Konstantina Saliari

Animal domestication involves genetic, behavioural and ecological changes, all of which also impact the host-associated microbial communities. Early studies reported diversity loss in the gut microbiomes of domestic and captive animals, but comparisons across a wider diversity of host species showed that loss of microbiota does not always occur. For microbial communities other than the gut, comparisons of multiple domestic-wild pairs are lacking. Here, we use dental calculus metagenomics to investigate the impact of a domesticated lifestyle on the oral microbiome of three pairs of wild and domestic mammals from the genera Equus (plains zebra, horse) , Ovis (argali, sheep) and Sus (wild boar, pig). We find that the oral microbiome of the three domesticates differs both in terms of taxonomic composition and functional capacity from their wild counterparts, but the change is smaller in Sus than the other two pairs. While the microbiomes of sheep and horses bear increased resemblance to those of humans compared to their wild relatives, this is unlikely to be due to colonisation by human-derived microbes, as our results suggest that ancestral lineages are mostly retained. Overall, the oral microbiome shows both a consistent signal of domestication, found across all three clades, and a host genus-dependent effect, which likely results from specific changes that underpinned each domestication event.

Archaeological excavations conducted by the research center HiMAT of the University of Innsbruck in an original mine at the castle hill of Kropfsberg led to the discovery of a ritual site that was used during the Roman period and Late Antiquity. Based on the archaeological finds, the context of discovery within the enclosed, dark, and lockable mine, and comparative studies with other sites north and south of the Alps, it seems that the ritual activities can be related to a Mithraic cult. The ritual use of the site and a possible connection to Mithraism are also reflected by the faunal remains that were retrieved from the cultic deposits. The archaeozoological results indicate a dominance of pigs and chickens followed by sheep/goats and cattle. Remarkable faunistic features include the prevalence of non-adult individuals for pigs and sheep/goats as well as the dominance of male chickens. Furthermore, 20% of the identified faunal material has been exposed to fire and micromorphological studies indicate complex ritual practices. Finally, based on the analyses of teeth coming from pigs, it seems that the ritual activities in Kropfsberg took place around the summer season.

Archaeological excavations conducted by the research center HiMAT of the University of Innsbruck in an original mine at the castle hill of Kropfsberg led to the discovery of a ritual site that was used during the Roman period and Late Antiquity. Based on the archaeological finds, the context of discovery within the enclosed, dark, and lockable mine, and comparative studies with other sites north and south of the Alps, it seems that the ritual activities can be related to a Mithraic cult. The ritual use of the site and a possible connection to Mithraism are also reflected by the faunal remains that were retrieved from the cultic deposits. The archaeozoological results indicate a dominance of pigs and chickens followed by sheep/goats and cattle. Remarkable faunistic features include the prevalence of non-adult individuals for pigs and sheep/goats as well as the dominance of male chickens. Furthermore, 20% of the identified faunal material has been exposed to fire and micromorphological studies indicate complex ritual practices. Finally, based on the analyses of teeth coming from pigs, it seems that the ritual activities in Kropfsberg took place around the summer season.

The domestic cat ( Felis catus ) descends from the African wildcat Felis lybica lybica . Its global distribution alongside humans testifies to its successful adaptation to anthropogenic environments. Uncertainty remains regarding whether domestic cats originated in the Levant, Egypt, or elsewhere in the natural range of African wildcats. The timing and circumstances of their dispersal into Europe are also unknown. In this study, the analysis of 87 ancient and modern cat genomes suggests that domestic cats did not spread to Europe with Neolithic farmers. Conversely, they were introduced to Europe around 2000 years ago, probably from North Africa. In addition, a separate earlier introduction (first millennium before the common era) of wildcats from Northwest Africa may have been responsible for the present-day wild population in Sardinia.

This study presents new archaeozoological research on the animal remains from the trenches of two square enclosures, Objects 40 and 41 (“Small Sanctuaries”), located in cult district 2 at Roseldorf-Sandberg. The faunal assemblages from the two enclosures differ significantly from the animal remains excavated in the settlement, especially concerning species composition, age structure, skeletal element representation, and butchery patterns indicating a different selection and use of animals. Furthermore, faunistic differences observed between the two investigated square enclosures (“Small Sanctuaries”) might be related to the different character of ritual activities performed at each area: cattle and horses are prevalent in Object 40, whereas remains of young pigs dominate in Object 41. Finally, the deposition of four skeletons of non-adult pigs in Object 41 offers important information concerning the season in which the ritual practices might have occurred; based on the age profiles, ritual activities in Object 41 probably took place during late autumn or early winter.

