Browsing by Author "Svensson, Emma M."
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- An osteometrical method for sexing cattle bones: the metacarpals from 17th century Carnide, Lisbon, PortugalPublication . Davis, Simon J. M.; Albarella, Umberto; Detry, Cleia; Ginja, Catarina; Götherström, Anders; Pires, Ana Elisabete; Sendim, Alfredo; Svensson, Emma M.Measurements taken on 47 complete and 44 distal fragments of cattle metacarpals from 17th century AD Carnide, Lisbon, separate into two groups. Comparison with 21 ancient DNA sexed specimens and modern specimens of known sex (seven Barrosã cows and a Barrosã bull), indicates that the Carnide metacarpals probably belonged to both cows and bulls/oxen. We use the 47 complete metacarpals as a “sexed reference sample” in order to find which measurements generally taken by zooarchaeologists on the distal metacarpal help separate males from females. Widths appear to be most useful. The modern Barrosã cattle in our collection, selected for their meat, have wider metacarpals than the ones from Carnide; the latter were perhaps more generalist animals.