On the subject of gnawing by pigs - raised by Haskel Greenfield:
Has anyone ever recognised bones in archaeological assemblages which look as if
they have been chewed by pigs rather than by dogs or other carnivores?
I am quite surprised that even on rural sites where pig remains were common,
I have not seen chewed bones which had tooth marks which were any different from
the scoring and puncture marks left by carnivores. I suspect that I may have
failed to recognise the marks of pig chewing. Do pigs crush bones without
leaving recognisable tooth marks? Or were pigs - unlike the dogs - usually kept
outside the settlement itself?
Dale
Dale Serjeantson
Department of Archaeology
University of Southampton
Email: [log in to unmask]
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