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A large odontometric reference database is essential for a clear and reliable differentiation between the teeth of dogs and wolves found in archaeological contexts. However, the data compilation of skeletal material is a slow process because access to dog remains may be difficult. The expansion of a dental database could benefit from computed tomography (CT) scans performed on live dogs during medical appointments and archived in veterinary clinics. To enable it, however, the reliability and accuracy of digital measurements must first be validated. This is the main objective of this paper. We tested the accuracy of dental measurements obtained from CT scans of deceased modern dogs and one Mesolithic dog. CT measurements were obtained using multi-planar reconstruction (MPR) (bi-dimensional images) and three-dimensional volume rendering (3D VR), either using bone or soft tissue windows. Then, measurements were compared with data obtained with a conventional caliper (Fischer Darex®, France). The sample comprised 25 maxillary fourth premolars and 17 maxillary canines. Measurements included the mesiodistal length (MDL) and the vestibular palatine width (VPW). Intra- and inter-observer variations were assessed by calculating the technical error of measurement (TEM). This approach was also used to assess the level of agreement between both techniques, complemented by a Bland-Altman analysis. Intra-observer (TEM = 0.52% to 5.98%) and inter-observer variations (TEM = 3.15% to 7.14%) were relatively small for most standard measurements, windows, and CT approaches. In the case of the MPR approach, the soft tissue window provided less observer variation on the fourth premolar; the same occurred for the bone window regarding the canine. The soft tissue window generally provided less observer variation with the VR approach. CT and caliper agreement ranged from 2.89% to 7.31% (MPR), and from 2.92% to 9.42% (3D VR). At least 91% of the CT measurements were within the Bland-Altman 95% confidence interval. We were able to carry out a thorough odontometric study of the Muge dog skull – a specimen dated to the Mesolithic period, using the MPR approach (with both bone and soft tissue windows). Both the MPR and VR CT scan approaches were validated, thus confirming digital data as an alternative way to generate more comprehensive odontometric references.

Studies undertaken several years ago indicated little change in cattle size in Portugal before the fifteenth century AD, indeed even Roman cattle were not very different from preceding Iron Age ones. The Roman province of Lusitania com- prised the southwestern part of the Iberian Peninsula (present-day central and southern Portugal and Spanish Extremad- ura). Here we present some evidence of cattle size increase in the newly founded Lusitanian Roman cities, that is, those with no previous occupation. These cities include, for example, Emerita Augusta (Mérida, Spain) and ancient Ammaia (near Marvão, Portugal). We compare their measurements with those from smaller Roman towns and sites from other periods. Our hypothesis is that the size increase reflects better nourishment or the presence of different cattle morpho- types (by selection or introduction of new animals). Osteometric analyses suggest that cattle from the main Roman cities were generally bigger in Roman newly founded cities, contrary to sites with pre-Roman occupation. Innovations could have been implemented via the import of new stock and/or new breeding strategies.

Domesticated dogs have been present in the Iberian Peninsula long before other domesticated species, back to the late Palaeolithic period. Their origin is still uncertain, but dogs were already well established during the Chalcolithic period (ca. 5000–4000 BP). This study employed a multidisciplinary approach comprising osteometric, radiographic and palaeogenomic analyses to characterize Chalcolithic Iberian Canis remains. Two Chalcolithic archaeological sites – Leceia, Oeiras, in Portugal, and El Casetón de la Era, Villalba de los Alcores, Valladolid, in Spain – were the main focus of this study. Osteometric and odontometric data from eleven other sites in Iberia were also included. Osteometric results show signs of phenotypic variability, likely the result of human-driven selective pressure. Dental radiographic and dental wear analyses allowed age at death estimation for four individuals (two juvenile and two adults). Three Chalcolithic Iberian dogs had their mitogenomes resequenced and the mitochondrial DNA analysis allowed to assign each individual to two of the major known haplogroups – A and C. Molecular sex infered by the chromosomeX/chromosome1 coverage ratio allowed to identify one female and two males. This study unveils some aspects of the Iberian Chalcolithic dogs: these dogs already exhibited various morphotypes whose profiles might be associated to the performance of certain tasks, as well as mitogenomes of two distinct lineages that help tracking the evolutionary paths of Iberian dogs., The research leading to these results has received funding from FEDER Funds through the Operational Competitiveness Factors Program “COMPETE”, and by National Funds through the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT Grant POCI-01-0145-FEDER-029545 – PTDC/HAR-ARQ/29545/2017), by the project UIDB/CVT/00772/2020 and associated laboratory AL4AnimalS, as well as from individual grants and contracts: DL57/2016/CP1440/CT0029 (A.E. Pires), DL57/2016/CP1375/CT0003 (I.R. Amorim), 2020.02754.CEECIND (C. Ginja), CEECINS/00127/2018 (J. Requicha), DL 57/2016/CP1443/CT0029 (C. Detry), 2020.06605.BD (A.B. Santos) and 2020.05503.BD (C. Delicado). A considerable amount of the osteometric data included in this research were obtained during the development of the Master thesis and PhD of A. Daza-Perea at Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, thanks to the granting of materials and expertise from C. Liesau, P. Ríos, Argea Consultores S.L., and Trébede, Patrimonio y Cultura S.L. We must thank the support of the FPI PhD BES-2012-056461 grant, which was associated with the HAR2011-28731 Project, both financed by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness.

