Spavin in modern and archaeological cattle: Reassessing its association with traction use

IF 1.3 3区地球科学 Q3 PALEONTOLOGY International Journal of Paleopathology Pub Date : 2025-02-10 DOI:10.1016/j.ijpp.2025.02.003

Phoebe Liu , Lenny Salvagno , Umberto Albarella

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Objective

To investigate the correlations of biological factors, including age, body size, and sex, with the occurrence of spavin, demonstrating that using spavin to indicate cattle use for draught work from archaeological sites is questionable.

Materials

Metatarsals from 126 modern non-draught cattle kept under similar conditions, along with published data of 18 draught oxen.

Results

This study demonstrates that spavin strongly correlates with age, body weight, and to some extent, restricted movement, with no observed correlation with sex in non-draught cattle. No significant difference in spavin prevalence was found between the draught and non-draught groups.

Conclusions

Age, body weight, and potentially restricted movement, may partly explain the higher frequency of spavin observed in historic times compared to prehistory, reflecting changes in livestock management. The potential influence of traction on spavin should not be ignored, but this paper argues that the connection between spavin and draught use is primarily mediated by age and other factors.

Significance

This study presents the first systematic analysis of one of the most frequently described palaeopathology in cattle, suggesting that spavin should not be uncritically used to identify draught cattle.

Limitation

We have not found a significant relationship between sex and spavin occurrence, but this is worth further exploration.

Suggestions for further research

Sexing pathological metatarsals from archaeological sites in future works could contribute to clarifying the causes of spavin.

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来源期刊

International Journal of Paleopathology PALEONTOLOGY-PATHOLOGY

CiteScore

2.90

自引率

25.00%

发文量

期刊介绍： Paleopathology is the study and application of methods and techniques for investigating diseases and related conditions from skeletal and soft tissue remains. The International Journal of Paleopathology (IJPP) will publish original and significant articles on human and animal (including hominids) disease, based upon the study of physical remains, including osseous, dental, and preserved soft tissues at a range of methodological levels, from direct observation to molecular, chemical, histological and radiographic analysis. Discussion of ways in which these methods can be applied to the reconstruction of health, disease and life histories in the past is central to the discipline, so the journal would also encourage papers covering interpretive and theoretical issues, and those that place the study of disease at the centre of a bioarchaeological or biocultural approach. Papers dealing with historical evidence relating to disease in the past (rather than history of medicine) will also be published. The journal will also accept significant studies that applied previously developed techniques to new materials, setting the research in the context of current debates on past human and animal health.