Millets across Eurasia: chronology and context of early records of the genera Panicum and Setaria from archaeological sites in the Old World

We have collated and reviewed published records of the genera Panicum and Setaria (Poaceae), including the domesticated millets Panicum miliaceum L. (broomcorn millet) and Setaria italica (L.) P. Beauv. (foxtail millet) in pre-5000 cal b.c. sites across the Old World. Details of these sites, which span China, central-eastern Europe including the Caucasus, Iran, Syria and Egypt, are presented with associated calibrated radiocarbon dates. Forty-one sites have records of Panicum (P. miliaceum, P. cf. miliaceum, Panicum sp., Panicum type, P. capillare (?) and P. turgidum) and 33 of Setaria (S. italica, S. viridis, S. viridis/verticillata, Setaria sp., Setaria type). We identify problems of taphonomy, identification criteria and reporting, and inference of domesticated/wild and crop/weed status of finds. Both broomcorn and foxtail millet occur in northern China prior to 5000 cal b.c.; P. miliaceum occurs contemporaneously in Europe, but its significance is unclear. Further work is needed to resolve the above issues before the status of these taxa in this period can be fully evaluated

Morphological and metric criteria for identifying postcranial skeletal remains of modern and archaeological Caprinae and Antilopinae in the northeast Tibetan Plateau and adjacent areas

Osseous remains of medium‐sized Caprinae and Antilopinae are often found in late Quaternary archaeological sites in the northeast Tibetan Plateau and adjacent areas, but their accurate taxonomic identification poses considerable problems to zooarchaeologists. Building on previous osteomorphological studies and a statistically significant number of modern comparatives, this study presents diagnostic morphological features and metric data of selected skeletal elements, enabling taxonomic classification of six medium‐sized wild bovid genera widely distributed across the region, i.e. Blue sheep (Pseudois nayaur), Argali (Ovis ammon), Serow (Capricornis sp.), Goral (Naemorhedus sp.), and two genera of Antilopinae (Gazella, Procapra), as well as domestic sheep (Ovis aries) and goats (Capra hircus). A blind test showed that using these anatomical criteria on modern specimens allowed separating unequivocally all taxa in the case of the distal humerus, but a lesser degree of confidence in the case of the distal metapodials. Applying these criteria to archaeological specimens from the prehistoric northeast Tibetan Plateau, we conclude that distal humeri can be confidently assigned taxonomically by applying a stepwise approach, whereas in distal metacarpals and metatarsals, the probabilistic approach is proving more promising for classifying specimens correctly.The CSC Cambridge Overseas Trust (2010601248), Wenner-Gren Dissertation Fieldwork Grants (9860), Great Britain-China Educational Trust (22052014), Darwin College Santander Fund (1141105), and Natural Science Foundation of China (41930323