Dataset#2 Archaeozoological evidence of working exploitation of cattle in the Bronze Age of the Southern Trans-Urals

The dataset#2 (supplementary data) contains tables, results of X-ray, images of cattle pathologies from seven Bronze Age settlements in the Southern Trans-Urals . The article presents the results of the analysis of several types of bone pathologies of the postcranial skeleton of cows, bulls and oxen in order to identify the possible fact of working cattle exploitation. The material comes from several settlements of the steppe and forest-steppe zones of the Southern Trans-Urals of the Sintashta and Alakul cultures of the Bronze Age. The work is based on the results of studying the pathologies of modern non-working cattle in the Southern Trans-Urals. The analysis of the selected pathologies and their comparison with modern material showed that most pathologies reflect age-related changes and other factors that are not associated with the physical exploitation of bulls and oxen. Single pathologies from the Kamennyi Ambar settlement and the age of the animals from which they originate make it possible to reconstruct the working use of bulls even in the context of the complete absence of other evidence of this kind of animal exploitation. However, we cannot completely exclude the possibility that these changes may be caused not only by increased stress on the joint in the form of working exploitation. Severe pathologies on the bones of cows are not the result of working use.

数据集#2（补充数据）收录了表格、X线（X-ray）检测结果，以及南乌拉尔南部（Southern Trans-Urals）7处青铜时代（Bronze Age）聚落出土的牛类病变相关影像资料。本文针对母牛、公牛与阉牛的颅后骨骼（postcranial skeleton）多种骨病变开展分析，旨在辨识牛类被役用的可能性证据。本次研究的材料取自青铜时代辛塔什塔文化（Sintashta culture）与阿拉库勒文化（Alakul culture）分布区内，南乌拉尔南部草原及森林草原带的多处聚落遗址。本研究以南乌拉尔南部现代非役用牛的病变研究结果作为参照依据。通过对筛选出的病变样本进行分析，并与现代参照组比对后发现，绝大多数病变仅体现为年龄相关退变及其他与公牛、阉牛体力役用无关的影响因素。仅来自石仓（Kamennyi Ambar）聚落的个别病变样本及其所属动物的年龄信息，即便在完全缺乏其他同类动物役用佐证的前提下，仍可用于复原公牛的役用场景。但本研究无法完全排除这类病变并非仅由役用带来的关节应力负荷升高所引发的可能性。母牛骨骼上出现的严重病变，并非役用行为所导致的结果。