Inheritable traits of cattle were modified in various ways at different times by diverse cultures. A large collection of seventeenth century cattle remains excavated from 71 silos in the Largo do Coreto in Carnide, Lisbon, included 47 com- plete and 44 distal ends of metacarpals. These provide an opportunity to make a detailed osteometric and archaeogenetics study. While morphological changes such as size increase, as detected in bone measurements, indicate improvement for larger animals, ancient DNA is useful for studying evolutionary trajectories and modes of improvement of domestic animals. High-throughput sequencing can show evolutionary processes at unprecedented resolution. We generated whole-genome shotgun resequencing data for 6 Carnide specimens on the Illumina HiSeq X Ten platform. Mean en- dogenous DNA content for these samples varied between 1% (CAR008) and 4% (CAR014), and their mitogenomes were sequenced to between 3.56x and 33.44x mean depth of coverage, respectively. The Carnide cattle belong to the Europe- an-T3 (CAR002 and CAR021) and African-T1 haplogroups (CAR008, CAR009, CAR014, and CAR016). These haplogroups are also present in extant native breeds from the Iberian Peninsula, corroborating the hypothesis of a genetic continuity of maternal lineages over time. The admixture of African taurine cattle observed in these specimens from the Modern period supports the idea that current genetic diversity of Iberian cattle derives from the dispersal of a heterogeneous population since early times along the Mediterranean basin. In addition, the biological sex of the Carnide specimens was consistently determined by our genomic analysis and osteometric measurements. Further analyses of whole-genome nuclear data are needed to infer specific biological properties, for example, the coat color of these animals, as well as the variability of genes linked to body size, meat, and milk production traits.

UIDB/04038/2020 UIDP/04038/2020 Throughout prehistory, landscapes were repeatedly subjected to both global and localized climatic fluctuations that changed the regional environments where human groups lived. This instability demanded constant adaptation and, as a result, the functionality of some sites changed over time. In this light, the western coast of Iberia represents an exceptional case study due to the proximity between at least some oceanic cores and archaeological sites, which should facilitate an accurate reconstruction of the relationships between paleoenvironmental conditions and the coeval patterns of human behavior. This region, and in particular the valley of the River Lis, is marked by wide exposed plateaus cut by narrow and deep canyons. In this paper we present the stratigraphic, archaeometric, technological and archaeobotanical record of Poço Rock Shelter, located in one of these canyons, which hints at the human responses to such changes, and discuss the link between its Solutrean and Epipaleolithic occupations to specific activities. During the coldest part of the Last Glacial Maximum, we hypothesize that there was intensive exploitation of a chert outcrop above the roof to produce blades and Solutrean tips. Later, during Bond Event 6, after that outcrop had been exhausted, there was intensive consumption of shellfish gathered between the mouth of the canyon and the sea. We hypothesize that these strikingly different roles demonstrate how hunter-gatherers adapted to local conditions, and exploited specific resources, promising to provide a better understanding about its functional role during specific extreme climate events. publishersversion published

Significance Archaeological evidence indicates that domestic pigs arrived in Europe, alongside farmers from the Near East ∼8,500 y ago, yet mitochondrial genomes of modern European pigs are derived from European wild boars. To address this conundrum, we obtained mitochondrial and nuclear data from modern and ancient Near Eastern and European pigs. Our analyses indicate that, aside from a coat color gene, most Near Eastern ancestry in the genomes of European domestic pigs disappeared over 3,000 y as a result of interbreeding with local wild boars. This implies that pigs were not domesticated independently in Europe, yet the first 2,500 y of human-mediated selection applied by Near Eastern Neolithic farmers played little role in the development of modern European pigs., Archaeological evidence indicates that pig domestication had begun by ∼10,500 y before the present (BP) in the Near East, and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) suggests that pigs arrived in Europe alongside farmers ∼8,500 y BP. A few thousand years after the introduction of Near Eastern pigs into Europe, however, their characteristic mtDNA signature disappeared and was replaced by haplotypes associated with European wild boars. This turnover could be accounted for by substantial gene flow from local European wild boars, although it is also possible that European wild boars were domesticated independently without any genetic contribution from the Near East. To test these hypotheses, we obtained mtDNA sequences from 2,099 modern and ancient pig samples and 63 nuclear ancient genomes from Near Eastern and European pigs. Our analyses revealed that European domestic pigs dating from 7,100 to 6,000 y BP possessed both Near Eastern and European nuclear ancestry, while later pigs possessed no more than 4% Near Eastern ancestry, indicating that gene flow from European wild boars resulted in a near-complete disappearance of Near East ancestry. In addition, we demonstrate that a variant at a locus encoding black coat color likely originated in the Near East and persisted in European pigs. Altogether, our results indicate that while pigs were not independently domesticated in Europe, the vast majority of human-mediated selection over the past 5,000 y focused on the genomic fraction derived from the European wild boars, and not on the fraction that was selected by early Neolithic farmers over the first 2,500 y of the domestication process.

The archaeological site of Vila Nova de São Pedro (Azambuja) was discovered in 1936 through the surveys carried out by Hipólito Cabaço. In 1937, the first excavation campaign was led by Eugénio Jalhay and Afonso do Paço. With the death of the first, in 1950, Paço assumed, with occasional collaborations, the direction of the archaeological works on the site, until 1967. This article intends to analyse the fauna collected and described by Afonso do Paço during these campaigns, about which, however, there is no information on the stratigraphic provenance of artifacts and ecofacts. The data from these campaigns are also compared with the fauna collected during the 2017 and 2018 excavations, carried out under the VNSP3000 project. From this faunistic material without context, it was still possible to acquire some knowledge about species present in the vicinity of Vila Nova de São Pedro during the Chalcolithic

We present the results obtained from the analysis of unpublished faunal remains from the Bronze Age settlement of Outeiro do Circo (Beja). The materials provenance is diverse, corresponding mainly to one pit/ silo from trench 3 and the areas near the defensive systems designated trench 7 and 8. Hunting strategies are complementary in the assemblage, with a predominance of sheep and goat remains, followed by cattle and swine. Kill-off patterns with the presence of young and adult individuals are suggestive of a mixed economy with the exploitation of primary and secondary resources. Although highly fragmented and affected by postdepositional processes it was possible to record several anthropization indicators related to the butchering process and thermo-alteration of remains by fire

