DOG SAMPLES README


*** Dataset of selected archaeological dog specimens from medieval and early modern Estonia: metrics for the withers and crania, and values for stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes ***



Authors: Sander Nuut (a), Mari Tõrv (a,b), Eve Rannamäe (a)
(a) Department of Archaeology, Institute of History and Archaeology, University of Tartu
(b) Chair of Analytical Chemistry, Institute of Chemistry, University of Tartu
Corresponding author: Sander Nuut
Contact information: sander.nuut@gmail.com



*** General introduction***

This dataset contains data collected during the study of archaeological dog remains. The dataset consists of three tables: (1) withers height data, (2) skull measurements data, (3) carbon and nitrogen stable isotope data. It is being made public both to act as supplementary data for the publication Nuut et al. (in prep.) and research projects PRG29, PSG492, and MLTKT23060R.

Publications (short references are found in data tables and this file):

Aguraiuja-Lätti, Ü., Tõrv, M., Sayle, K. L., Lõugas, L., Rannamäe, E., Ehrlich, F., Nuut, S., Peeters, T., Oras, E. & Kriiska, A. 2022. Multi-isotopic analysis of zooarchaeological material from Estonia (ca. 200–1800 CE): Variation among food webs and geographical regions. – PLOS ONE, 17: 12, e0279583.

Alpak, H., Mutu?, R. & Onar, V. 2004. Correlation analysis of the skull and long bone measurements of the dog. – Annals of Anatomy – Anatomischer Anzeiger, 186: 4, 323–330.

von den Driesch, A. 1976. Das Vermessen von Tierknochen aus Vor- und Frühgeschichtlichen Siedlungen. Universität München, München.

Harcourt, R. A. 1974. The dog in Prehistoric and Early Historic Britain. – Journal of Archaeological Science, 1, 151–175.

Nuut, S. 2021. Eesti raua- ja keskaegsete koerte morfoloogiline varieeruvus zooarheoloogilise materjali põhjal. Bachelor’s thesis, University of Tartu. URI http://hdl.handle.net/10062/73356.

Nuut, S. 2023. Kolme koera elu rekonstruktsioon zooarheoloogilise materjali põhjal. Master’s thesis, University of Tartu. URI https://hdl.handle.net/10062/90384.

Nuut, S., Rannamäe, E., Tõrv, M. & Aguraiuja-Lätti, Ü. In prep. Pets or functional animals: dogs and cats in medieval and early modern Estonia. – Estonian Journal of Archaeology. [Manuscript accepted for publication]

Onar, V., Pazvant, G., Ince, G., Alpak, H., Janeczek, M. & K?z?ltan, Z. 2013. Morphometric analysis of the foramen magnum of byzantine dogs excavated in Istanbul Yenikapi at the site of theodosius harbour. – Mediterranean Archaeology and Archaeometry, 13: 1, 135?142.



*** Purpose of the data collection ***

The purpose of the data collection was to obtain information about the sizes and different morphological variations of dogs in the medieval and early modern period Estonia. Furthermore, the carbon and nitrogen stable isotope data was used to study food consumption patterns of dogs in the same timeframe.

This dataset was created in the frame of the following projects:
(1) PRG29, 2018–2022, 'Foreign vs. local in Medieval and Modern Age foodways in the eastern Baltic: tracing the changing food consumption through provenance analyses', supported by the Estonian Research Council;
(2) PSG492 'Pots and bones, lipids and proteins: biomolecular archaeology for ancient dietary studies', supported by the Estonian Research Council;
(3) MLTKT23060R (101079396) 'Nurturing Heritage Science with Novel Bioarchaeological Methods in the Eastern Baltics', supported by the European Commission.



*** Description of the data in this dataset ***

The dataset consists of 2 files:
'README.txt' - this file.
'Dog_samples_data_tables_1-3' - a table file that contains three tabs:
'Table_1_Withers_height.xlsx' - table that contains dogs' withers height data from medieval and early modern Estonia;
'Table_2_Skull' - table that contains dogs' skull measurements and indices from medieval and early modern Estonia;
'Table_3_Stable_isotopes' - table that contains carbon ?(13C) and nitrogen ?(15N) stable isotope values for dog specimens from Iron Age, medieval, and early modern Estonia.



