Search publications of the members of the Royal Belgian institute of natural Sciences
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How ‘Shaun the sheep’ looked like in the past? Evolution and archaeological diversity of sheep morphotypes in Southwest Asia
- Sheep husbandry has played a leading role in the economy of human societies over the last 10 millennia. While archaeological research focused on the study of early husbandry practices, little is known about the emergence and morphological evolution of sheep breeds. To what extent ancient sheep bones could help to understand this change and identifying the factors behind it? To answer these questions, we used 3D geometric morphometrics methods on 260 astragalus of modern and archaeological sheep from Southwest Asia and East Africa. Ancient sheep bones have been recovered from forty-two archaeological sites covering seven millennia of economic and cultural transformations, between the 8th and the 1st millennium BC. We have explored morphometric diversity of sheep bones, first according to biotic and abiotic factors on well-documented modern osteological collections and second, according to environmental, chronological and socio-economical contexts on modern and ancient bones. Our first results indicate significant differences in the variation of astragalus shape between modern and archaeological sheep in correlation with ecological and chronocultural factors.
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Paleogenetic analysis of cat mummies from ancient Egypt
- Situated at the crossroads of Africa, Asia and Europe, Egypt is considered one of the two potential cradles of cat domestication (Felis catus). Here, cats most likely developed their relationship with humans with a dual role. In fact, on the one hand Egyptian iconography depicts cats as skilled hunters, and on the other hand as companion animals, quietly sitting under the chairs of noble people and as guardians of the deceased (Yoyotte & Vernus, 2005). Egyptian cats were object of a cult dedicated to the goddess Bastet, and from the 1st millennium BC until the 4th century AD were mummified as votive offerings. Previous ancient DNA (aDNA) investigation (Ottoni 2017) showed that cats in ancient Egypt possessed two maternal lineages commonly found in modern domestic cats. Haplotype-C, which spread all over the Old World since Classical Antiquity from Northern Africa, and haplotype-A, which was associated with an earlier cat dispersal from the Levant during the Neolithic. DNA from cat mummies represents a key tool to unravel the role of Egypt as a possible independent centre of domestication, despite the fact that the retrieval of aDNA from mummified tissues has greatly been challenged by DNA preservation. Here, we show the preliminary results of aDNA analyses conducted on more than 50 Egyptian cat mummies from Beni Hassan and Gourna (Luxor), dated to the Greco-Roman period. By comparing different methods (e.g. single and double stranded genomic library construction), we provide an extensive case for screening DNA preservation in arid regions, and within different tissues, such as hair, claws, and petrous bones. We also explore the potential to gain novel insights on the dispersal of domestic cats from Egypt in Classical Antiquity through mitochondrial and genome-wide data.
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Spatial scales affecting termite diversity in tropical lowland rainforest: a case study in southeast Cameroon
- Termites play a prominent role in the decomposer food web as 'ecosystem engineers'. However, the effect of spatial scales on termite assemblages has, to date, been poorly studied. Here, we evaluate the contribution of two spatial levels [transects (100 m x 2 m) and sections within transects (5 m x 2 m)] on the local termite assemblage of a continuous mixed secondary lowland rainforest in southeast Cameroon. Standardized 100 m x 2 m transects were run in five vegetation types to cover more of the heterogeneity of this forest. The additive partitioning of the species richness of all species, soil- and wood-feeder species was statistically tested with sample-based randomization. The average species richness per transect (61) was the highest ever recorded. The section scale significantly influenced the observed species richness of all groups. This suggests that physical complexity and heterogeneity exist on a small scale within each transect and create a variety of microhabitats for different termites. Still, soil-feeder species were less influenced by this scale than wood-feeder species. Although different vegetation types were sampled, transect scale did not enhance observed termite species diversity. Overall, as a wide variety and high density of microhabitats is inherent to large primary or regenerating forests, conservation programmes should focus on interconnecting large tropical rainforest blocks in Central Africa to maintain biodiversity hot spots of termites and optimal ecosystem functioning.