In 2017, a team from UNIARQ – School of Arts and Humanities of the University of Lisbon and the Association of Portuguese Archaeologists presented a research project to the Directorate-General for Cultural Heritage, entitled Vila Nova de São Pedro in the 3rd millennium (VNSP3000), with the intention to resume excavations in VNSP. Within the scope of a seminar of the Degree in Archaeology at the School of Arts and Humanities of the University of Lisbon, Ana Costa Francisco, analysed the remains recovered in the first campaign of 2017. The fauna recovered in the following campaigns were studied by Cleia Detry. The remains of domestic fauna demonstrate the presence of sheep/goat (Ovis/Capra), cattle (Bos taurus) and pig (Sus scrofa domesticus). Hunting is also highly prevalent with the presence of rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) and red deer (Cervus elaphus). The auroch (Bos primigenius) and wild boar (Sus scrofa), although difficult to distinguish from their domesticated counterparts, were also identified in the assemblage

This paper analyses and discusses the fuel and plant offerings found in 174 primary (pyre remains) and secondary contexts (ritual pits) of the necropolis of Via XVII in Bracara Augusta (Braga), in northern Portugal. This site is one of the largest Roman funerary complexes in the Iberian Peninsula, spanning from the last decades of the 1st century BC to the 7th century AD. More than 42500 charcoal fragments, comprising 44 different taxa, were analysed. Wood from deciduous Quercus was the most frequent, although other taxa such as Fraxinus sp., Fabaceae, Salix sp., Prunus sp., Rosaceae Maloideae and Castanea sativa were also relevant. The main criteria for the wood collection and use in the pyres might have been its availability in the region, although symbolic factors cannot be discarded. Evidence of wood from Fagus sylvatica and Pinus sylvestris, allowed to discuss the range of wood catchment area. A total of 407 remains of fruits and seeds were also identified in the samples, including shells of Juglans regia nuts, seeds and cones of Pinus pinea, endocarps of Prunus avium, P. domestica and P. persica, cotyledons of domestic pulses and a fragments of Cupressus sempervirens fruits. These remains were associated with symbolic and ritual aspects of the roman cremation ceremony. The results obtained were interpreted and contextualized according to their known use in the ritual process of Roman cremations by reviewing data from classical literary sources and other sites throughout the Roman Empire.

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

We investigated the genetic, composition of six Canis remains from western Iberia, directly radiocarbon dated to 7,903-7,570 years (cal BP). They were identified as dogs via their qrchaeological and depositional context, osteometry, and a high percentage of aquatic diet shared with humans. For comparison, genetic data were obtained from an additional 37 Iberian dog remains from the Neolithic to Late Antiquity, as well as two Palaeolithic anda a Chalcolithic Canis identified as wolves. Previous data indicated that dog mtDNA haplogroup A (HgA) is prevalent in extant European dogs (>50%), in the Near East and Asia, but rare or absent (

Summary Horse domestication revolutionized warfare and accelerated travel, trade, and the geographic expansion of languages. Here, we present the largest DNA time series for a non-human organism to date, including genome-scale data from 149 ancient animals and 129 ancient genomes (≥1-fold coverage), 87 of which are new. This extensive dataset allows us to assess the modern legacy of past equestrian civilizations. We find that two extinct horse lineages existed during early domestication, one at the far western (Iberia) and the other at the far eastern range (Siberia) of Eurasia. None of these contributed significantly to modern diversity. We show that the influence of Persian-related horse lineages increased following the Islamic conquests in Europe and Asia. Multiple alleles associated with elite-racing, including at the MSTN “speed gene,” only rose in popularity within the last millennium. Finally, the development of modern breeding impacted genetic diversity more dramatically than the previous millennia of human management., Graphical Abstract, Highlights • Two now-extinct horse lineages lived in Iberia and Siberia some 5,000 years ago • Iberian and Siberian horses contributed limited ancestry to modern domesticates • Oriental horses have had a strong genetic influence within the last millennium • Modern breeding practices were accompanied by a significant drop in genetic diversity, Genome-wide data from 278 ancient equids provide insights into how ancient equestrian civilizations managed, exchanged, and bred horses and indicate vast loss of genetic diversity as well as the existence of two extinct lineages of horses that failed to contribute to modern domestic animals.

This paper outlines the results of strontium isotopic analyses from cattle recovered at the Chalcolithic fortified settlement sites of Castro do Zambujal and Leceia (Estremadura, Portugal). The Portuguese Chalcolithic (c. 3000/2900–1900 BC) was a pivotal time of social and economic change with evidence of increasing social complexity resulting in the formation of hierarchical settlements. With these changes came the emergence of long-distance exchange networks and more complex population movements and interactions. Domesticated animals would have played an important role in these emerging economies, and it is assumed that animals migrated with, and were exchanged by, humans as part of these new networks. While direct evidence of these networks is still limited in this region, new methodologies have the potential to expand our knowledge of animal mobility and exchange. This study uses 87Sr/86Sr ratios in tooth enamel to identify potential non-local animals at these two settlements. Results indicate that Leceia may have had a higher proportion of non-local animals than Zambujal and had a wider catchment area for its stock, suggesting variations in settlement economies across relatively short distances in this region. These results have important implications for our understanding of animal management at Portuguese Chalcolithic sites, and the involvement of animals in the emerging economies of the time. info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

