Keith Dobney
Biographic Data
| ID | 96589 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Keith Dobney |
| GIVEN NAMES | Keith |
| FAMILY NAME | Dobney |
| SIGNATURE | DOBNEY K |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Aberdeen |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-9036-4681 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 63 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 679 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 63 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1987 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2024 |
| H-INDEX | 16 |
Mandibular shape and diet in extant primates
Establishing a link between mandibular morphology and diet in extant primates has long been a goal in biological anthropology because it should provide important insight into the diets of extinct primates, including fossil hominins. To date, efforts to explore this question have produced mixed results, largely perhaps due to a reliance on the use of 2D morphological data. Here, we report a study where we investigated whether 3D shape data would p…
Mixed ancestry of Europeans who settled Iceland and Greenland
Debate surrounds the identity of the Europeans who settled Iceland and Greenland in the early medieval period. Historical sources record settlers travelling from Norway to Iceland and then Greenland, but recent analyses of biological data suggest that some settlers had British and Irish ancestry. Here, the authors test these hypotheses with 3D-shape analyses of human crania from Scandinavia, Britain and Ireland, and one of the Norse colonies in G…
Wild or domestic? A 3D approach applied to crania to revisit the identification of mummified canids from ancient Egypt
Can we combine 3D data obtained with a MicroScribe digitising arm and photogrammetry to address bioarchaeological research questions
Advancing and refining archaeological dental calculus research using multiomic frameworks
Dental calculus (calcified dental plaque) is a cross-cultural biological matrix that is emerging as a critical source of information for anthropologists and oral health professionals. It contains a multitude of diverse biomolecules, providing information about an individual’s culture, diet, ancestry, and health. Most researchers who study archaeological dental calculus use genomic or proteomic approaches, although a wide range of other techniques…
Pre-contact adaptations to the Little Ice Age in Southwest Alaska
The reconstruction of diet, subsistence strategies and human-animal relationships are integral to understanding past human societies, adaptations and resilience - especially in the circumpolar Arctic. Even in relatively recent periods, climatic excursions may have posed specific challenges for hunter-gatherer groups living at latitudinal and climatic extremes, and archaeological research in Arctic North America is increasingly looking to better u…
What's the catch? Archaeological application of rapid collagen-based species identification for Pacific Salmon
Potential adaptations for bipedalism in the thoracic and lumbar vertebrae of Homo sapiens
Neanderthal behaviour, diet, and disease inferred from ancient DNA in dental calculus
Ancient Microbial DNA in Dental Calculus
Ancient human migrations provide the critical genetic background to historical and contemporary human demographic patterns. However, our ability to infer past human migration events, especially those that occurred over rapid timescales, is often limited. A key example is the peopling of Polynesia, where the timing is relatively well defined, but the exact routes taken during the final stages and the source populations are not. Here, we discuss th…
A landmark-based approach for assessing the reliability of mandibular tooth crowding as a marker of dog domestication
Tooth crowding is one of several criteria used to infer the process of domestication in the zooarchaeological record. It has been primarily used to support claims of early animal domestication, perhaps most contentiously in claims for the existence of so-called “proto-domestic” dogs as early as the Middle-Upper Palaeolithic. Tooth crowding studies vary in their methodological approaches, and interpretation of the resulting data is constrained by …
Genomic and archaeological evidence suggest a dual origin of domestic dogs
A dogged investigation of domestication The history of how wolves became our pampered pooches of today has remained controversial. Frantz et al. describe high-coverage sequencing of the genome of an Irish dog from the Bronze Age as well as ancient dog mitochondrial DNA sequences. Comparing ancient dogs to a modern worldwide panel of dogs shows an old, deep split between East Asian and Western Eurasian dogs. Thus, dogs were domesticated from two s…
Dog-human dietary relationships in Yup'ik western Alaska
The use of close-range photogrammetry in zooarchaeology