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Anatomy, Relationships, and Paleobiology of Cambaytherium (Mammalia, Perissodactylamorpha, Anthracobunia) from the lower Eocene of western India
- The anatomy of Cambaytherium, a primitive, perissodactyl-like mammal from the lower Eocene Cambay Shale Formation of Gujarat, India, is described in detail on the basis of more than 350 specimens that represent almost the entire dentition and the skeleton. Cambaytherium combines plesiomorphic traits typical of archaic ungulates such as phenacodontids with derived traits characteristic of early perissodactyls. Cambaytherium was a subcursorial animal better adapted for running than phenacodontids but less specialized than early perissodactyls. The cheek teeth are bunodont with large upper molar conules, not lophodont as in early perissodactyls; like perissodactyls, however, the lower molars have twinned metaconids and m3 has an extended hypoconulid lobe. A steep wear gradient with heavy wear in the middle of the tooth row suggests an abrasive herbivorous diet. Three species of Cambaytherium are recognized: C. thewissi (∼23 kg), C. gracilis (∼10 kg), and C. marinus (∼99 kg). Body masses were estimated from tooth size and long bone dimensions. Biostratigraphic and isotopic evidence indicates an age of ca. 54.5 Ma for the Cambay Shale vertebrate fauna, the oldest Cenozoic continental vertebrate assemblage from India, near or prior to the initial collision with Asia. Cambaytheriidae (also including Nakusia and Perissobune) and Anthracobunidae are sister taxa, constituting the clade Anthracobunia, which is sister to Perissodactyla. We unite them in a new higher taxon, Perissodactylamorpha. The antiquity and occurrence of Cambaytherium—the most primitive known perissodactylamorph—in India near or before its collision with Asia suggest that Perissodactyla evolved during the Paleocene on the Indian Plate or in peripheral areas of southern or southwestern Asia.
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“Marginal” landscapes: human activity, vulnerability and resilience in the Western Taurus mountains (South West Turkey)
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Man’s best friends
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Milk production at Bademağacı (SW Turkey) during the Early Neolithic: Archaeozoological data and residue analysis combined
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Faunal Remains of Bademağacı: Campaigns 1993-2005
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Een potje boven het vuur
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Étude anthropologique du squelette du puits I
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An interdisciplinary study around the reliquary of the late cardinal Jacques de Vitry
- The reliquary of Jacques de Vitry, a prominent clergyman and theologian in the early 13th century, has experienced several transfers over the last centuries, which seriously question the attribution of the remains to the late Cardinal. Uncertainty about the year of his birth poses an additional question regarding his age at death in 1240. The reliquary, located in the Saint Marie d’Oigines church, Belgium, was reopened in 2015 for an interdisciplinary study around his relics as well as the Treasure of Oignies, a remarkable cultural heritage notably built from Jacques de Vitry’s donation. Anthropological, isotopic and genetic analyses were performed independently on the remains found in the reliquary. Results of the analyses provided evidence that the likelihood that these remains are those of Jacques de Vitry is very high: the remains belong to the same human male individual and the historical tradition about his age is confirmed. In addition, a separate relic (left tibia) was analysed and found to match with the remains of the reliquary (right tibia). The unique Jacques de Vitry’s mitre, made of parchment, was sampled non-destructively and the extracted parchment collagen was analysed by a proteomic method in order to determine the animal species. The results showed that, surprisingly, not all parts of the mitre were made from the same species. All together, these findings are expected to fertilize knowledge carried by historical tradition around the relics of Jacques de Vitry and his related cultural heritage.
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Children at Work: Looking for Evidence in Past Societies
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Throwing Activities Among Neolithic Populations from the Meuse River Basin (Belgium, 4500–2500 BC) with a Focus on Adolescents.
- The anterior band of the medial collateral ligament (MCL) is an important stabilizer for valgus stress at the elbow. When practised intensively and repetitively, activities using overhead throwing motions can injure this ligament and its insertion. If these activities occur when the epiphyses are not yet fully fused, traction forces can result in bony detachments in the area of the MCL insertion. This study was based on commingled graves found in 16 Middle and Late Neolithic caves from Belgium. We recorded the presence of MCL lesions on 196 humeri and studied the relation between lesions, siding, and robusticity. 5.1% of the humeri displayed MCL lesions, which affected only the right robust humeri. Our results suggest a social division in throwing activities in Belgium during the Neolithic. They also suggest that throwing practice started from a young age, which invites us to re-examine the role of teenagers in prehistoric societies.
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Etude anthropologique d’un fragment de crâne attribué à Saint Perpète
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Anthropological study of the human remains gathered in the shrine of the Saint Odulphus in Borgloon
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Étude des restes humains et animaux découverts dans un puits d’époque gallo-romaine à Taviers
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Analyse van de dierlijke resten uit de laat-middeleeuwse site van de Sint-Laurentiusparochie, Nieuwpoort
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Analyse van de dierlijke resten uit de laat- en post-middeleeuwse site in de Louis D'Haeseleerstraat, Aalst
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Bio-archaeological study of human and animal remains from the site 'Bard-i Bal' in Luristan, Iran
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Reconstructie van het Menapisch varken d.m.v. archeozoölogisch onderzoek. Eindrapport 2019
