Microwear in Modern Rooting and Stall-fed Pigs: the Potential of Dental Microwear Analysis for Exploring Pig Diet and Management in the Past

Jayne Ward and Ingrid L. Mainland

Environmental Archaeology, 1999, vol. 4, issue 1, 25-32

Abstract: In recent years dental microwear analysis has attracted considerable interest as a potential method for reconstructing ancient diet. The potential of dental microwear for reconstructing pig diet and management within an archaeological context is explored through the analysis of microwear patterning in modern stall-fed and free-range/rooting pigs. Stall-fed pigs are readily distinguished from rooting/free-range pigs by the greater density of microwear features evident in the latter on both buccal and occlusal surfaces. This distinction can be attributed to the more abrasive diet of the free-ranging pigs, as a consequence of soil ingestion during rooting.

Date: 1999
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DOI: 10.1179/env.1999.4.1.25

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