Premium
Neolithic dogs: A reappraisal based on evidence from the remains of a large canid deposited in a ritual feature
Author(s) -
Clark Kate M.
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
international journal of osteoarchaeology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.738
H-Index - 60
eISSN - 1099-1212
pISSN - 1047-482X
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1099-1212(199603)6:2<211::aid-oa264>3.0.co;2-i
Subject(s) - canis , skull , feature (linguistics) , archaeology , geography , mandible (arthropod mouthpart) , zoology , biology , ecology , anatomy , linguistics , philosophy , genus
A canid skull and mandible, dated to the late neolithic, produced a series of measurements which indicate an animal significantly larger than any dog recovered from this period. The skull showed evidence of healed trauma with associated asymmetry. Metrical and morphological criteria have been applied to identify the remains as those of wolf Canis lupus , and the results of these tests are inconclusive. The possibility that the remains are of a large dog, Canis familiaris , is discussed, together with the implications that this may have for the archaeological consideration of this species.