Offspring of the Aurochs: A comparison of a reference collection of Dexter cattle skeletons with archaeological and historical data

This thesis aimed to re-evaluate archaeological interpretations of cattle exploitation strategies and propose new and integrated interpretations informed by archaeological and historical evidence. In addition, the study used the modern Dexter breed as a comparandum for the small cattle represented on British archaeological sites from the Bronze Age onwards. Data from a real death assemblage of forty complete and partial skeletons of Dexter cattle in the author’s reference collection, ranging in age from stillborn calves to an eighteen year old cow, and eight partial skeletons of juvenile Jersey and Jersey cross cattle were presented. The analysis was approached from the management of live cattle by age and sex groupings, rather than bones, an approach influenced by recent archaeological interpretations of the concept of the Operational Chain, or ‘biography’, incorporating the social aspect into the analysis. Critical examination and integration of information from historical and modern sources pertaining to husbandry, together with observations made in the author’s Dexter herd, were used to give insights into the reconstruction of herding strategies. The data from the Dexters, of known life history, demonstrated that simplistic hypotheses, for example equating a suite of pathological changes as evidence for draught cattle, are untenable and also suggested a new interpretation of the aetiology of osteochondrosis in young male cattle. The dwarf cattle in the Dexter sample demonstrated the difficulty of recognising bones of such animals in highly fragmented assemblages but also that metrical separation from estimated withers heights is feasible. Interpretations of “improvement” in cattle size prior to the 18th century were debated in detail. Both “profit” and the input of women in dairy-based herding were proposed as driving forces for variations in cattle size and the age and sex groupings in the slaughter population. The Dexter data were shown to be applicable to the interpretation of archaeological cattle bone assemblages from a wide range of prehistoric to later post-medieval sites in England and Wales. This thesis has demonstrated that new and nuanced interpretations of cattle bone assemblages are possible, integrating foodways and social aspects of herding

Palaeogenomic analysis of black rat (Rattus rattus) reveals multiple European introductions associated with human economic history

The distribution of the black rat (Rattus rattus) has been heavily influenced by its association with humans. The dispersal history of this non-native commensal rodent across Europe, however, remains poorly understood, and different introductions may have occurred during the Roman and medieval periods. Here, in order to reconstruct the population history of European black rats, we first generate a de novo genome assembly of the black rat. We then sequence 67 ancient and three modern black rat mitogenomes, and 36 ancient and three modern nuclear genomes from archaeological sites spanning the 1st-17th centuries CE in Europe and North Africa. Analyses of our newly reported sequences, together with published mitochondrial DNA sequences, confirm that black rats were introduced into the Mediterranean and Europe from Southwest Asia. Genomic analyses of the ancient rats reveal a population turnover in temperate Europe between the 6th and 10th centuries CE, coincident with an archaeologically attested decline in the black rat population. The near disappearance and re-emergence of black rats in Europe may have been the result of the breakdown of the Roman Empire, the First Plague Pandemic, and/or post-Roman climatic cooling.Peer reviewe

Analysis of Polycerate Mutants Reveals the Evolutionary Co-option of HOXD1 for Horn Patterning in Bovidae

In the course of evolution, pecorans (i.e. higher ruminants) developed a remarkable diversity of osseous cranial appendages, collectively referred to as 'headgear', which likely share the same origin and genetic basis. However, the nature and function of the genetic determinants underlying their number and position remain elusive. Jacob and other rare populations of sheep and goats are characterized by polyceraty, the presence of more than two horns. Here, we characterize distinct POLYCERATE alleles in each species, both associated with defective HOXD1 function. We show that haploinsufficiency at this locus results in the splitting of horn bud primordia, likely following the abnormal extension of an initial morphogenetic field. These results highlight the key role played by this gene in headgear patterning and illustrate the evolutionary co-option of a gene involved in the early development of bilateria to properly fix the position and number of these distinctive organs of Bovidae

Analysis of Polycerate Mutants Reveals the Evolutionary Co-option of HOXD1 for Horn Patterning in Bovidae

International audienceIn the course of evolution, pecorans (i.e. higher ruminants) developed a remarkable diversity of osseous cranial appendages, collectively referred to as 'headgear', which likely share the same origin and genetic basis. However, the nature and function of the genetic determinants underlying their number and position remain elusive. Jacob and other rare populations of sheep and goats are characterized by polyceraty, the presence of more than two horns. Here, we characterize distinct POLYCERATE alleles in each species, both associated with defective HOXD1 function. We show that haploinsufficiency at this locus results in the splitting of horn bud primordia, likely following the abnormal extension of an initial morphogenetic field. These results highlight the key role played by this gene in headgear patterning and illustrate the evolutionary co-option of a gene involved in the early development of bilateria to properly fix the position and number of these distinctive organs of Bovidae

Palaeogenomic analysis of black rat (Rattus rattus) reveals multiple European introductions associated with human economic history

The distribution of the black rat (Rattus rattus) has been heavily influenced by its association with humans. The dispersal history of this non-native commensal rodent across Europe, however, remains poorly understood, and different introductions may have occurred during the Roman and medieval periods. Here, in order to reconstruct the population history of European black rats, we first generate a de novo genome assembly of the black rat. We then sequence 67 ancient and three modern black rat mitogenomes, and 36 ancient and three modern nuclear genomes from archaeological sites spanning the 1st-17th centuries CE in Europe and North Africa. Analyses of our newly reported sequences, together with published mitochondrial DNA sequences, confirm that black rats were introduced into the Mediterranean and Europe from Southwest Asia. Genomic analyses of the ancient rats reveal a population turnover in temperate Europe between the 6th and 10th centuries CE, coincident with an archaeologically attested decline in the black rat population. The near disappearance and re-emergence of black rats in Europe may have been the result of the breakdown of the Roman Empire, the First Plague Pandemic, and/or post-Roman climatic cooling.Peer reviewe