First distinction of sheep and goat archaeological bones by the means of their fossil mtDNA

Fossil mtDNA of 10 ovicaprine bones from Neolithic, Bronze Age and Roman archaeological layers have been extracted in order to test their osteological determination as sheep or goat or to determine them when osteological criteria were absent. Only one sample could not be amplified. The five more reliable osteological determinations (humerus, radius, metacarpus) have been confirmed by fossil mtDNA. A sixth less reliable sheep bone (ulna) has been determined as goat. Three other undetermined bones (young metacarpus and vertebrae) have been determined as goat. Although anecdotal, these results illustrate the possibilities yielded by new molecular methods for special specific determinations with more important scientific implications. (C) 1997 Academic Press Limited