The mules that are not mules - metrics, morphology, archaeogenomics and mtDNA d-loop diversity in equids from Roman Switzerland
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 11900977 |
|---|---|
| Authors | José Granado (University of Basel), José D Granado, Nadine Dill (University of Basel), Charleen Gaunitz (0000-0003-3681-528X, University of Copenhagen), Antoine Fages (0000-0001-6985-4360, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique), Naveed Khan (0000-0001-5487-0210, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique), Monica Schernig Mráz (University of Basel), Deschler‐erb (0000-0003-4876-9217, University of Basel), Ludovic Orlando (0000-0003-3936-1850, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique), Angela Schlumbaum (University of Basel, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2020 |
| Volume | 123 |
| Pages | 105253-105253 |
| Publication date | 2020-10-05 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Archaeological Science (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0305-4403 • E-ISSN: 1095-9238 |
| Publisher | Elsevier BV (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.jas.2020.105253 |
| OpenAlex | W3091853467 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 10 |
| References cited | 33 |
Mules (Equus asinus x Equus caballus) represent first-generation hybrids between a female horse (mare) and a male donkey (jack). They are generally considered to have first appeared north of the Alps with Roman influence, a time period in which written and iconographic sources support their key role for transport and traction, both in farming and the military. The archaeozoological evidence for mules is, however, contentious as faunal assemblages are difficult to assign to either parental species or hybrids based on morphometric data alone. Here we leverage low-coverage DNA sequence data and Zonkey computational analyses to assess the occurrence of mules within Roman equid faunal assemblages in the alpine foreland. While morphological data previously assigned 17 remains to mules, successful DNA analysis of 12 remains revealed that 11 were in fact horses, one female and ten males. Eight mtDNA d-loop haplogroups were identified and genetic diversity within Roman equids corresponds to non-threatened modern local breeds. Two remains genetically identified as mules belonged to haplogroups F and I. Our results suggest that the importance of mules in the Roman archaeological record of the alpine foreland, and probably elsewhere, may have been previously over-estimated. Whether this is true for other regions of the Roman Empire needs to be evaluated. Further genomic testing for equid species and their hybrids and molecular sexing will improve our knowledge on this important issue
Archaeology · Biology · D-loop · Geography · Mitochondrial DNA · Animal Diversity and Health Studies · Paleopathology and ancient diseases · Veterinary Equine Medical Research · Genetics
Mules in the Antiquity of Southern Iberia revealed from proteomics
UBC Excavations of the Roman Villa at Gerace, Sicily
The oldest mule in the western Mediterranean. The case of the Early Iron Age in Hort d’en Grimau (Penedès, Barcelona, Spain)
Assessing the predictive taxonomic power of the bony labyrinth 3D shape in horses, donkeys and their F1-hybrids
Historical management of equine resources in France from the Iron Age to the Modern Period
Equine exploitation at Pompeii (AD 79)
The economic importance and mobility of horses in the Roman Netherlands
Contacts and Trades in the Iron Age
Ancient DNA refines taxonomic classification of Roman equids north of the Alps, elaborated with osteomorphology and geometric morphometrics
Predictive use of modern reference osteological collections for disentangling the shape of Eurasian equid cheek teeth and metapodials in archaeological material
Arlequin suite ver 3.5
Illumina Sequencing Library Preparation for Highly Multiplexed Target Capture and Sequencing
A guide to the measurement of animal bones from archaeological sites
Animals in Ritual and Economy in a Roman Frontier Community
Life history of a mule ( c . 160 AD) from the Roman fort Biriciana/ Weißenburg (Upper Bavaria) as revealed by serial stable isotope analysis of dental tissues
Mitochondrial d-loop variation, coat colour and sex identification of Late Iron Age horses in Switzerland
Los efectos de la romanización en la gestión ganadera
A geometric morphometric re-evaluation of the use of dental form to explore differences in horse (Equus caballus) populations and its potential zooarchaeological application
Identifying domestic horses, donkeys and hybrids from archaeological deposits
The Effect of Castration and Age on the Development of the Shetland Sheep Skeleton and a Metric Comparison Between Bones of Males, Females and Castrates
Identification of Bones of Galliform Hybrids
New osteological criteria for the identification of domestic horses, donkeys and their hybrids in archaeological contexts
Zonkey
Identifying donkey domestication through changes in cross-sectional geometry of long bones
Sexing Viking Age horses from burial and non-burial sites in Iceland using ancient DNA
Rethinking the dental morphological differences between domestic equids
First evidence of Equus asinus L. in the Chalcolithic disputes the Phoenicians as the first to introduce donkeys into the Iberian Peninsula
The use of Animals at Roman Roadside Settlements in Britain
Burial condition is the most important factor for mtDNA PCR amplification success in Palaeolithic equid remains from the Alpine foreland
| Unique citing works | 10 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 2 |
| Citation span | 2021 - 2026 (6) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 9 |