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Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
arts and humanities
Determining sheep birth seasonality by analysis of tooth enamel oxygen isotope ratios: The late stone age site of Kasteelberg (South Africa)
Journal of Archaeological Science, Volume 30, No. 2, Year 2003
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Description
Timing of birth of domestic animals is regulated by environmental and genetic variables, and can also be manipulated by the herder. For this reason it is difficult to predict birth distribution in a prehistoric context. Birth seasonality of prehistoric sheep from the site of Kasteelberg, South Africa, was investigated by high resolution intra-tooth analysis of enamel oxygen isotope ratios. The results show two birth seasons, probably in autumn and spring. This may reflect females lambing more than once a year, or subdivision of the flock into groups where births were scheduled at different times of the year. This result has important implications for food availability throughout the year, the role of sheep in the subsistence economy, residential mobility strategy of the human community and use of sheep mortality profiles for interpretation of season of occupation of archaeological sites. © 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
Authors & Co-Authors
Balasse, Marie
United States, Urbana
University of Illinois Urbana-champaign
Smith, Andrew B.
South Africa, Cape Town
University of Cape Town
Ambrose, Stanley H.
United States, Urbana
University of Illinois Urbana-champaign
Leigh, Steven R.
United States, Urbana
University of Illinois Urbana-champaign
Statistics
Citations: 234
Authors: 4
Affiliations: 2
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1006/jasc.2002.0833
ISSN:
03054403
Research Areas
Food Security
Genetics And Genomics
Study Locations
South Africa
Participants Gender
Female