We present preliminary sclerochronological analysis on 15 Argyrosomus regius (meagre) otoliths collected from two different\ud human occupation levels from the Cabeço da Amoreira shell midden (Muge valley, Portugal). The otoliths were sectioned and\ud observed under a reflected light stereomicroscope to examine seasonal growth rings. Carbonates collected from individual\ud growth rings subsampled with a micromill sampling device were analyzed for their stable oxygen isotope content with the\ud objective of determining the predominant season of capture and therefore season of site use, environmental conditions, and sites\ud of resource procurement (local versus regional). The otoliths’ stable isotope records show clear seasonality and a season of\ud capture estimate that seems consistent with a “good season” (warmer season, i.e., from spring to late summer/beginning of\ud autumn in this area) site use in the last occupation layer (the great majority of otoliths are from layer 1), except for four samples\ud giving heaver oxygen isotope (δ18O) values that suggest colder conditions and only one with markedly positive δ18O values.\ud Potential effect of diagenesis on the otolith records was also assessed through coupled laser ablation–inductively coupled plasma\ud mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) and by micro-X-Ray diffraction (μ-XRD). Results revealed the presence of only aragonite and\ud no traces of calcite, providing no evidence of diagenesis that could significantly alter isotope results and lead to erroneous\ud interpretations. The implications of these results are discussed and compared with data from other archeological sites, as well\ud as data from micromorphology regarding continuity or interruption of site use and other faunal remains.

International audience; Archaeological evidence indicates that pig domestication had begun by ∼10,500 y before the present (BP) in the Near East, and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) suggests that pigs arrived in Europe alongside farmers ∼8,500 y BP. A few thousand years after the introduction of Near Eastern pigs into Europe, however, their characteristic mtDNA signature disappeared and was replaced by haplotypes associated with European wild boars. This turnover could be accounted for by substantial gene flow from local Euro-pean wild boars, although it is also possible that European wild boars were domesticated independently without any genetic contribution from the Near East. To test these hypotheses, we obtained mtDNA sequences from 2,099 modern and ancient pig samples and 63 nuclear ancient genomes from Near Eastern and European pigs. Our analyses revealed that European domestic pigs dating from 7,100 to 6,000 y BP possessed both Near Eastern and European nuclear ancestry, while later pigs possessed no more than 4% Near Eastern ancestry, indicating that gene flow from European wild boars resulted in a near-complete disappearance of Near East ancestry. In addition, we demonstrate that a variant at a locus encoding black coat color likely originated in the Near East and persisted in European pigs. Altogether, our results indicate that while pigs were not independently domesticated in Europe, the vast majority of human-mediated selection over the past 5,000 y focused on the genomic fraction derived from the European wild boars, and not on the fraction that was selected by early Neolithic farmers over the first 2,500 y of the domestication process. domestication | evolution | gene flow | Neolithic

As escavações efectuadas no subsolo da baixa de Lisboa, no Núcleo Arqueológico da Rua dos Correeiros, permitiram a identificação de diversos contextos arqueológicos, de carácter habitacional e artesanal, dos séculos V a inícios do IV a.C. Esses contextos forneceram um assinalável conjunto de restos mamalógicos e malacológicos. No caso dos mamíferos, a maioria dos elementos são de animais domésticos (vaca, ovelha, cabra, porco, cavalo e cão), com uma reduzida representação de animais caçados (veado). Também a presença de moluscos demonstra a utilização de recursos aquáticos. Estes resultados permitem sobretudo a reconstituição da dieta alimentar e, por via dela, das características económicas e até sociais do respectivo segmento da população que então ocupava a área ribeirinha da urbe., Excavations carried out in a basement of downtown Lisbon, in the Archaeological Centre of Rua dos Correeiros, allowed the identification of several archaeological contexts, namely of residential and industrial type, dated from the 5th century to early 4th century BC. These contexts provided a remarkable set of mammalogical and malacological remains. In the case of mammals most elements came from domestic animals (cattle, sheep, goat, pig, horse and dog), with a reduced representation of hunted animals (red deer). The presence of shellfish demonstrates the use of water resources. These results allow mainly the reconstitution of the diet and, through it, economic and even social characteristics of the respective segment of the population who then habited the riverside area of the city.

New finds of bones of the Egyptian Mongoose (Herpestes ichneumon), one from Portugal and one from Spain, were directly ¹⁴C dated to the first century AD. While the Portuguese specimen was found without connection to the Chalcolithic occupation of the Pedra Furada cave where it was recovered, the Spanish find, collected in the city of Mérida, comes from a ritual pit that also contained three human and 40 dog burials. The finds reported here show that the Egyptian mongoose, contrary to the traditional and predominant view, did not first arrive in the Iberian Peninsula during the Muslim occupation of Iberia. Instead, our findings are consistent with the hypothesis that the species was first introduced by the Romans, or at least sometime during the Roman occupation of Hispania. Therefore, radiocarbon dating of new archaeological finds of bones of the Egyptian Mongoose (Herpestes ichneumon) in the Iberian Peninsula push back the confirmed presence of the species in the region by approximately eight centuries, as the previously oldest dated record is from the ninth century. With these new dates, there are now a total of four ¹⁴C dated specimens of Egyptian mongooses from the Iberian Peninsula, and all of these dates fall within the last 2000 years. This offers support for the hypothesis that the presence of the species in Iberia is due to historical introductions and is at odds with a scenario of natural sweepstake dispersal across the Straits of Gibraltar in the Late Pleistocene (126,000–11,700 years ago), recently proposed based on genetic data. UNIARQ (Center of Archaeology, Faculty of Letters of the University of Lisbon) funded the 14C dating, and FCT (Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia) funded CD's post-doctorate (grant: SFRHIBPD/ I 08326/2015). CF was suppolted by FCT, within the project UIDIBW00329/2013. info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

