Abstract
Used together, caliper- and geometric-based morphometric analyses provide complimentary approaches to classifying form and function of archaeozoological remains. Here we apply these analytical tools to the skeletal remains of an ancient male dog unearthed from a rural farm settlement of Roman date near present day Warmington, UK. Our comparisons of the Warmington Roman dog against the morphological characteristics of modern dog breeds enabled us to establish the former’s size and shape. It was of medium stature. Analysis of viscerocrania and neurocrania indicate it falls within the meso- to dolichocephalic rankings of modern dogs. The neurocranium shape and the dimensions of its long bones strongly suggest that the Warmington dog shares similarities to modern sight hounds. Historically sight hounds were bred for speed, as necessitated of a hunter that runs down small prey. Our analysis suggests that the Warmington dog was likely bred for, or derived from, Roman hunting stock. By revealing the Warmington Roman dog’s form from cranial and postcranial analyses, we shed light on Roman life in one of the furthest outposts of the Roman Empire.
Original language | English |
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Journal | Anatomical Record |
Early online date | 23 May 2020 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 13 Dec 2020 |
Keywords
- morphology
- geometric morphometrics
- Roman
- dog
- archaeozoology
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Dive into the research topics of 'From Head to Hind: Elucidating Function through Contrasting Morphometrics of Ancient and Modern Pedigree Dogs'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.Datasets
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Data supporting the paper "From Head to Hind: Elucidating Function through Contrasting Morphometrics of Ancient and Modern Pedigree Dogs". This dataset was previously titled - Geometric Morphometrics in Canine Archaeozoology: Hallmarks of Present-Day Sight Hounds in the Bones of an Ancient Roman Dog
Schoenebeck, J. (Creator) & Nussbaumer, M. (Creator), Edinburgh DataShare, 28 Feb 2020
DOI: 10.7488/ds/2538
Dataset
Profiles
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Jeffrey Schoenebeck
- Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies - Senior Research Fellow
Person: Academic: Research Active