Browsing by Author "Goncalves, David"
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- The curious case of the Mesolithic Iberian dogs: An archaeogenetic studyPublication . Pires, Ana Elisabete; Detry, Cleia; Chikhi, Lounes; Rasteiro, Rita; Amorim, Isabel R.; Simoes, Fernanda; Matos, Jose; Petrucci-Fonseca, Francisco; Ollivier, Morgane; Hanni, Catherine; Cardoso, João CR; Arias, Pablo; Diniz, Mariana; Araujo, Ana Cristina; Bicho, Nuno Gonçalo Viana Pereira Ferreira; Sousa, Ana Catarina; Moreno-Garcia, Marta; Arruda, Ana Margarida; Fernandez-Rodriguez, Carlos; Porfirio, Eduardo; Arnaud, Jose Morais; Valente, Alexandra; Goncalves, David; Alves, Lara; Gotherstrom, Anders; Davis, Simon J. M.; Ginja, CatarinaWe 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 archaeological 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 and 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 ( < 10%) in European Canis older than 3,000 years (cal BP). We found a high frequency (83%) of dog HgA in Mesolithic Iberian dog remains. This is the first report of a high frequency of dog HgA in pre-Neolithic Europe. We show that, contrary to the current view, Canis with HgA did not necessarily arrive in Europe from East-Asia. This phylogeographical difference in HgA frequency demonstrates that genetic differentiation was high prior to, or as a consequence of, domestication which may be linked with pre-Neolithic local processes for Iberian wolf domestication. Our results emphasize that knowledge of both ancient wolves' and early dogs' genetic profiles from the European periphery should improve our understanding of the evolution of the European dog.
- The preburning condition of Chalcolithic cremated human remains from the Perdigoes enclosures (Portugal)Publication . Godinho, Ricardo Miguel; Goncalves, David; Carlos Valera, AntónioThe Iberian Chalcolithic displayed a remarkable variety of funerary practices, which has been related to interpopulation differences, intrapopulation social-cultural differences, and complex multistage funerary rituals. Perdigoes, a Chalcolithic set of ditched enclosures, reflects such diversity including a wide array of funerary practices. Among those practices is cremation, which, despite relatively rare, is represented in different structures in Perdigoes. One of these structures (Pit 40) presents an unparalleled high minimum number of individuals (n = 240), contrasting with nearby and coeval structures. In this study, we analyse heat-induced bone changes and other archaeothanatological variables to tentatively assess the preburning condition of the human remains. The results of Pit 40 are also compared with other comparable contexts to assess if this unique context presents further funerary differences relative to those other contexts in, for example, body processing. Our results suggest preferential cremation of fleshed human remains, but burning of at least a minority of skeletonised remains and deposition of possibly unburned remains also likely occurred. Body processing appears to be comparable with that of the cremation contexts of Perdigoes but contrasts with that of another nearby context (Dolmen of Olival da Pega 2b) in which burned bones were also found.