Os trabalhos de campo realizados em 2015 e 2016 nos Chões de Alpompé permitiram recolher abundante informação sobre as suas ocupações antigas. A existência de uma Idade do Ferro, que nos momentos iniciais é de matriz orientalizante e que está materializada em materiais e também em estruturas domésticas, tornou possível voltar ao debate acerca da localização de Móron, a “cidade” indígena sobre a qual Décimo Júnio Bruto instalou um acampamento em 138 a.n.e., agora com dados devidamente contextualizados. A tipologia do acampamento do Galaico pode também ser discutida tendo em consideração os dados agora obtidos, nomeadamente os que se referem à muralha de terra batida que envolve, em parte, o planalto e à estrutura negativa, de tipo “fosso”, paralela àquela detectada durante os trabalhos de campo. A sequência ocupacional do sítio e o papel que este representou durante as guerras sertorianas foram devidamente valorizados. As evidências de uma presença em época islâmica forneceram contornos mais precisos às informações textuais sobre a sua utilização como acampamento militar em meados do século XII., Archaeological excavations and surveys carried out in 2015 and 2016 in Chões de Alpompé allowed us to gather significant data concerning its ancient occupations. The existence of an Iron Age, which initially is characterized by an orientalizing matrix, reflected both in the artifacts and also in domestic structures, made it possible to return to the debate that entails the location of Móron, the native “city” on which Décimo Júnio Bruto build a camp in 138 BCE, now with properly contextualized data. The typology of the Galaico camp can also be discussed taking into account the data now obtained, namely those that refer to the defensive wall that partly surrounds the plateau and the negative structure, of a “moat” type, parallel to that one, that was detected during the field work. The occupational sequence of the settlement and the role it played during the Sertorian wars were duly valued. Evidence of a presence in Islamic times provided more precise contours to textual information about its use as a military encampment in the mid-twelfth century.

In this study, we integrate osteometric and palaeogenetic data to investigate dog variability in the Roman Empire in Iberia and North Africa. Osteometry was used to distinguish the statusddomestic or wild, of approximately 2000 years old Canis remains and to understand to what extent teeth and long bones varied in dogs in the Roman provinces of Mauretania Tingitana, Lusitania and Tarraconensis. Highthroughput 454-DNA sequencing technology was used to obtain mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequences from 15 bone and teeth samples.We identified five dog haplotypes from partial sequences of the hypervariable D-loop region. MtDNA haplotypes were grouped into two of the four major clades found in present-day dogs. We detected three clade A haplotypes in 12 samples from Portugal, Spain and Morocco, and a single clade D haplotype in 3 samples from Spain. So far, this is the oldest evidence for the presence of dog clade D in Iberia. It is dated to the late Roman occupation in the 4th-5th cent. AD (ca. 1,600 years ago). Our results confirm the existence of distinct dog morphotypes in Roman times that also harboured distinct genetic lineages. According to our data, dogs from distinct mtDNA lineages (clades A and D) have been continuously bred in the Iberian Peninsula since at least 1600 years ago. Moreover, the sharing of matrilines between dogs from Spain and North Africa may indicate gene flow. Dogs could have been easily transported between these regions by humans along maritime and terrestrial trade routes. These results provide new insights into pre-Roman and Roman domestication practices, confirming selection practices were extensively applied to dogs during the first centuries of our era in the Iberian Peninsula. We show that the greater size variability of teeth length (and consequently cranium) and long bone breadths (and consequently phenotype) of Roman dogs in the Iberian Peninsula, is concomitant with the detection of diverse and rare maternal lineages. This would reflect an intensification of dog breeding and the use of non-local dogs for breeding., This study was funded by the FCT (Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia) within the research PTDC/HIS-ARQ/100225/2008; and AE Pires grant SFRH/BPD/112653/2015; C Detry grant SFRH/BPD/108326/2015 and C Ginja contract grant IF/00866/2014.

here is the tendency to assume that endangered species have been both genetically and demographically healthier in the past, so that any genetic erosion observed today was caused by their recent decline. The Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) suffered a dramatic and continuous decline during the 20th century, and now shows extremely low genome- and species-wide genetic diversity among other signs of genomic erosion. We analyze ancient (N = 10), historical (N = 245), and contemporary (N = 172) samples with microsatellite and mitogenome data to reconstruct the species' demography and investigate patterns of genetic variation across space and time. Iberian lynx populations transitioned from low but significantly higher genetic diversity than today and shallow geographical differentiation millennia ago, through a structured metapopulation with varying levels of diversity during the last centuries, to two extremely genetically depauperate and differentiated remnant populations by 2002. The historical subpopulations show varying extents of genetic drift in relation to their recent size and time in isolation, but these do not predict whether the populations persisted or went finally extinct. In conclusion, current genetic patterns were mainly shaped by genetic drift, supporting the current admixture of the two genetic pools and calling for a comprehensive genetic management of the ongoing conservation program. This study illustrates how a retrospective analysis of demographic and genetic patterns of endangered species can shed light onto their evolutionary history and this, in turn, can inform conservation actions., This research was funded by the Spanish Dirección General de Investigación Científica y Técnica, through projects CGL2006-10853/BOS, CGL2010-21540/BOS, and CGL2013-47755-P of the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (MICINN) to J.A.G., and by the Fundación BBVA through a project on ancient lynx genetics to M.D. M.C. and E.M. received a JAE predoctoral grant from CSIC (Spanish National Research Council), M.L.P. was supported by PhD contracts from Programa Internacional de Becas “La Caixa-Severo Ochoa.” J.N. received financial support through projects HAR2014-55131 from the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (MICINN) and SGR2014-108 from Generalitat de Catalunya.

