An Encyclopaedia of Indian Archaeology v1.c6.s2.t2.5

v1.c6.s2.t2.5

Bones of the goat and sheep are generally indistinguishable, but there is a significant difference in their cranial characteristics. In the goat the coronal suture is straight and the lambdoidal suture projects forward at an angle, while in the sheep these traits are reversed. Wherever goats have been unmistakably identified from excavations, their ratio to the sheep has generally been of the order of 1:2. Second to the cattle, the sheep and goat together comprise the largest group of animals bred and slaughtered at prehistoric sites. Interestingly, at a number of sites bones of the goat predominate over those of the sheep in the earlier levels, but later on the latter become more numerous. This may be attributed to the actual chronological sequence of domestication or to ecological conditions. In temperate climates the sheep were bred in larger numbers because of greater wool yield and tastier meat. Wherever cattle-breeding is successful, the goat is not reared as a milch animal (Zeuner, 1963).