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Notes
- Abstract:
- A large assortment of pig mandibles from eleven ancient Egyptian sites dating
from the Old Kingdom through the Ptolemaic-Roman period (c. 2686 BC and up through
AD 400) were analyzed and their measurements compared to: 1) a modern domestic pig
standard sample from Egypt, and 2) a wild boar standard sample from Turkey. Age at
death, sizes of first, second, and third molars (M1, M2, and M3), and coefficients of variation
(CV) were consistent with the presence of domestic pig-only populations for most sites.
However, tooth sizes, CV, and tendency towards bimodality in the distribution of sizes
for Mendes and Kom Firin suggests the presence of either two populations of similar animals
or sexual dimorphism. For these two sites, comparisons with the two standards were
consistent with the presence of domestic pigs and either larger feral pigs or wild boar, sometimes
at similar densities. Furthermore, results for the Abydos Settlement Site suggested
that wild boar/feral pigs might have been hunted occasionally. Consistent with previous
studies, mandibular wear scores (MWS) showed that pigs were slaughtered within the first
18-21 months of age. Neither MWS, data distribution tendency, molar width, nor CV
alone were sufficient to distinguish between pure and mixed pig populations; but, taken
together they provided strong evidence for the presence of larger size pigs (possibly wild boar
or feral pigs) in ancient Egypt.
- Acquisition:
- Collected for University of Curacao's Institutional Repository by the UFIR Self-Submittal tool. Submitted by Janice Simon.
- Publication Status:
- Published
Record Information
- Source Institution:
- University of Curacao Institutional Repository
- Holding Location:
- University of the Virgin Islands
- Rights Management:
- All applicable rights reserved by the source institution and holding location.
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