Bone pathologies of modern caprines (Ovis aries & Capra hircus) in the context of the pasture-stall system of the steppe zone of the South Urals.

OBJECTIVES

Various dentition and bone pathologies of the postcranial skeleton of caprines are regularly mentioned in archaeozoological studies. This work analyzes pathological and age-related changes in modern animals with known life histories in order to improve the accuracy of interpretation of pathologies of caprines from archaeological sites.

MATERIALS

1468 bones of modern caprines (mainly sheep) have been analyzed. The bones originate from the territory in which there are numerous settlements of Bronze Age pastoralists.

METHODS

Bones of modern caprines with pathologies have been compared with bones without changes. The age of the animals was determined by the state of the dental system and epiphyses, which made it possible to determine the approximate age range of the caprines, the bones of which are analyzed in the work.

RESULTS

For each skeletal element of modern caprines, typical kinds of changes have been revealed. In some cases, a correlation has been established between the number of pathological changes and the age of livestock.

CONCLUSION

Despite the known life histories of sheep and goats, the etiology of a number of identified changes remains unknown. Most of the recorded pathologies are typical for caprines and are difficult to use for the reconstruction of the nature of animal husbandry practices.

SIGNIFICANCE

This work analyzes a relatively extensive collection of bones of caprines with known life histories. It will allow the identification of typical bone pathologies in sheep and goats and their approximate etiology within a given breeding system and area. These data can be used in the framework of archaeozoological studies of the steppe zone of northern Eurasia and other territories.

LIMITATIONS

This research is limited to a relatively small number of bones and complete skeletons of modern caprines, alongside the near absence of complete skeletons of modern wild ungulates from the same microdistrict.

FUTURE RESEARCH

The most promising area of future work is a combined comparative study of a larger sample of bones of modern and Bronze Age caprines and wild ungulates of the same size class. It will allow changes to be identified directly related to animal husbandry practices.