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Calving seasonality at Pool, Orkney during the first millennium AD: an investigation using intra-tooth isotope ratio analysis of cattle molar enamel

Towers, Jacqueline; Mainland, Ingrid; Montgomery, Janet; Bond, Julie

Calving seasonality at Pool, Orkney during the first millennium AD: an investigation using intra-tooth isotope ratio analysis of cattle molar enamel Thumbnail


Authors

Jacqueline Towers

Ingrid Mainland

Julie Bond



Abstract

The identification of dairying is essential if we are to understand economies of the past, particularly in northwest Europe, where a high degree of lactose tolerance suggests that fresh milk has long been a significant food product. This paper explores a possible link between economic focus and seasonality of calving. Although cattle (Bos taurus) can breed throughout the year, animals living in temperate regions with minimal or no human management tend to breed seasonally, their breeding behaviour being strongly influenced by the availability of food. In order to achieve a year-round supply of fresh milk in the past, it is likely that multiple-season calving was necessary, which would have required additional husbandry effort. Alternatively, for meat-focussed economies or those based on storable dairy products, a strategy of single-season calving in spring may have been favoured to maximise the utilisation of spring and summer vegetation. Cattle birth seasonality is investigated through isotope ratio analysis (δ18O, δ13C) of tooth enamel. Results for cattle from Pool, Orkney dating to the latter part of the first millennium AD suggest that calving occurred during at least three seasons implying that the continuous provision of fresh milk was of economic importance.

Citation

Towers, J., Mainland, I., Montgomery, J., & Bond, J. (2016). Calving seasonality at Pool, Orkney during the first millennium AD: an investigation using intra-tooth isotope ratio analysis of cattle molar enamel. Environmental Archaeology, 22(1), 40-55. https://doi.org/10.1080/14614103.2015.1116214

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Nov 19, 2015
Online Publication Date Jan 6, 2016
Publication Date Jan 6, 2016
Deposit Date Nov 19, 2015
Publicly Available Date Mar 28, 2024
Journal Environmental Archaeology
Print ISSN 1461-4103
Electronic ISSN 1749-6314
Publisher Taylor and Francis Group
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 22
Issue 1
Pages 40-55
DOI https://doi.org/10.1080/14614103.2015.1116214

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