Dental calculus metagenomics has emerged as a valuable tool for studying the oral microbiomes of humans and a few select mammals. With increasing interest in wild animal microbiomes, it is important to understand how widely this material can be used across the mammalian tree of life, refine the related protocols and understand the expected outcomes and potential challenges of dental calculus sample processing. In this study, we significantly expand the breadth of studied host species, analysing laboratory and bioinformatics metadata of dental calculus samples from 32 ecologically and phylogenetically diverse mammals. Although we confirm the presence of an oral microbiome signature in the metagenomes of all studied mammals, the fraction recognised as oral varies between host species, possibly because of both biological differences and methodological biases. The overall success rate of dental calculus processing, from extractions to sequencing, was ~74%. Although input sample weight was positively associated with the number of produced library molecules, we identify a negative impact of enzymatic inhibition on the library preparation protocol. The inhibition was most prevalent in herbivores and frugivores and is likely diet‐derived. In contrast, hosts with an animalivore diet posed fewer challenges during laboratory processing and yielded more DNA relative to sample weight. Our results translate into recommendations for future studies of dental calculus metagenomics from a variety of host species, identifying required sample amounts, and emphasising the utility of dental calculus in exploring the oral microbiome in relation to broader ecological and evolutionary questions.

Dental calculus metagenomics has emerged as a valuable tool for studying the oral microbiomes of humans and a few select mammals. With increasing interest in wild animal microbiomes, it is important to understand how widely this material can be used across the mammalian tree of life, refine the related protocols and understand the expected outcomes and potential challenges of dental calculus sample processing. In this study we significantly expand the breadth of studied host species, analysing laboratory and bioinformatics metadata of dental calculus samples from 32 ecologically and phylogenetically diverse mammals. While we confirm the presence of an oral microbiome signature in the metagenomes of all studied mammals, the fraction recognised as oral varies between host species, possibly due to both biological differences and methodological biases. The overall success rate of dental calculus processing, from extractions to sequencing, was ~74%. Although input sample weight was positively associated with the number of produced library molecules, we identify a negative impact of enzymatic inhibition on the library preparation protocol. The inhibition was most prevalent in herbivores and frugivores and is likely diet-derived. In contrast, hosts with an animalivore diet posed fewer challenges during laboratory processing, and yielded more DNA relative to sample weight. Our results translate into recommendations for future studies of dental calculus metagenomics from a variety of host species, identifying required sample amounts, and emphasising the utility of dental calculus in exploring the oral microbiome in relation to broader ecological and evolutionary questions.

Archaeological features without macro-finds (i.e. finds visible with the naked eye) represent a common phenomenon that poses considerable methodological problems in interpretation. To tackle these problems, we present an approach based on integrating micro-archaeological methods and macro-observations to help elucidate ‘invisible’ activities or at least to exclude certain others. Specifically, we combine micromorphological and micro-debris analyses with the scarce macro-finds and their fragmentation degree to clarify whether the lack of evidence for certain activities really reflects their absence or merely bad preservation conditions. This study focuses on a Late Iron Age ‘empty’ enclosure excavated in the settlement site of Haselbach, Lower Austria. ‘Empty’ square enclosures of the La Tène Culture have been controversially interpreted as either sanctuaries, domestic buildings or burial enclosures, although these interpretations were rarely supported by any material evidence. Using a multi-proxy approach enables us to reconstruct the formation processes of the Haselbach feature as well as to rule out a range of activities, although a clear definition of its primary function was not reached. Based on our case study, we propose a research protocol that can be applied to research on similar ‘empty’ features in order to better validate their functional interpretations.

The first part of our research focuses on the analysis of animal remains (>6000 identified specimens, NISP) from the Middle La Tène central settlement Haselbach in Lower Austria, one of the largest investigated archaeozoological assemblages of present-day Austria. Based on the age and sex profiles, the faunal assemblage from Haselbach shows characteristics of urbanization and centralization and bears striking similarities to the archaeozoological material of the central settlement of Roseldorf (Lower Austria), some 35 km northwest of Haselbach. The second part of our research discusses the historical and regional context of the archaeozoological results from Haselbach and compares them with other sites, based on a detailed review of published archaeozoological data from the La Tène period (c. 450 BC to the end of the first century BC). In total, 55 faunal assemblages from 46 sites in nine countries in Central Europe, representing different types of sites (lowland settlements, hilltop settlements, central settlements, oppida, assemblages of ritual activity, and mining sites) were examined. The synthesis of the archaeozoological data exhibits different husbandry strategies and suggests major changes, especially during the Middle La Tène period indicating agricultural intensification. The differences in the biological profiles of the major domesticated species are of crucial importance to better understand aspects of socio-economic organization; especially in the case of cattle, age and sex profiles are used to distinguish different patterns of cattle husbandry. Finally, morphometric and recent genetic analyses on cattle bones and teeth from La Tène sites in Central Europe provide new insights into the complex socio-economic behavior as well as long-distance networks, involving animal supply and mobility in an exciting period of change involving centralization and increasing influence from the South during the pre-Roman late Iron Age.