| Deliberate burial of dogs was common in the American Midwest and Southeast during the Archaic period (8000–3000 BP). Fewer burials and more butchered remains are found in Woodland (3000–1000 BP) and Mississippian (1000–500 BP) contexts. This shift has been attributed to a changing role of dogs with increased human sedentism and intensification of agriculture. Previous studies of the impact of this cultural shift on dog activity, treatment, and health are limited. Also limited are investigations of the criteria used to select dogs for particular mortuary treatments.;In this study, paleopathology and skeletal biology were used to examine 455 dogs from 44 Archaic, Woodland, Mississippian, and protohistoric sites in Alabama, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee. Most of the dogs examined represent intentional burials, although a few, mostly from Illinois, are from contexts suggesting consumption. Skeletal and dental fractures, vertebral marginal osteophytosis, antemortem tooth absence, periodontal abscess, sex, size, and age at death were evaluated for each dog. Variation among dogs from differing archaeological contexts, time periods, and geographic regions was quantified. The results suggest a cultural preference for male dogs, either in the living dog population, or for burial. Age distributions are similar among most groups, although there is evidence of a cultural preference against including young dogs in human burials, and for the consumption of young dogs. Significant size differences occur between sexes, and there is limited evidence of an increase in dog size after the Archaic period. Differences among groups in skeletal fractures are mainly limited to the vertebrae, and may be related to the use of dogs to carry packs or in hunting. Differential use by human groups of dogs as beasts of burden is supported by the distribution and frequency of vertebral marginal osteophytosis. Skeletal pathologies suggestive of mistreatment also occur. Pathologies exhibited by dogs buried in direct association with humans suggest these dogs engaged in different activities during life than did dogs that were not buried in direct association with humans. Patterns of variation in dental health among the dogs suggest local and temporal differences in diet and activity, both over time and across space. |
