What: Colloquium talk at the USC department of anthropology
Where: Gambrell Hall, Room 412, USC
When: 3:00 PM

Our keynote speakers will be visiting the USC department of anthropology on February 17th to give a lecture on “Cattle Bones and Lineage in Charleston, SC.” Please come join us for this free lecture. Information on the talk below:

European colonists settling Carolina in the late 17^th century encountered a bountiful land. The colonists immediately planted herds of domestic cattle and they thrived in the pinewoods, canebrakes, and marshes of the lowcountry. The free-ranging cattle were tough, resourceful, and adapted to hot, humid environments where pasturage was scarce.

Three decades of archaeological excavation and zooarchaeological analysis of sites in the city demonstrates that the lowcountry diet was dominated by beef.  Information on the lineage of Carolina cattle is derived from measurements of complete bones and analysis of recovered horn cores.  These ongoing studies suggest the lineage of Carolina cattle was diverse, and Charleston cattle do not conform to a standard breed.  Archaeological and documentary evidence suggests this diversity derives in part from the mixing of animals from Spanish Florida with English stock through raids, trade, and the capture of feral cattle.