[EN] This study offers a synthesis of zooarchaeological studies dating from the Iron Age and the Roman period in the Southwest of the Iberian Peninsula. Our objective is to characterize husbandry practices and meat diet in this territory and time frame, and to analyse whether any change occurred after the Roman conquest. The results show a great diversity and continuity in husbandry and meat diet during the time period analysed, as well as a very high consumption of red deer., [ES] El presente trabajo supone una síntesis de estudios arqueozoológicos sobre conjuntos de la edad del hierro y época romana del suroeste de la Península Ibérica. El objetivo es caracterizar la composición de la alimentación cárnica en esta zona y cronología, y analizar si se producen cambios en la ganadería o la alimentación cárnica tras la conquista romana. Los resultados demuestran una gran diversidad y continuidad de las prácticas ganaderas y cinegéticas a lo largo de la cronología analizada, donde destaca el elevado consumo de ciervo.

The Pleistocene–Holocene transition c. 11.5 ka cal. BP is associated with dramatic climatic changes. These events led to fundamental shifts in landscape and have, therefore, been seen as responsible for a major impact on the human ecological behavior of the last hunter–gatherers in the Western European territory. In the case of Iberian Peninsula, it is commonly assumed that these human ecological adaptations are reflected in the new settlement and subsistence patterns that characterized the Late Upper Paleolithic–Mesolithic transition. Following the argument, the main aim of this paper is to present the state-of-the-art and consider this theoretical model using zooarchaeological data of small terrestrial vertebrates and fish from SW Portugal. Archaeological data are reviewed and discussed in order to analyze the change in the exploitation of small game, birds, and aquatic resources during this period. In this paper, we reinforce the idea that in SW Iberia, subsistence intensification and diversification precede the transition itself and are more likely to be related to other long-term phenomena, cultural and/or demographical, than to the changes in settlement behavior. The state-of-the-art discussed here led to new research questions related to the role of small vertebrates on the changes in human subsistence behavior during the Pleistocene–Holocene from Western Iberia.

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In the course of a zooarchaeological survey of Holocene sites in southern Portugal, a substantial size increase of cattle bones was noted following the Christian reconquista of the 11the13th centuries AD. A size increase in the course of time within a lineage of domestic livestock is usually considered to represent animal improvement. However several other factors including sex may influence the average size of a sample of mammal bones e cattle exhibit considerable sexual size dimorphism, with bulls being larger than cows. A histogram of the distal widths of a large (n ¼ 44) sample of cattle metacarpals from 15th century Beja (Alentejo, Portugal), revealed a bimodal distribution. It was assumed that the large measurements belonged to males and the small to females. In order to rule out the possibility of a post- Moslem change in the sex ratio of cattle, a sub-sample of 21 cattle metacarpals from Beja was selected and we used genetic markers to identify the sex of the animals to which these metacarpals belonged. The ancient DNA sex of all specimens agreed with the previously assumed sex as determined osteometrically. We conclude that the two nearly separated peaks for the metacarpal distal width measurements do indeed indicate sex. A similar bimodal distribution was obtained from another large but earlier sample of cattle metacarpals from Moslem Alcáçova de Santarém (9the12th century AD). Although these have not been molecularly sexed and since osteometric sexing has now been validated, we conclude that both small (female) and large (male) peaks are smaller than the 15th century ones and that there was an overall size increase or improvement of cattle in this region. Why the Christians improved cattle is unclear, but a selection for larger beeves for meat is one possibility as is the selection of more robust cattle for power. The spread of the quadrangular or chariot plough in Iberia is known to have occurred at this time. We then use the genetically sexed metacarpals to determine which measurements provide reasonable distinction between the sexes. Both the distal width (BFd; as already noted by Svensson et al., 2008; in Swedish medieval cattle) and the width of the lateral condyle (WCL) offer the best distinction. We also used them as a reference ‘collection’ to sex the medieval and post-medieval cattle metacarpals from Launceston Castle in England. This re-visit of the Launceston data corroborates other evidence indicating increased specialisation (milk and veal) in post-medieval cattle husbandry in England.

We describe new finds of Herpestes ichneumon (Egyptian mongoose) from an archaeological context in Portugal, directly 14C dated to c. 800 AD. This is at least two centuries older than a previously reported find of this species from Andalusia (southern Spain; Riquelme-Cantal et al., 2008 ). Our finding provides further support to the hypothesis that the Muslims introduced this animal to the Iberian Peninsula. In particular, we suggest that Berber settlers might have brought it some time during the Umayyad conquest of Iberia or with the establishment of the Emirate of Cordoba.

The emergence of Portugal’s Muge Mesolithic, with its characteristic shell middens and human burials, is widely seen as a response to the formationofahighly diverse terrestrialandaquatic ecotone inthe Tagus basin by the Flandrian transgression. Recently, some have suggested that this was an adaptive response to the 8200 cal yr BP event. Using the available radiocarbon data for the shell middens, paleoclimatic data, and paleoceanographic datawe present anewmodel for the appearance of the Muge Mesolithic shell middens and changes in settlement between the Boreal and Atlantic phases for central Portugal. Coastal ecosystems were altered due to diminution in upwelling and the occurrence of the 8.2 kyr cold event, with declining availability of marine resources, rapid sea level rise, and changes in coastal morphology. The result was that the previous coastal setting was no longer suitable for the hunter-gatherer-fishers causing a settlement shift to the new, large and stable estuary of the Tagus Valley.

The dog has a unique relationship with humans. This is demonstrated by the number of breeds that exist today and the important role that dogs play in human society. The archaeological record also shows that this relationship began long ago when groups of hunter–gatherers domesticated the wolf probably in several parts of the globe. The dog was domesticated since at least the beginning of the Holocene some 12,000 years ago. It was also, probably, the first species to be domesticated and for reasons completely different from the other species like sheep, goat, pig and cattle – the so-called ‘food animals’ – domesticated later. The identification of a hitherto unpublished Canis skeleton in the Geological Museum of Lisbon, Portugal, 10 years ago, originally recovered from excavations of the Muge shell-middens in 1880, provides new information about the history of early dogs here in the Iberian Peninsula. These remains are dated to the beginning of the Holocene (circa 8000 years BP). The bones were measured and their measurements were compared with those of recent wolf skeletons from Portugal demonstrating that they were significantly smaller than wolf – strong evidence for their domestic status. The Muge dog corroborates the record now coming to light from Mesolithic settlements in other parts of Europe and the Near East dated to the first half of the Holocene. We hope with this article to help complete the picture of the origin and distribution of domestic dog in antiquity.

