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Incorporation of aurochs into a cattle herd in Neolithic Europe: single event or breeding?

Schibler, Jörg and Elsner, Julia and Schlumbaum, Angela. (2014) Incorporation of aurochs into a cattle herd in Neolithic Europe: single event or breeding? Scientific Reports, 4 (5798).

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Abstract

Domestication is an ongoing process continuously changing the lives of animals and humans and the environment. For the majority of European cattle (Bos taurus) genetic and archaeozoological evidence support initial domestication ca. 11’000 BP in the Near East from few founder aurochs (Bos primigenius) belonging to the mitochondrial DNA T macro-haplogroup. Gene flow between wild European aurochs of P haplogroup and domestic cattle of T haplogroup, coexisting over thousands of years, appears to have been sporadic. We report archaeozoological and ancient DNA evidence for the incorporation of wild stock into a domestic cattle herd from a Neolithic lake-dwelling in Switzerland. A complete metacarpus of a small and compact adult bovid is morphologically and genetically a female. With withers height of ca. 112 cm, it is comparable in size with small domestic cattle from contemporaneous sites in the area. The bone is directly dated to 3360–3090 cal BC and associated to the Horgen culture, a period of the secondary products revolution. The cow possessed a novel mtDNA P haplotype variant of the European aurochs. We argue this is either a single event or, based on osteological characteristics of the Horgen cattle, a rare instance of intentional breeding with female aurochs. Domestication is an ongoing process continuously changing the lives of animals and humans and theenvironment. For the majority of European cattle (Bos taurus) genetic and archaeozoological evidencesupport initial domestication ca. 11’000 BP in the Near East from few founder aurochs (Bos primigenius)belonging to the mitochondrial DNA T macro-haplogroup. Gene flow between wild European aurochs of Phaplogroup and domestic cattle of T haplogroup, coexisting over thousands of years, appears to have beensporadic. We report archaeozoological and ancient DNA evidence for the incorporation of wild stock into adomestic cattle herd from a Neolithic lake-dwelling in Switzerland. A complete metacarpus of a small and compact adult bovid is morphologically and genetically a female. With withers height of ca. 112 cm, it is comparable in size with small domestic cattle from contemporaneous sites in the area. The bone is directly dated to 3360–3090 cal BC and associated to the Horgen culture, a period of the secondary products revolution. The cow possessed a novel mtDNA P haplotype variant of the European aurochs. We argue this is either a single event or, based on osteological characteristics of the Horgen cattle, a rare instance ofintentional breeding with female aurochs.
Faculties and Departments:05 Faculty of Science > Departement Umweltwissenschaften > Ehemalige Einheiten Umweltwissenschaften > Archäozoologie (Schibler)
UniBasel Contributors:Schlumbaum, Angela and Schibler, Jörg M. and Elsner, Julia
Item Type:Article, refereed
Article Subtype:Research Article
Publisher:Nature Publishing Group
e-ISSN:2045-2322
Note:Publication type according to Uni Basel Research Database: Journal article
Language:English
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Last Modified:12 Oct 2017 09:57
Deposited On:12 Sep 2014 08:02

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