Thanks for pointing out my lapse...
The problems with quantifying bone fusion as a result of
preservation and recovery etc are well known. I am lucky
the sites I work on have the most remarkable preservation
and damm fine recovery, so I can use estimates of
'neonatal' bone (done on fusion and size) compared to the
percentage of all bone with fusing information. So I do use
both.
Unfortunately not many sites have such good preservation so
I, perhaps wrongly, assumed more people would have access to
tooth data.
As for the milking argument - tell me about it.....I have
been having a debate on this topic for a while now! But
seeing as its sort of hidden amongst scottish stuff I guess
the rest of the world has not necessarily noticed.
For anyones interest - we started with a prelim results
paper - mentioning milking (amongst a number of other
things)
Parker Pearson, M., Sharples, N. and Mulville, J. 1996
'Brochs and Iron Age Society: A reappraisal'. Antiquity 70.
57-67.
Got a reply.....saying oh no it was the lack of winter
fodder and calves don't give milk without their ma's being
present (amongst other things).
Gilmour and Cook, 1998 Excavations at Dun Vulan, a
reexamination of the reappraised iron age. Antiquity 72,
327-37
Replied
Parker Pearson, M., Sharples, N. and Mulville, J. 1999
'Excavations at Dun Vulan: a correction' Antiquity
73.149-52.
and the final report....yes with bits about milking...
Parker Pearson, M. and Sharples, N. with
Mulville, J. and Smith, H. 1999. 'Between Land and Sea:
Excavations at Dun Vulan, South Uist' S.E.A.R.C.H. Volume
3. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press
We are awaiting the publication of some of our results on
finding bovine casein in pots from one of our sites in
nature. We are extending this work and will be continuing
the debate...
Hence my request for further info. It has not escaped my
notice that at Danebury (grant 1984) the neonatal mortality
profile for cattle is fairly similar to that in the far
north. Why? Is there a lack of winter fodder there too,
noone suggests so, but they do suggest a specialised
dairying economy! Though this of course has also been
questioned. Whatever the fact that this phenomen is seen
further south in the UK, suggests its not just the weather.
Anyhow I am preparing a paper to summarise all this - which
I will put in a well-read journal (hopefully)!
jacqui
----------------------
Jacqui Mulville,
EH Regional Science Advisor (E. Mids)
Oxford University Museum,
Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PW
Tel: 01865-272996 Fax: 01865-272970
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