biases that need to be taken into account, notably an overrepresentation of endozoochoric seeds (seeds dispersed through animal ingestion). In West Asia, the most prominent of such seeds in dung assemblages are from the Amaranthaceae family, notably Chenopodium.

show abstract

Section: The Archaeology Of Dungmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dung burning in the archaeobotanical record of West Asia: where are we now?

Spengler

2018

Veget Hist Archaeobot

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Spherolites are calcite particles produced in the stomach of some ruminants. They are abundant in faeces, and their concentration in archaeological sediments, linked with the accumulation of excrements, is usually interpreted as sheep/goat penning (Brochier, 1996;Canti, 1999). Archaeozoological data, such as the presence of shed milk teeth or the age-at-death profiles, can also support this interpretation (Helmer, 1984;Helmer et al, 2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Shepherds and plants in the Alps: multi-proxy archaeobotanical analysis of neolithic dung from “La Grande Rivoire” (Isère, France)

Delhon

Martin

Argant

et al. 2008

Journal of Archaeological Science

115

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

a b s t r a c tThe analysis of phytoliths, pollen, charcoal and other macroremains was carried out in the neolithic shelter of ''La Grande Rivoire'', Vercors massif (French Alps). The results show the predominance of tree species, in the form of phytoliths, clustered pollen, stomata, small branches charcoal, needles, bark, buds. The practice of leaf fodder is already known in the alpine and circum-alpine area from archaeological and historical sources. The analyses of the neolithic dung levels of ''La Grande Rivoire'' illustrate the use of leafy and flowering tree branches as fodder. The results also suggest that some species were used for special purpose in relation with the tending of livestock (litter, dietary supplement, veterinary practices).

show abstract

“…Studying the formation histories of the dung deposits and their archaeological identification and significance Macphail and Goldberg (1985), Canti (1998), Canti (1999 Charles (1998), Charles et al (1998), Forbes (1998), Jones (1998), Valamoti (2013) Secondary product use -dung as building material and source of fuel Watson (1979), Kramer (1982), Miller and Smart (1984), Miller (1996), Matthews et al (1997), Anderson and Ertug-Yaras (1998), Reddy (1999), Sillar (1999), Matthews (2008) results, and there is much scepticism over analytical performance (Frahm 2013;Frahm and Doonan 2013). Inter-instrument performance of pXRF equipment has proved that between different instruments statistically identical results are not produced (Goodale et al 2012).…”

Section: Archaeological Dung Research Referencesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Preliminary ethnoarchaeological research on modern animal husbandry in Bestansur, Iraqi Kurdistan: Integrating animal, plant and environmental data

Elliott

Bendrey

Whitlam

et al. 2014

Environmental Archaeology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This paper presents preliminary results from an ethnoarchaeological study of animal husbandry in the modern village of Bestansur, situated in the lower Zagros Mountains of Iraqi Kurdistan. This research explores how modern families use and manage their livestock within the local landscape and identifies traces of this use. The aim is to provide the groundwork for future archaeological investigations focusing on the nearby Neolithic site of Bestansur. This is based on the premise that modern behaviours can suggest testable patterns for past practices within the same functional and ecological domains. Semistructured interviews conducted with villagers from several households provided large amounts of information on modern behaviours that helped direct data collection, and which also illustrate notable shifts in practices and use of the local landscape over time. Strontium isotope analysis of modern plant material demonstrates that a measurable variation exists between the alluvial floodplain and the lower foothills, while analysis of modern dung samples shows clear variation between sheep/goat and cow dung, in terms of numbers of faecal spherulites. These results are specific to the local environment of Bestansur and can be used for evaluating and contextualising archaeological evidence as well as providing modern reference material for comparative purposes.

show abstract

The Production and Preservation of Faecal Spherulites: Animals, Environment and Taphonomy

Cited by 166 publications

References 0 publications

Dung burning in the archaeobotanical record of West Asia: where are we now?

Dung burning in the archaeobotanical record of West Asia: where are we now?

Shepherds and plants in the Alps: multi-proxy archaeobotanical analysis of neolithic dung from “La Grande Rivoire” (Isère, France)

Preliminary ethnoarchaeological research on modern animal husbandry in Bestansur, Iraqi Kurdistan: Integrating animal, plant and environmental data

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About