The Human-Mediated Evolution of Cattle and Its Impact on Cattle-Based Agriculture in the Neolithic of the Polish Lowlands

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2021: General Sessions" session, at the 86th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Cattle were the most important domesticated animal in the Neolithic of the Polish lowlands. The paper will explore the character of human-mediated evolution of cattle following rapid development of Neolithic groups in the region, the need of adaptation to new ecological niches and the strain caused by climate change and human induced environmental pressure. It will present the temporal trajectories of key genetic changes, in particular the beginning of the process resulting in the emergence of productive strains that paved the way for development of cattle breeds known for effective meat and milk production. Genetic variation between cattle populations in the region will be compared with their different morphotypes, as revealed by the variation in size and shape of bones using traditional biometric methods, including Logarithm Size Index, and 3D geometric morphometrics applied to astragali. The paper will then scrutinize a significance of these developments for changes in the character cattle-based agriculture in the Neolithic of the Polish lowlands.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 86th Annual Meeting, Online (2021)   •
• SAA 2021: General Sessions

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 33248