This article discusses the vertebrate remains recovered from the Mesolithic shell midden of Cabeço dos Morros on the Magos River in the lower Tagus Valley, Portugal. It is the first publication on the fauna of the (Mesolithic) Tagus Shell Midden Complex of the Magos River. The Tagus shell middens are considered key sites for investigating the last hunter-gatherers of the Iberian Peninsula because they include some of the largest Mesolithic settlements in the region and altogether represent a significant period of occupation. The Mesolithic is an interesting and complex period in Iberian prehistory because itmbridges the period in which Upper Palaeolithic hunter-gatherers became Neolithic farmer and also because it extends over critical periods of environmental, demographic and social changes about which little is known.

Apresenta-se o estudo arqueozoológico da fauna recolhida (mamíferos, aves e moluscos) na lixeira baixo-imperial da uilla da Quinta das Longas (Elvas). Trata-se de um conjunto com controlo estratigráfico bem conhecido: o nível correspondente à lixeira (U.E. 26), encontrava-se selado pelo derrube de uma estrutura pré-existente para o exterior (U.E. 52), permitindo a conservação da acumulação doméstica, efectuada em curto espaço de tempo, em meados ou na segunda metade do século IV a.C. O estudo da fauna mamalógica evidenciou, em termos de carne consumida, o interesse preponderante do porco doméstico, logo seguido pelo boi doméstico e, em terceiro lugar, pelo veado, a que se junta o javali. É interessante verificar que a contribuição da fauna caçada é relevante, denotando uma exploração intensa do correspondente biótopo. No concernente à avifauna, é o galo doméstico a espécie mais abundante, logo seguida pela perdiz-vermelha, reforçando, assim, a importância da componente cinegética na alimentação. Importa referir que, aparentemente, se reconheceram quatro espécies que actualmente não frequentam usualmente o nosso território: cf. Francolinus francolinus; cf. Lagopus lagopus; cf. Tetrao tetrix; e cf. Perdix perdix. Enfim, a fauna de moluscos é claramente dominada pela ostra, Ostrea edulis, ilustrando a preferência que os romanos das classes altas davam a esta espécie como componente requintada da sua alimentação. Com efeito, não seria acessível a todos os romanos, residentes em domínios tão interiores como o correspondente à uilla da Quinta das Longas, a importação do litoral deste molusco, reforçando o alto estatuto social dos seus proprietários. A análise petrográfica das rochas incrustadas em algumas das conchas (quartzo, grauvaque, xistos luzentes), típicas do Maciço Antigo, permite afastar a possibilidade de o abastecimento provir — como seria mais lógico — do estuário do Tejo ou do estuário do Sado (posta de parte a hipótese de tais rochas resultarem da descarga de lastros de navios à vela, como se verificou muito mais tarde). A alternativa possível, é o estuário do Guadiana, apesar de a distância a percorrer e as dificuldades do trajecto serem maiores. Tal realidade salienta, por um lado, a rapidez das deslocações no período baixo-imperial e, por outro, a existência de técnicas de conservação de produtos frescos e facilmente degradáveis., In this study, we present the arqueozoological materials (mammals, birds, moluscs) found in a garbage deposit of Quinta das Longas villa (Elvas), dating from the Late Roman Empire. It is a group of materials inserted in a clear stratigraphic context. The layer where the remains where found (UE26) was sealed by the fall of a formerly existing structure crashing towards the exterior (UE52) and promoting the conservation of the studied domestic remains, accumulated during a short period of time, around the middle or the second half of the IVth century BC. The study of the mammalian fauna showed a dominant interest for domestic porc, then ox and finally deer and wild porc. It is worthwhile noticing that there is a dietary supplement from game that must be related with the exploitation of the surrounding natural biotopes. Related to avifauna, the domestic chicken are the most consumed, followed by the red partridge, again indicating a game component for feeding use. Four species do not presently use Portuguese territory on a frequent basis: cf. Francolinus francolinus; cf. Lagopus lagopus; cf. Tetrao tetrix; and cf. Perdix perdix. The molusc fauna is clearly dominated by oyster Ostrea edulis, illustrating the roman dominant classes’s preference for this species as an exquisite component of their culinary. In fact, this item would not be of cheap acquisition, for the inhabitants living in sites as far from the sea as uilla of Quinta das Longas, which was really owned by a high rank Roman family. The rocks incrusted in some shells (quartz, greywacke, schists), typical of the Hercinic Basement indicate that the shells did not originate in the estuaries of Tejo or Sado, but rather from the estuary of river Guadiana, in spite of a greater distance and diffculty of transport. Such conclusion illustrates how swift travels could be in the Later Roman Empire and the existence of food conservation techniques for such fresh biodegradable products.