Close-range photographic techniques - including photogrammetry - are becoming common tools for constructing three-dimensional (3D) models of artifacts, particularly in archaeological research. Whether models obtained through photogrammetry can be used for zooarchaeological studies requires a systematic examination. In the context of research into dog domestication, we explore whether 3D models of wolf crania, obtained through a photogrammetric ap…
Wild, domestic and feral? Investigating the status of suids in the Romanian Gumelniţa (5th mil. cal BC) with biogeochemistry and geometric morphometrics
Ancient DNA analysis of dental calculus
Current perspectives and the future of domestication studies
It is difficult to overstate the cultural and biological impacts that the domestication of plants and animals has had on our species. Fundamental questions regarding where, when, and how many times domestication took place have been of primary interest within a wide range of academic disciplines. Within the last two decades, the advent of new archaeological and genetic techniques has revolutionized our understanding of the pattern and process of …
The zooarchaeological application of quantifying cranial shape differences in wild boar and domestic pigs (Sus scrofa) using 3D geometric morphometrics
The process of domestication increases the variety of phenotypes expressed in animals. Zooarchaeologists have attempted to study these changes osteologically in their search for the geographic and temporal origins of initial animal domestication during the late Pleistocene and early Holocene. Traditional biometric approaches have explored broad changes in body size over time, but this approach provides poor resolution. Here we investigate whether…
Exploring the complexity of domestication
International audience
Pig Domestication and Human-Mediated Dispersal in Western Eurasia Revealed through Ancient DNA and Geometric Morphometrics
Zooarcheological evidence suggests that pigs were domesticated in Southwest Asia ~8,500 BC. They then spread across the Middle and Near East and westward into Europe alongside early agriculturalists. European pigs were either domesticated independently or more likely appeared so as a result of admixture between introduced pigs and European wild boar. As a result, European wild boar mtDNA lineages replaced Near Eastern/Anatolian mtDNA signatures i…
Sequencing ancient calcified dental plaque shows changes in oral microbiota with dietary shifts of the Neolithic and Industrial revolutions
A geometric morphometric re-evaluation of the use of dental form to explore differences in horse (Equus caballus) populations and its potential zooarchaeological application
Using traditional biometrical data to distinguish West Palearctic wild boar and domestic pigs in the archaeological record
The origins and spread of stock-keeping
It has long been recognised that the proportions of Neolithic domestic animal species—cattle, pig and sheep/goat—vary from region to region, but it has hitherto been unclear how much this variability is related to cultural practices or to environmental constraints. This study uses hundreds of faunal assemblages from across Neolithic Europe to reveal the distribution of animal use between north and south, east and west. The remarkable results pres…
Farmers, Monks and Aristocrats
The environmental archaeological evidence from the site of Flixborough (in particular the animal bone assemblage) provides a series of unique insights into Anglo-Saxon life in England during the 8th to 10th centuries. The research reveals detailed evidence for the local and regional environment, many aspects of the local and regional agricultural economy, changing resource exploitation strategies and the extent of possible trade and exchange netw…
Born Free ? New Evidence for the Status of Sus scrofa at Neolithic Çayönü Tepesi (Southeastern Anatolia, Turkey)
A renewed analysis was undertaken of the Sus remains from all habitation phases at Neolithic Çayönü Tepesi, a site which spans more than two millennia and has been considered as among the oldest domestication sites of the pig in Western Asia. The research included age at death estimations, osteometrical analysis of both dental and postcranial material, and the recording of a dental defect (Linear Enamel Hypoplasia or LEH). The analysis revealed a…
The Liang Bua faunal remains
The long and winding road
Meta-analysis of zooarchaeological data from SW Asia and SE Europe provides insight into the origins and spread of animal husbandry
Early Neolithic pig domestication at Jiahu, Henan Province, China
The Pigs of Island Southeast Asia and the Pacific
