Recent debate concerning the suitability of mortality profile analysis for identifying secondary product utilisation within archaeozoological assemblages has prompted the search for alternative methodologies. This research explores the potential of using weaning age to provide insight into herding strategies in ovicaprines, determined through the prevalence of developmental enamel defects. A histological methodology was developed, adapted to the specific nature of sheep molars through an understanding of formation processes and enamel structures. This established a relationship between weaning and developmental defects in modern sheep, revealed as distinct patterns in defect distribution within the enamel. Based on historical/archaeological data a weaning age model was developed for the North Atlantic region by which herding strategies could be recognised, specifically: mixed milk/meat subsistence, with an emphasis on milk (0-2 months) or on meat (2-4 months), and the optimisation of meat and/or wool (4-6 months). This methodology was then tested on archaeological material to interpret husbandry at Iron Age and Norse/Viking period sites. The results of this analysis showed that interpretations were in general agreement with those of mortality profile and correspondence analysis conducted as a methodological comparative. Some disparity, however, highlighted the ability of this new technique to provide more sensitivity in cases of mixed subsistence systems, possibly identifying the economic focus of husbandry, or where mortality profiles are confused. It was concluded that the study of weaning age has potential to provide valuable insight into ovicaprine husbandry in archaeological contexts, adding to the understanding of faunal assemblages, especially when supported with other evidence.

Abstract: Recent debate concerning the suitability of mortality profile analysis for identifying secondary product utilisation within archaeozoological assemblages has prompted the search for alternative methodologies. This research explores the potential of using weaning age to provide insight into herding strategies in ovicaprines, determined through the prevalence of developmental enamel defects. A histological methodology was developed, adapted to the specific nature of sheep molars through an understanding of formation processes and enamel structures. This established a relationship between weaning and developmental defects in modern sheep, revealed as distinct patterns in defect distribution within the enamel. Based on historical/archaeological data a weaning age model was developed for the North Atlantic region by which herding strategies could be recognised, specifically: mixed milk/meat subsistence, with an emphasis on milk (0-2 months) or on meat (2-4 months), and the optimisation of meat and/or wool (4-6 months). This methodology was then tested on archaeological material to interpret husbandry at Iron Age and Norse/Viking period sites. The results of this analysis showed that interpretations were in general agreement with those of mortality profile and correspondence analysis conducted as a methodological comparative. Some disparity, however, highlighted the ability of this new technique to provide more sensitivity in cases of mixed subsistence systems, possibly identifying the economic focus of husbandry, or where mortality profiles are confused. It was concluded that the study of weaning age has potential to provide valuable insight into ovicaprine husbandry in archaeological contexts, adding to the understanding of faunal assemblages, especially when supported with other evidence. / Recent debate concerning the suitability of mortality profile analysis for identifying secondary product utilisation within archaeozoological assemblages has prompted the search for alternative methodologies. This research explores the potential of using weaning age to provide insight into herding strategies in ovicaprines, determined through the prevalence of developmental enamel defects. A histological methodology was developed, adapted to the specific nature of sheep molars through an understanding of formation processes and enamel structures. This established a relationship between weaning and developmental defects in modern sheep, revealed as distinct patterns in defect distribution within the enamel. Based on historical/archaeological data a weaning age model was developed for the North Atlantic region by which herding strategies could be recognised, specifically: mixed milk/meat subsistence, with an emphasis on milk (0-2 months) or on meat (2-4 months), and the optimisation of meat and/or wool (4-6 months). This methodology was then tested on archaeological material to interpret husbandry at Iron Age and Norse/Viking period sites. The results of this analysis showed that interpretations were in general agreement with those of mortality profile and correspondence analysis conducted as a methodological comparative. Some disparity, however, highlighted the ability of this new technique to provide more sensitivity in cases of mixed subsistence systems, possibly identifying the economic focus of husbandry, or where mortality profiles are confused. It was concluded that the study of weaning age has potential to provide valuable insight into ovicaprine husbandry in archaeological contexts, adding to the understanding of faunal assemblages, especially when supported with other evidence.