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Destructive sampling and export of archaeofaunal remains (SADogs Project)

CaseViews

CaseHeader

HeritageAuthority(s): 

Case Type: 

ProposalDescription: 

Application for destructive sampling of archaeofaunal remains from three archaeological sites for the purposes of aDNA and ZooMS analyses. The selected samples will form part of a larger research project that is concerned with the identification and characterization of domesticated dogs from early archaeological sites in South Africa. Samples of unidentified and previously identified carnivore remains from these sites will also be included in the study, as some of these may well be dog remains. Permit application, Gauteng.

Expanded_Motivation: 

Motivation for destructive sampling of archaeological animal remains from four archaeological sites for the purposes of aDNA and ZooMS analyses. The selected samples will form part of a larger research project that is concerned with the identification and characterisation of domesticated dogs from early archaeological sites in South Africa. Samples of unidentified carnivore remains from these sites will also be included in the study, as some of these may well be dog remains. The project team includes Dr Annie Antonites (Ditsong National Museum of Natural History), Prof Andrew Smith (UCT), Dr Luc Janssens (Leiden University), Dr Samantha Brown (Tübingen University) and Dr Pontus Skoglund (Francis Crick Institute). The study will re-examine material from three sites dated to the last 2000 years and from where dog or canid (dog/jackal) remains have previously been identified, namely Kasteelberg, Diamant, and Schroda (e.g., Plug 2000; Raath 2014; Smith 2006). Supposed early dog remains from Kasteelberg in the Western Cape were more recently examined with DNA techniques and have been re-identified as jackal (Horsburg 2009; Mitchell 2014). These findings question the reliability of all sites where dogs were identified based on skeletal morphology, including Diamant and Schroda. It should be noted that genetic identification has also been questioned (Scott & Plug 2019), which makes definite conclusions even more doubtful. Thus, the basic question of when domesticated dogs arrived in and spread across South Africa remains unanswered, although it has been proposed to be around 2000 years ago (Mitchell 2008). aDNA A selection of South African dog remains will be submitted to the Ancient Genomics Laboratory at the Francis Crick Institute, London for analysis by Dr Pontus Skoglund. These samples form part of a larger ERC-funded research project on the origins, genetic history, and adaptations of domesticated dogs (Bergström et al. 2020). Samples from Africa are limited and the opportunity for local samples to contribute to the global understanding of dog domestication and adaptation is an exciting prospect. Participation in the project will have a direct bearing on understanding the introduction of domesticated dogs to South Africa and how their genetic history may have changed over time. ZooMS The technique of Zooarchaeology by Mass Spectrometry or ZooMS (Buckley et al. 2009) can potentially help to resolve the issue of dog identification, just as it helped to identify hominin remains and to separate goat from sheep in archaeological contexts (Birch et al. 2016; Pilaar et al. 2019; Welker et al. 2015). Thus, re-examining canid and unidentified/previously identified carnivore bones (with ZooMS) might provide an alternative method to identify dog remains as well as other carnivore species from local archaeological contexts. Expanding the range of known carnivore species found at archaeological sites will also allow for a better understanding of human exploitation / interaction with carnivores in the past (an understudied theme in local archaeology). ZooMS analysis will be conducted at the Archaeo and Palaeoproteomics Laboratory, University of Tübingen by Dr Samantha Brown. Sampling The sampling of modern carnivore specimens will provide reference peptide mass fingerprints for ZooMS analysis (Welker et al. 2015). These specimens will be sampled from the large mammal collection at Ditsong National Museum of Natural History, for which permission has already been obtained. Sampling will focus on specimens younger than 60 years old and for which none to limited associated information is available. These results will then be used to create a baseline against which archaeological specimens can be compared. This is an especially useful option for species that are difficult to distinguish morphologically, such as dogs and jackals. In older specimens, DNA may not be preserved and DNA analysis can be costly. Thus, the ZooMS technique is an affordable alternative with a potentially higher success rate in obtaining results. The sampling protocol is simple and minimally damaging, since only a few milligrams of bone material is needed (Welker et al. 2015). Normally 2mg per sample is sufficient. Dr Luc Janssens has extensive experience in extracting DNA using this method and will perform the drilling procedure. Samples will be stored in appropriate containers and shipped to the Francis Crick Institute (aDNA) and Tübingen University (ZooMS) for analyses. Iziko, UNISA and Ditsong Museums of South Africa have already provided permission to conduct the sampling from material in their collections.

ApplicationDate: 

Wednesday, November 2, 2022 - 13:12

CaseID: 

19974

OtherReferences: 

ReferenceList: 

CitationReferenceType
Bergström, A., et al. 2020. Origins and genetic legacy of prehistoric dogs. Science 370(6516): 557-564.
Buckley, M., Collins, M., Thomas-Oates, J., Wilson, J. 2009. Species identification by analysis of bone collagen using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Rapid Communication in Mass Spectrometry 23: 3843–54.
Horsburgh, K. 2008. Wild or domesticated? An ancient DNA approach to canid species identification. Journal of Archaeological Science 35: 1474–80.
Mitchell, P. 2008. The canine connection I: dogs and people in southern African hunter-gatherer societies, In: Badenhorst, S., Mitchel, P. and Driver, J. (eds.), Animals and people: Archaeozoological papers in Honour of Ina Plug. Oxford: Archaeopress, pp.104-116.
Mitchell, P. 2014. The canine connection II: dogs and southern African herders. Southern African Humanities 26: 1–19.
Pilaar, S., Scheu, A., Buckley, M., Çakırlar, C. 2019. Combined osteomorphological, isotopic, aDNA, and ZooMS analyses of sheep and goat remains from Neolithic Ulucak, Turkey. Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences 11: 1669–81.
Plug, I. 2000. Overview of Iron Age fauna from the Limpopo Valley. South African Archaeological Society Goodwin Series 8: 117-126.
Raath, A. 2014. An archaeological investigation of Zhizo/Leokwe foodways at Schroda and Pont Drift, Limpopo Valley, South Africa. PhD dissertation, Yale University.
Scott, K., Plug, I. 2019. Beware of the sheep in eland's clothing: a critique of 'springbok in sheep's clothing' by Horsburgh et al. South African Archaeological Bulletin 74: 25-34.
Smith, A. 2006. Excavations at Kasteelberg and the origins of the Khoekhoen in the Western Cape, South Africa. Oxford: BAR International Series 1537.
Welker, F., Soressi, M., Rendu, W., Hublin, J-J., Collins W. 2015. Using ZooMS to identify fragmentary bone from the Late Middle/Early Upper Paleolithic sequence of Les Cottes, France. Journal of Archaeological Science 54: 279-88.
 
 

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