This paper undertakes a major survey of the genus Sus from Island Southeast Asia and specifically attempts to re-examine the taxonomic status of the pigs of Wallacea, in order to re-evaluate the complex evidence for human mediated dispersal. This was undertaken using the combined approach of tooth outline and mitochondrial DNA analysis. The data provide clear evidence for three dispersal events: The first involved domesticated pigs, originating f…
Ancient DNA analysis of 101 cattle remains
A method for evaluating the amount of dental calculus on teeth from archaeological sites
Wild, domestic and feral? Investigating the status of suids in the Romanian Gumelniţa (5th mil. cal BC) with biogeochemistry and geometric morphometrics
Interpreting Developmental Stress in Archaeological Pigs
Species distribution modelling of ancient cattle from early Neolithic sites in SW Asia and Europe
Species distribution models are widely used by ecologists to estimate the relationship between environmental predictors and species presence and abundance records. In this paper, we use compiled faunal assemblage records from archaeological sites located across southwest Asia and southeast Europe to estimate and to compare the biogeography of ancient wild and early domestic cattle ( Bos primigenius and Bos taurus). We estimate the contribution of…
Bone Preservation and Ancient DNA
The zooarchaeological application of quantifying cranial shape differences in wild boar and domestic pigs (Sus scrofa) using 3D geometric morphometrics
The process of domestication increases the variety of phenotypes expressed in animals. Zooarchaeologists have attempted to study these changes osteologically in their search for the geographic and temporal origins of initial animal domestication during the late Pleistocene and early Holocene. Traditional biometric approaches have explored broad changes in body size over time, but this approach provides poor resolution. Here we investigate whether…
The use of close-range photogrammetry in zooarchaeology
Close-range photographic techniques - including photogrammetry - are becoming common tools for constructing three-dimensional (3D) models of artifacts, particularly in archaeological research. Whether models obtained through photogrammetry can be used for zooarchaeological studies requires a systematic examination. In the context of research into dog domestication, we explore whether 3D models of wolf crania, obtained through a photogrammetric ap…
Using traditional biometrical data to distinguish West Palearctic wild boar and domestic pigs in the archaeological record
Size and shape of the Eurasian wild boar ( Sus scrofa ), with a view to the reconstruction of its Holocene history
A large assortment of skulls and skeletons of recent wild boar (Sus scrofa) from across the world has been used to collect tooth and bone measurements that can be compared to those from archaeological specimens. The data provide useful information for a reconstruction of the Holocene history of the species. The evidence collected so far highlights the great variability of the species and provides a baseline to be used for the interpretation of an…
DNA-based Identification of Goose Species from Two Archaeological Sites in Lincolnshire
A landmark-based approach for assessing the reliability of mandibular tooth crowding as a marker of dog domestication
Tooth crowding is one of several criteria used to infer the process of domestication in the zooarchaeological record. It has been primarily used to support claims of early animal domestication, perhaps most contentiously in claims for the existence of so-called “proto-domestic” dogs as early as the Middle-Upper Palaeolithic. Tooth crowding studies vary in their methodological approaches, and interpretation of the resulting data is constrained by …
Dog-human dietary relationships in Yup'ik western Alaska
Ancient DNA analysis of dental calculus
The origins and spread of stock-keeping
It has long been recognised that the proportions of Neolithic domestic animal species—cattle, pig and sheep/goat—vary from region to region, but it has hitherto been unclear how much this variability is related to cultural practices or to environmental constraints. This study uses hundreds of faunal assemblages from across Neolithic Europe to reveal the distribution of animal use between north and south, east and west. The remarkable results pres…
New insights into pig taxonomy, domestication and human dispersal in Island South East Asia
Despite the almost ubiquitous presence of HoloceneSusremains in Island South East Asia (ISEA), the domestication of pigs and their dispersal in this region remains somewhat confused. Using molar shape geometric morphometric analysis, archaeologicalSusdental series from the Sarawak caves of Niah (Aceramic, Neolithic) and Lobang Kudih (Ming period), are compared with extant ISEA wild pigs to establish their taxonomic status and to further explore t…
A geometric morphometric re-evaluation of the use of dental form to explore differences in horse (Equus caballus) populations and its potential zooarchaeological application
