Халықаралық ғылыми-тәжірибелік конференция материалдары
EXAMINING THE MANDIBLES AND EPIPHYSEAL FUSION
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EXAMINING THE MANDIBLES AND EPIPHYSEAL FUSION OF EQUINE DEADSTOCK AT BOTAI TO UNDERSTAND HERD STRUCTURE Little is known about the age and sex structures of horses killed at the Botai site, therefore an in depth study focusing on herd structure will allow us to see if there are any patterns which may give insight into slaughter strategies. We investigated the herd structure represented at Botai by looking at epiphysial fusion patterns and dental ageing and sexing. The epiphysial fusion study consisted of looking at 1142 different equine post-cranial elements. The sample was categorised into fusion groups based on the known age that element completed fusion by. These 5 age categories are 9-12 months, 13-15 months, 15-20 months, 18-24 months, and 36-42 months. The mortality rates shown in the results do not fit with any of the conventional models which have been presented in the past. The latest fusion of 36-42 months was shown to have a significant percentage of unfused bones, suggesting a highly level of slaughter in that age range than previous studies based upon dental ageing. Previous analyses of age at death undertaken on horse teeth from Botai suggested that the inhabitants may have hunted horses, however an overwhelming amount of other evidence suggests husbandry. To clarify the situation, we examined the incisors and canines of 34 horse mandibles for aging, and the presence or absence of canines (a sexually dimorphic trait) for sexing. Incisor and canine eruption rate, and features of the incisal surfaces such as polish, infundibulum, and dental stars were the primary method for age identification. Canine size, robusticity, and depth of alveoli (tooth socket) at varied age stages were evaluated to determine sex, as females will often lack canines or will have small and malformed canines. Results indicate a population of around 70% adult males, with a smaller number of juvenile and subadult males, and 30% adult females. By age structure it would appear to represent a family band but adult males dominate the sex structure counter what would be 38 expected in a wild harem group. Thus, the patter neither matches a wild batchelor group (in terms of age structure) or a family, harem group, in terms of sex structure. This trend is perhaps therefore influenced by human selection and management strategies. The higher mortality of subadults represented in the post-cranial fusion stage data could be explained by different deposition patterns for post-cranial vs cranial elements. Whilst the number of animals killed in what would normally be considered prime meat production age is significant it is still smaller than would be expected in a conventional specialized meat economy. The herd structure at Botai does not match well with either expected models for hunting or conventional specialist models for the exploitation of meat and milk. There are many potential explanations for this ranging from taphonomic and depositional bias to mixed herd use. However, we also investigate the possibility that herd structure relates to the specific economic and environmental constraints presented to early horse herds that may differ for later models for management that are heavily driven by foddering needs. жүктеу/скачать 0,53 Mb. Достарыңызбен бөлісу:
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