Distinguishing African bovids using Zooarchaeology by Mass Spectrometry (ZooMS): New peptide markers and insights into Iron Age economies in Zambia
Overview
Paper Summary
This study developed the first comprehensive set of peptide markers for wild African bovids and applied ZooMS to fragmented faunal assemblages from six Iron Age sites in Zambia. The results revealed greater taxonomic diversity than traditional morphological analysis, indicating cattle-based pastoralism supplemented by hunting, particularly of duikers, and shedding light on the persistence of wild bovid exploitation during the Iron Age.
Explain Like I'm Five
Scientists found a new way to tell apart bones from old African cows and antelopes. They learned that people long ago ate many cows, but also hunted small animals like duikers, showing they used both farm animals and wild ones.
Possible Conflicts of Interest
None identified
Identified Limitations
Rating Explanation
This study presents a valuable contribution to the field of zooarchaeology by developing the first comprehensive set of peptide markers for wild African bovids. The application of ZooMS to highly fragmented faunal assemblages from Iron Age sites in Zambia demonstrates the method's potential to reveal greater taxonomic richness than analyses based solely on morphology. This, in turn, provides new insights into past subsistence economies and foodways. Although the study is limited by small sample sizes at some sites and uneven collagen preservation, it offers a novel avenue for future research on African archaeofaunal assemblages.
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