What's the catch? Archaeological application of rapid collagen-based species identification for Pacific Salmon
Developmental defects and postmortem changes in archaeological pig teeth from Fais Island, Micronesia
A method for evaluating the amount of dental calculus on teeth from archaeological sites
Preliminary report on the animal bones from Saar
On the Causes of Perforations in Archaeological Domestic Cattle Skulls
On the Causes of Perforations in Archaeological Domestic Cattle Skulls
We have undertaken a preliminary survey of the occurrence of cranial perforations which have been noted on the posterior portion of archaeological cattle skulls. The interest arose from the authors independent encounter with unusually high frequencies of this condition in assemblages from Bruges and Lincoln and the subsequent search for an explanation. A rapid literature survey and direct contact with other colleagues in the field showed that the…
The molecular palaeoecology of geese
The remains of six species of geese are commonly recovered from archaeological sites in Britain dating from the Saxon and later periods. However, identification of this material to species level is hampered by a lack of morphological variation and a large overlap in size. To address this issue we obtained DNA sequence data for a section of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene from modern samples of each species, and successfully identified several…
A protocol for recording linear enamel hypoplasia on archaeological pig teeth
A method is proposed for recording linear enamel hypoplasia (LEH) present on archaeological pig teeth. The methods described have been developed and tested on material from five archaeological sites of a wide range of periods; Durrington Walls (UK), Wellin, Ename, Sugny and Londerzeel (Belgium). Recommendations are made on what teeth, surface, cusp, and side to record, as well as on details of the visibility, the identification and the measuremen…
Down, but not out
Views of the Late Roman period in England have changed considerably in the past few years, with a tendency towards acceptance of a survival or resurgence of economic and political organization despite earlier decline. Traditional evidence provides some insights into the differential nature of these changes. Here it is argued that 'environmental' (in this case biological) evidence can provide unique insights into economic systems, and that bones a…
On the causes of perforations in archaeological domestic cattle skulls
An example of ante-mortem cranial perforations in the skull of a European wisent (Bison bonasus) from Armenia is presented. The implications for reinterpreting the possible causes of this condition in ancient domestic cattle (outlined in a previous paper) are briefly discussed. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd
Cottam
The presence of Anglian and Anglo-Scandinavian settlements at Cottam, East Yorkshire, was first indicated in 1987 by numerous finds of copper alloy coins, dress pins and strap ends by metal detector users. This report presents the results of fieldwork carried out on behalf of the Department of Archaeology, University of York, between 1993–95, including fieldwalking, geophysical survey, and excavation. This revealed an enclosure of the eighth to n…
Interpreting Developmental Stress in Archaeological Pigs
DNA-based Identification of Goose Species from Two Archaeological Sites in Lincolnshire
Excavations on the Site of the Roman Signal Station At Carr Naze, Filey, 1993–94
Excavations in 1993 and 1994 on Carr Naze, Filey, occasioned by the threat of coastal erosion, revealed remains of the late Roman signal station previously examined in 1857 and 1923. Details of the plan and structures were recorded. Occupation deposits in the courtyard produced a number of stratified coins and other artefacts. Study of the animal bone assemblage has suggested systematic provisioning of the site from a regional base. In the post-R…
Born Free ? New Evidence for the Status of Sus scrofa at Neolithic Çayönü Tepesi (Southeastern Anatolia, Turkey)
A renewed analysis was undertaken of the Sus remains from all habitation phases at Neolithic Çayönü Tepesi, a site which spans more than two millennia and has been considered as among the oldest domestication sites of the pig in Western Asia. The research included age at death estimations, osteometrical analysis of both dental and postcranial material, and the recording of a dental defect (Linear Enamel Hypoplasia or LEH). The analysis revealed a…
Bone Preservation and Ancient DNA
A Pig all Seasons? Approaches to the Assessment of Second Farrowing in Archaeological Pig Populations
The York System
