Systematic Ancient DNA Species Identification Confirms Late Holocene Arrival of Domesticated Cattle in Southern Africa

Faunal material from 5 archaeological sites in South Africa which had been identified using archaeozoological methods as originating from domestic cattle was subject to genetic analysis. This study demonstrates the utility of aDNA methods to identify faunal material to species. Whether faunal remains are from domesticated or wild species can impact the interpretation of archaeological sites profoundly.