The main purpose of this study is to outline the osteometric variation of Sus from the Neolithic to the present day in Portugal.We start by focussing upon two important Chalcolithic sites —Zambujal and Leceia— with their abundant collections of suid bones and teeth. Although it is difficult to clearly assign individual specimens as wild or domestic Sus, the general patterns of distribution of measurements suggest that, at both sites, pig husbandry was more important than wild boar hunting, with slightly more wild boar being represented at Zambujal. Moreover, it appears that, in Portugal Chalcolithic, wild boar was larger than in the Mesolithic. The scarcity of data from Neolithic sites makes it difficult to determine exactly when the pig was first domesticated in Portugal. Our Iron Age to Islamic data indicate stability of pig size in these periods but an abundance of larger forms of Sus in the Islamic period seems more likely to signal an increase of wild boar hunting rather than an improvement of the domestic form. Slight shape differences between wild boar and pig third mandibular molars tend to corroborate this hypothesis. The Portuguese wild boar was and still is smaller than wild boar from regions east of the Iberian Peninsula., Os porcos do “Far West”: a biometria de Sus de sítios arqueológicos em Portugal. O objectivo principal deste artigo é de compreender a variação do género Sus do Neolítico até hoje, em Portugal. Estudámos, em primeiro lugar, dois sítios Calcolíticos importantes — Zambujal e Leceia — com as suas grandes colecções de dentes e ossos de Sus. Os espécimes individuais de Sus, em Portugal, são difíceis de identificar como domésticos ou selvagens, mas as distribuições gerais das medidas sugerem que o porco era muito mais frequente que o javali, mesmo que a caça do javali fosse bastante importante no Zambujal. Parece que o javali do Calcolítico era maior que o javali Mesolítico. O número reduzido de dados do Neolítico não nos permite determinar o momento da domesticação do porco em Portugal. Os dados da Idade do Ferro ate ao período Muçulmano sugerem uma estabilidade do tamanho dos porcos durante estes períodos, mas a abundância da forma maior nos tempos Muçulmanos é muito provavelmente devido à importância da caça ao javali. Ligeiras diferenças de forma dos terceiros molares mandibulares entre o porco e javali parecem corroborar esta hipótese. O Javali em Portugal era, e permanece, mais pequeno que o javali a este da Península Ibérica., Les cochons du « Far West »: la biométrie de Sus dans les sites archéologiques du Portugal. Le principal objectif de cet article est de suivre la variation ostéométrique de Sus du Néolithique à nos jours, au Portugal. Nous présentons tout d’abord les abondantes collections de dents et d’ossements de Sus de deux sites chalcolithiques importants — Zambujal et Leceia. Bien qu’il soit difficile d’assigner avec certitude les restes à la forme domestique ou sauvage de Sus, les tendances générales de distribution des mesures suggèrent que, dans les deux sites, l’élevage du cochon était plus fréquent que la chasse au sanglier, avec, malgré tout, une meilleure présence du sanglier à Zambujal. Il apparaît également que le sanglier chalcolithique était plus grand que le sanglier mésolithique. Le peu de données issues de sites du Néolithique ne permet pas de déterminer précisément le moment de la domestication du porc au Portugal. Nos données de l’Âge du Fer à la période islamique suggèrent une stabilité de la taille des cochons pendant ces périodes, mais l’abondance de spécimens de grande taille à l’époque islamique reflète sans doute une chasse au sanglier plus intense plutôt qu’une amélioration de la forme domestique. De légères différences de la forme des troisièmes molaires inférieures entre cochon et sanglier semblent corroborer cette hypothèse. Notons enfin que le sanglier du Portugal était, et demeure, plus petit que le sanglier des pays à l’est de la péninsule ibérique.

A escavação do Largo do Coreto em Carnide (2012) identificou diversos silos no interior dos quais foram recuperados diversos elementos da cultura material, datados entre os finais do século XVI e meados do século XVII. A cerâmica comum, destinada à preparação e consumo de alimentos, é certamente o tipo mais abundante com diversos tipos recipientes. Panelas, tachos, frigideiras, cuscuzeiras, assadores, entre outros, demonstram que a preparação de alimentos passava por diferentes processos de confecção. O cruzamento das informações obtidas através das formas cerâmicas, combinadas com os vestígios faunísticos e os diversos livros de cozinha da época permitem inferir sobre que tipo de alimentos estariam à mesa dos habitantes de Carnide na Idade Moderna. The excavation of the Largo do Coreto in Carnide (2012) permitted the identification of several storage pits. Inside these silos several material culture elements were recovered, dated from late 16th to mid 17th century. Redwares, the most abundant pottery, were mostly used in the preparation and consumption of food with several types of objects. Cooking pots to boil or to fry, couscous pans, roasters, among others reveal that food was prepared using many different methods. Bowls, plates and cups were used to consume food. Crossing information obtained from ceramics forms, combined with the zooarchaeological identification of animal remains and 16th and 17th century cookbooks will permit to discuss what type of food was being consumed by people living in Carnide in the Early Modern Period. publishersversion published

Skeletal remains of two equid species, Equus caballus (horse) and Equus asinus (donkey), have been found in archaeological contexts throughout Iberia since the Palaeolithic and Chalcolithic periods, respectively. These two species play different economic and cultural roles, and therefore it is important to be able to distinguish between the two species to better understand their relative importance in the past human societies. The most reliable morphological features for distinguishing between the two domesticated equids are based on cranial measure-ments and tooth enamel folds, leading to only a small percentage of archaeological remains that can be identified to species. Ancient DNA (aDNA) analysis can be used to reliably distinguish the two equids, but it can be cost prohibitive to apply to large assemblages, and aDNA preservation of non-cranial elements is often low. Collagen peptide mass fingerprinting by matrix-assisted laser desorption time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry, also known as zooarchaeology by mass spectrometry (ZooMS), is a minimally destructive and cost-effective alternative to aDNA analysis for taxonomic determination. However, current ZooMS markers lack resolution below the genus level Equus. In this paper, we report a novel ZooMS peptide marker that reliably distinguishes between horses and donkeys using the enzyme chymotrypsin. We apply this peptide marker to taxonomically identify bones from the Iberian Peninsula ranging from the Iron Age to the Late Modern Period. The peptide biomarker has the potential to facilitate the collection of morphological data for zooarchaeological studies of equids in Iberia and throughout Eurasia and Africa. info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

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