This article presents the York System, a database used for recording animal bones. It is based on the recording protocol used at the Department of Archaeology, University of York, and incorporates that used at the former Environmental Archaeology Unit. The York System has been designed in Access 2000 and includes the commonly identified British mammal, bird, fish, reptile and amphibian species. Emphasis has been placed on database flexibility, wi…
A high status burial from Ripon Cathedral, North Yorkshire, England
Excavations beneath the crossing at Ripon Cathedral in North Yorkshire recently revealed a burial radiocarbon dated to the late 15th century AD. The burial was that of a young adult female; the location of the grave suggests a person of relatively high status. The very well preserved skeleton revealed abnormal changes to the bones of the thoracic cavity including anterior bowing of the sternum, flattening of the spinous processes of thoracic vert…
Ancient DNA analysis of 101 cattle remains
The use of isotope ratios to test for seaweed eating in sheep
The primitive sheep of North Ronaldsay Island (Orkney), which feed almost exclusively on seaweed, have developed physiological features linked to that diet. The use of seaweed to feed domestic animals, attested for centuries in north-western Europe, may have appeared soon after the arrival of the first domestic herds during the 5th and 4th millennia BC. The use of isotope analysis of sheep tooth enamel as a means to investigate seaweed grazing in…
Worldwide Phylogeography of Wild Boar Reveals Multiple Centers of Pig Domestication
Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequences from 686 wild and domestic pig specimens place the origin of wild boar in island Southeast Asia (ISEA), where they dispersed across Eurasia. Previous morphological and genetic evidence suggested pig domestication took place in a limited number of locations (principally the Near East and Far East). In contrast, new genetic data reveal multiple centers of domestication across Eurasia and that European, rather tha…
Pig Hunting and Husbandry in Prehistoric Italy
In this article the evidence of pig exploitation in the prehistory of the Italian peninsula and Sicily is presented. Though some differences in pig morphology seem to have existed between different parts of the country, a broadly consistent diachronic pattern of change has emerged. In the Mesolithic fairly small wild boars (with bones quite large in relation to the teeth) lived in Italy. For most of the Neolithic pigs of a similar size and shape …
Ancient DNA, pig domestication, and the spread of the Neolithic into Europe
The Neolithic Revolution began 11,000 years ago in the Near East and preceded a westward migration into Europe of distinctive cultural groups and their agricultural economies, including domesticated animals and plants. Despite decades of research, no consensus has emerged about the extent of admixture between the indigenous and exotic populations or the degree to which the appearance of specific components of the “Neolithic cultural package” in E…
Phylogeny and ancient DNA of Sus provides insights into neolithic expansion in Island Southeast Asia and Oceania
Human settlement of Oceania marked the culmination of a global colonization process that began when humans first left Africa at least 90,000 years ago. The precise origins and dispersal routes of the Austronesian peoples and the associated Lapita culture remain contentious, and numerous disparate models of dispersal (based primarily on linguistic, genetic, and archeological data) have been proposed. Here, through the use of mtDNA from 781 modern …
The Pigs of Island Southeast Asia and the Pacific
This paper undertakes a major survey of the genus Sus from Island Southeast Asia and specifically attempts to re-examine the taxonomic status of the pigs of Wallacea, in order to re-evaluate the complex evidence for human mediated dispersal. This was undertaken using the combined approach of tooth outline and mitochondrial DNA analysis. The data provide clear evidence for three dispersal events: The first involved domesticated pigs, originating f…
Isotope analysis of human and animal diets from the Hanamiai archaeological site (French Polynesia)
We report the first palaeodietary stable isotope study of humans and animals from an East Polynesian archaeological site. The Hanamiai Dune in the Marquesas Islands of French Polynesia has a long stratigraphy (ca. 1025 AD to 1850 AD). We obtained carbon and nitrogen isotope values for a wide range of terrestrial and marine species from different cultural layers. We also analyzed four human teeth representing four different individuals. Pigs, rats…
Archaeology (48 works) · Biology (47 works) · Geography (47 works) · Ecology (26 works) · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies (22 works) · Zoology (22 works) · Domestication (19 works) · Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology Studies (18 works) · Evolutionary biology (17 works) · History (16 works)