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T14:23:30Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 AntoninoMS_DISSERT.pdf: 2409934 bytes, checksum: 8deb32c4b1c79a7f200d0575c1f33625 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-06-07 / Coordena??o de Aperfei?oamento de Pessoal de N?vel Superior / The study aims to answer the following question: what are the different profiles of infant mortality, according to demographic, socioeconomic, infrastructure and health care, for the micro-regions at the Northeast of Brazil? Thus, the main objective is to analyze the profiles or typologies associated mortality levels sociodemographic conditions of the micro-regions, in the year 2010. To this end, the databases of birth and death certificates of SIM and SINASC (DATASUS/MS), were taken from the 2010 population Census microdata and from SIDRA/IBGE. As a methodology, a weighted multiple linear regression model was used in the analysis in order to find the most significant variables in the explanation child mortality for the year 2010. Also a cluster analysis was performed, seeking evidence, initially, of homogeneous groups of micro-regions, from of the significant variables. The logit of the infant mortality rate was used as dependent variable, while variables such as demographic, socioeconomic, infrastructure and health care in the micro-regions were taken as the independent variables of the model. The Bayesian estimation technique was applied to the database of births and deaths, due to the inconvenient fact of underreporting and random fluctuations of small quantities in small areas. The techniques of Spatial Statistics were used to determine the spatial behavior of the distribution of rates from thematic maps. In conclusion, we used the method GoM (Grade of Membership), to find typologies of mortality, associated with the selected variables by micro-regions, in order to respond the main question of the study. The results points out to the formation of three profiles: Profile 1, high infant mortality and unfavorable social conditions; Profile 2, low infant mortality, with a median social conditions of life; and Profile 3, median and high infant mortality social conditions. With this classification, it was found that, out of 188 micro-regions, 20 (10%) fits the extreme profile 1, 59 (31.4%) was characterized in the extreme profile 2, 34 (18.1%) was characterized in the extreme profile 3 and only 9 (4.8%) was classified as amorphous profile. The other micro-regions framed up in the profiles mixed. Such profiles suggest the need for different interventions in terms of public policies aimed to reducing child mortality in the region / O estudo prop?e-se responder ? seguinte quest?o: quais os diferentes perfis da mortalidade infantil, segundo vari?veis demogr?ficas, socioecon?micas, de infraestrutura e de assist?ncia ? sa?de, das microrregi?es do Nordeste brasileiro? Assim, o objetivo principal ? analisar os perfis ou tipologias de mortalidade associados aos n?veis de condi??es sociodemogr?ficas das microrregi?es, no ano de 2010. Para tanto, fez-se uso das bases de dados do SIM e SINASC (DATASUS/MS), dos microdados do Censo populacional de 2010 e do SIDRA/IBGE. Utilizou-se como vari?vel resposta, a mortalidade infantil e, como independentes, vari?veis demogr?ficas, socioecon?micas, de infraestrutura e de assist?ncia ? sa?de das microrregi?es. Como metodologias de an?lise, foram empregadas: a regress?o linear m?ltipla ponderada, para encontrar as vari?veis mais significantes na explica??o da mortalidade infantil, para o ano de 2010 e a an?lise de clusters, buscando encontrar ind?cios, inicialmente, de grupos homog?neos de microrregi?es, a partir das vari?veis significantes. Utilizou-se como vari?vel resposta, o logito da taxa de mortalidade infantil e, como independentes, vari?veis demogr?ficas, socioecon?micas, de infraestrutura e de assist?ncia ? sa?de das microrregi?es. A t?cnica de estima??o Bayesiana Emp?rica foi aplicada ?s informa??es de ?bitos e nascimentos, devido ao fato inconveniente da subnotifica??o e das flutua??es aleat?rias de pequenos n?meros existentes nas pequenas ?reas. As t?cnicas de Estat?stica Espacial foram usadas para apurar espacialmente o comportamento da distribui??o das taxas a partir de mapas tem?ticos. Concluindo, empregou-se o m?todo GoM (Grade of Membership), para encontrar tipologias de mortalidade associadas ?s vari?veis, selecionadas por microrregi?o, buscando responder ? quest?o principal do estudo. Os resultados apontam para a forma??o de tr?s perfis: o perfil 1, de alta mortalidade infantil e condi??es sociais de vida desfavor?veis; o perfil 2, de baixa mortalidade infantil, com medianas condi??es sociais de vida; e o perfil 3, de mediana mortalidade infantil e altas condi??es sociais de vida. Com esta classifica??o, encontrou-se que, das 188 microrregi?es, 20 (10%) enquadraram-se ao perfil extremo 1, 59 (31,4%) caracterizaram-se no perfil extremo 2, 34 (18,1%) caracterizaram-se no perfil extremo 3 e apenas 9 (4,8%) classificaram-se como perfil amorfo. As demais microrregi?es enquadraram-se nos perfis mistos. Tais perfis sugerem a necessidade de diferentes interven??es em termos de pol?ticas p?blicas voltadas para a redu??o da mortalidade infantil na regi?o