![]() If the bones are more robust they may undergo only partial digestion due to the action of the gastric juices. This is due to the action of the hydrochloric acid in the stomach and is influenced by the degree of bone cominution occurring prior to ingestion. The physical features of partially digested bonesīones ingested by carnivores during feeding, especially if small or fragile, may be completely destroyed during digestion (8). This paper aims to present data concerning the presence of partially digested bones in archaeological sites from Israel and to discuss the possible role of non-domesticated carnivores in the formation of such bones. (7) BRAIN, 1981 HARRINGTON and PAQUETTE, 1982 PAYNE and MUNSON, 1985 NORTON et al, 1986 ANDREWS, 1990. This phenomenon raises the question of how reliable partially digested bones are as indicators of dog activity in archaeological contexts. However, most carnivores are known to ingest whole bones and bone splinters during feeding (7). More recently the presence of partially digested bones in archaeological deposits has served as an additional line of evidence to support claims for the presence of early domesticated dogs such as in the Natufian of the Levant (5) and in the Neolithic of Sudan (6). ![]() These include the analysis of the cultural context of the suspected dog remains, such as their presence in human burials (3) and examination and comparison of the pattern of bone damage at sites with, as compared to those without, dogs (4). Although the most frequently used methods for the identification of domesticated dogs are the analysis of skeletal morphology and metrical parameters (2), alternative methods have also been used. The advent of the domestication of the dog has served as the focus of numerous zoological and archaeozoological studies (1).
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