Objectives

Enthesophytes on sheep elbow joints are commonly reported in archaeological material. Although these lesions are often described as ‘penning elbow’, little is known of their aetiology. In this study, a new method for recording these lesions is presented, and the effect of age, sex and body size is explored to understand their potential for informing upon past human-animal interactions.

Materials

1133 distal humerii and proximal radii from 16 archaeological sites.

Methods

The presence and severity of enthesophytes were recorded and findings compared with modern data from a group of 17 complete Soay sheep skeletons.

Results

Significant, positive correlations between age and body size and the presence of enthesophytes were demonstrated. Environmental factors and trauma may also play a role in their formation.

Conclusion

The aetiology of enthesophytes on sheep elbows is complex and varied, affected by age, body size and environment.

Significance

This is the first study of enthesophytes on sheep elbows to combine archaeological data with modern animals of known age and sex. Blanket explanations of husbandry methods for the cause of these lesions are dispelled, and use of the term ‘penning elbow’ is redundant.

Limitations

The sample of modern specimens is relatively small and would benefit from the inclusion of older individuals and those raised in different environments.

Future research

The method developed here can be adopted in future studies.

Interpretations should take age, size and environmental factors into consideration, and only when these variables are established can the role of husbandry be evaluated.

中文翻译：

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羊肘部病变：来自大规模研究的见解

目标

绵羊肘关节上的附生植物在考古材料中很常见。尽管这些病变通常被描述为“笔肘”，但对其病因知之甚少。在这项研究中，提出了一种记录这些病变的新方法，并探索了年龄、性别和体型的影响，以了解它们对过去人与动物相互作用的影响。

材料

来自 16 个考古遗址的 1133 个远端肱骨和近端桡骨。

方法

记录了附生菌的存在和严重程度，并将结果与​​来自一组 17 只完整 Soay 绵羊骨骼的现代数据进行了比较。

结果

证明了年龄和体型与内生植物之间存在显着的正相关。环境因素和创伤也可能在其形成中发挥作用。

结论

羊肘部附着癣菌的病因复杂多样，受年龄、体型和环境的影响。

意义

这是首次将考古数据与已知年龄和性别的现代动物相结合，对羊肘上的附着物进行研究。对这些病变原因的饲养方法的一揽子解释被消除，并且使用术语“圈养肘”是多余的。

限制

现代标本的样本相对较小，将受益于纳入老年个体和在不同环境中长大的个体。

未来研究

这里开发的方法可以在未来的研究中采用。

解释应考虑年龄、体型和环境因素，只有在这些变量确定后，才能评估畜牧业的作用。