TY - JOUR

T1 - The name of the game

T2 - palaeoproteomics and radiocarbon dates further refine the presence and dispersal of caprines in eastern and southern Africa

AU - Le Meillour, Louise

AU - Zazzo, Antoine

AU - Zirah, Séverine

AU - Tombret, Olivier

AU - Barriel, Véronique

AU - Arthur, Kathryn W.

AU - Arthur, John W.

AU - Cauliez, Jessie

AU - Chaix, Louis

AU - Curtis, Matthew C.

AU - Gifford-Gonzalez, Diane

AU - Gunn, Imogen

AU - Gutherz, Xavier

AU - Hildebrand, Elisabeth

AU - Khalidi, Lamya

AU - Millet, Marie

AU - Mitchell, Peter

AU - Studer, Jacqueline

AU - Vila, Emmanuelle

AU - Welker, Frido

AU - Pleurdeau, David

AU - Lesur, Joséphine

N1 - © 2023 The Authors.

PY - 2023

Y1 - 2023

N2 - We report the first large-scale palaeoproteomics research on eastern and southern African zooarchaeological samples, thereby refining our understanding of early caprine (sheep and goat) pastoralism in Africa. Assessing caprine introductions is a complicated task because of their skeletal similarity to endemic wild bovid species and the sparse and fragmentary state of relevant archaeological remains. Palaeoproteomics has previously proved effective in clarifying species attributions in African zooarchaeological materials, but few comparative protein sequences of wild bovid species have been available. Using newly generated type I collagen sequences for wild species, as well as previously published sequences, we assess species attributions for elements originally identified as caprine or 'unidentifiable bovid' from 17 eastern and southern African sites that span seven millennia. We identified over 70% of the archaeological remains and the direct radiocarbon dating of domesticate specimens allows refinement of the chronology of caprine presence in both African regions. These results thus confirm earlier occurrences in eastern Africa and the systematic association of domesticated caprines with wild bovids at all archaeological sites. The combined biomolecular approach highlights repeatability and accuracy of the methods for conclusive contribution in species attribution of archaeological remains in dry African environments.

AB - We report the first large-scale palaeoproteomics research on eastern and southern African zooarchaeological samples, thereby refining our understanding of early caprine (sheep and goat) pastoralism in Africa. Assessing caprine introductions is a complicated task because of their skeletal similarity to endemic wild bovid species and the sparse and fragmentary state of relevant archaeological remains. Palaeoproteomics has previously proved effective in clarifying species attributions in African zooarchaeological materials, but few comparative protein sequences of wild bovid species have been available. Using newly generated type I collagen sequences for wild species, as well as previously published sequences, we assess species attributions for elements originally identified as caprine or 'unidentifiable bovid' from 17 eastern and southern African sites that span seven millennia. We identified over 70% of the archaeological remains and the direct radiocarbon dating of domesticate specimens allows refinement of the chronology of caprine presence in both African regions. These results thus confirm earlier occurrences in eastern Africa and the systematic association of domesticated caprines with wild bovids at all archaeological sites. The combined biomolecular approach highlights repeatability and accuracy of the methods for conclusive contribution in species attribution of archaeological remains in dry African environments.

U2 - 10.1098/rsos.231002

DO - 10.1098/rsos.231002

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 38026023

VL - 10

JO - Royal Society Open Science

JF - Royal Society Open Science

SN - 2054-5703

IS - 11

M1 - 231002

ER -