***xlsx tables - data description***

*** Table_1_Withers_height.xlsx ***

Individual = A number given for each individual in this dataset.
Collection ID = Collection ID number.
Specimen ID = AZ collection number given to the zooarchaeological specimen.
Collection = The collection where the specimen is stored.
Box no = The number of the box where the specimen is stored in the collections.
Archaeological site = Archaeological site and the year of excavations.
Site type = Type of the archaeological site.
Region = Part of Estonia where the archaeological site is located.
Dating by context = Dating of the specimen by archaeological context.
Period = Dating of the specimen by archaeological context: Middle Ages (MA, 1220-1558), Middle Ages I (MA I, 1220-1400), Middle Ages II (MA II, 1400-1558), Early Modern Period (EMP, 1558-1800), Early Modern Period I (EMP I, 1558-1710).
Skeletal element = Name of the skeletal element in Latin.
Side = Body side of the skeletal element: right (dext), left (sin).
GL (mm) = The greatest length of the measured long bone. Measurements taken after standards by von den Driesch (1976).
Withers height (cm) = Withers height of the individual.Calculated after Harcourt (1974, 154).
Average withers height (cm) = Average withers height of the individual. For partial skeletons with more than one measured long bone, the result of withers height was averaged. The single specimens were regarded as separate individuals, as they originate from different contexts/sites or could not be assigned to certain individuals just based on their morphology.
Reference = Publication where the data and data analysis is published.


*** Table_2_Skull ***

Collection ID = Collection ID number.
Specimen ID = AZ collection number given to the zooarchaeological specimen.
Collection = The collection where the specimen is stored.
Box no = The number of the box where the specimen is stored in the collections.
Archaeological site = Archaeological site and the year of excavations.
Site type = Type of the archaeological site.
Region = Part of Estonia where the archaeological site is located.
Dating by context = Dating of the specimen by archaeological context.
Period = Dating of the specimen by archaeological context: Middle Ages (MA, 1220-1558), Middle Ages I (MA I, 1220-1400), Early Modern Period I (EMP I, 1558-1710).
D1 = Total length: Akrokranion - Prosthion. Measurements taken after standards by von den Driesch (1976, 42–45).
D7 = Upper neurocranium length: Akrokranion - Frontal midpoint. Measurements taken after standards by von den Driesch (1976, 42–45).
D8 = Viscerocranium length: Nasion - Prosthion. Measurements taken after standards by von den Driesch (1976, 42–45).
D12 = “Snout” length: oral border of the orbits (median) - Prosthion. Measurements taken after standards by von den Driesch (1976, 42–45).
D27 = Greatest breadth of the foramen magnum. Measurements taken after standards by von den Driesch (1976, 42–45).
D28 = Height of the foramen magnum: Basion - Opisthion. Measurements taken after standards by von den Driesch (1976, 42–45).
D29 = Greatest neurocranium breadth = greatest breadth of the braincase: Euryon - Euryon. Measurements taken after standards by von den Driesch (1976, 42–45).
D30 = Zygomatic breadth: Zygion - Zygion. Measurements taken after standards by von den Driesch (1976, 42–45).
D36 = Breadth of the canine alveoli. Measurements taken after standards by von den Driesch (1976, 42–45).
Cephalic index (Skull index) = D30*100/D1. Calculated after Harcourt (1974, 153).
Muzzle (Snout) index = D8*100/D1. Calculated after Harcourt (1974, 154).
Muzzle width index = D36*100/D8. Calculated after Harcourt (1974, 154).
Cranial index = D29*100/D7. Calculated after Alpak et al. (2004, 325).
Foramen magnum index = D28*100/D27. Calculated after Onar et al. (2013, 138).
Reference = Publication where the data and data analysis is published.


*** Table_3_Stable_isotopes ***

Lab ID = ID given for each sample during the lab work.
Sample ID = ID given for each sample during sampling. The ID contains: collection ID, excavation year (for some of the samples), specimen ID.
Collection = The collection where the specimen is stored.
Archaeological site = Archaeological site and the year of excavations.
Region = Part of Estonia where the archaeological site is located.
Dating by context = Dating of the specimen by archaeological context.
Period = Dating of the specimen by archaeological context: Iron Age (IA), Middle Ages (MA, 1220-1558), Middle Ages I (MA I, 1220-1400), Middle Ages II (MA II, 1400-1558), Early Modern Period (EMP, 1558-1800), Early Modern Period I (EMP I, 1558-1710).
Skeletal element = Name of the skeletal element in Latin.
?(¹³C) (‰) = An isotopic signature, a measure of the ratio of the two stable isotopes of carbon – 13C and 12C – that are reported in parts per thousand (per mil, ‰).
?(¹?N) (‰) = An isotopic signature, a measure of the ratio of the two stable isotopes of nitrogen – 15N and 14N – that are reported in parts per thousand (per mil, ‰).
Reference = Publication where the data and data analysis is published.
Struck out sample failed to meet the quality criteria.