Applying habitat suitability modelling to establish the species identity of ambiguous animal depictions in archaeology: new insights into the wild bovids of ancient Egypt
Bro-Jørgensen, Jakob ; Ikram, Salima ; Spedding, Juliet V. ; Thomas, Chris D. ; Snape, Steven ; Nilsson, Maria LU
and Lazagabaster, Ignacio A.
(2025)
In Journal of Archaeological Science
179.
- Abstract
- For researchers studying wildlife distributions of the past, the assignment of faunal depictions and remains to species can often present considerable challenges. Regrettably, many studies do not systematically consider all options and sources of evidence and, as a result, questionable identifications are widespread in the literature, which compromises the trustworthiness of meta-analyses of human-animal interactions in an environmental context. Here we present a cross-disciplinary 3-step approach to species identification of ancient animal depictions and remains featuring habitat suitability modelling from the discipline of spatial ecology. By applying the protocol in a case study of selected images of wild bovids from Predynastic and... (More)
- For researchers studying wildlife distributions of the past, the assignment of faunal depictions and remains to species can often present considerable challenges. Regrettably, many studies do not systematically consider all options and sources of evidence and, as a result, questionable identifications are widespread in the literature, which compromises the trustworthiness of meta-analyses of human-animal interactions in an environmental context. Here we present a cross-disciplinary 3-step approach to species identification of ancient animal depictions and remains featuring habitat suitability modelling from the discipline of spatial ecology. By applying the protocol in a case study of selected images of wild bovids from Predynastic and Dynastic Egypt, we provide evidence that the zoogeographic origin of the faunal elements now locally extinct were in the Mediterranean and Sudanian bioregions without the need to invoke also the more distant Somalian and Zambezian bioregions as previously suggested. Such more moderate range shifts may primarily have promoted cultural exchange between Egypt and neighbouring communities in the Levant and Nubia, which is consistent with the archaeological evidence. The study highlights the potential of habitat suitability modelling to contribute to the identification of ambiguous species representations and faunal remains from the past, which in turn can allow testing of hypotheses on a wide range of central archaeological questions pertaining to introduction of animals and indigenous domestication, cultural exchange and trade, as well as human migration and dispersal. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/099c2227-75bb-4761-bba1-3b4b859100f0
- author
- Bro-Jørgensen, Jakob
; Ikram, Salima
; Spedding, Juliet V.
; Thomas, Chris D.
; Snape, Steven
; Nilsson, Maria
LU
and Lazagabaster, Ignacio A.
- organization
- publishing date
- 2025
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Species identity, Animals, Egypt, Ancient animals, Rock art, Gebel el-Silsila, Fieldwork, Archaeology, petroglyphs, modelling, bovids
- in
- Journal of Archaeological Science
- volume
- 179
- article number
- 106239
- publisher
- Academic Press
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:105004906966
- ISSN
- 1095-9238
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.jas.2025.106239
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 099c2227-75bb-4761-bba1-3b4b859100f0
- date added to LUP
- 2025-04-21 06:56:24
- date last changed
- 2025-07-18 10:33:26
@article{099c2227-75bb-4761-bba1-3b4b859100f0,
abstract = {{For researchers studying wildlife distributions of the past, the assignment of faunal depictions and remains to species can often present considerable challenges. Regrettably, many studies do not systematically consider all options and sources of evidence and, as a result, questionable identifications are widespread in the literature, which compromises the trustworthiness of meta-analyses of human-animal interactions in an environmental context. Here we present a cross-disciplinary 3-step approach to species identification of ancient animal depictions and remains featuring habitat suitability modelling from the discipline of spatial ecology. By applying the protocol in a case study of selected images of wild bovids from Predynastic and Dynastic Egypt, we provide evidence that the zoogeographic origin of the faunal elements now locally extinct were in the Mediterranean and Sudanian bioregions without the need to invoke also the more distant Somalian and Zambezian bioregions as previously suggested. Such more moderate range shifts may primarily have promoted cultural exchange between Egypt and neighbouring communities in the Levant and Nubia, which is consistent with the archaeological evidence. The study highlights the potential of habitat suitability modelling to contribute to the identification of ambiguous species representations and faunal remains from the past, which in turn can allow testing of hypotheses on a wide range of central archaeological questions pertaining to introduction of animals and indigenous domestication, cultural exchange and trade, as well as human migration and dispersal.}},
author = {{Bro-Jørgensen, Jakob and Ikram, Salima and Spedding, Juliet V. and Thomas, Chris D. and Snape, Steven and Nilsson, Maria and Lazagabaster, Ignacio A.}},
issn = {{1095-9238}},
keywords = {{Species identity; Animals; Egypt; Ancient animals; Rock art; Gebel el-Silsila; Fieldwork; Archaeology; petroglyphs; modelling; bovids}},
language = {{eng}},
publisher = {{Academic Press}},
series = {{Journal of Archaeological Science}},
title = {{Applying habitat suitability modelling to establish the species identity of ambiguous animal depictions in archaeology: new insights into the wild bovids of ancient Egypt}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2025.106239}},
doi = {{10.1016/j.jas.2025.106239}},
volume = {{179}},
year = {{2025}},
}