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Sheep

The Sigurgeir Sheep Bone Collection (Sigurgeirssafn) 

 

The Icelandic Zooarchaeology Laboratory collection holds a large number of partial and complete skeletons of Icelandic sheep (Ovis aries). A large number of partial sheep skeletons of known age and sex are held in a special collection, Sigurgeirssafn. This collection comes from a PhD project “Growth and development of Scottish Blackface and Icelandic Sheep” by Sigurgeir Þorgeirsson (1981).

 

Large collections of skeletons with detailed information about sex and age at death are not common and the material in Sigurgeirssafn will be very valuable for future research. Bones from 90 individuals, rams and ewes, slaughtered at birth to 74 weeks of age (Þorgeirsson, 1981, p. 9), are now ready for use and processing of more skeletons is underway.

The provided spreadsheet is a simplified version. Download here for the full version. If you want any further information or wish to reference the reference collection please contact Albína Hulda Pálsdóttir.

Reference: Þorgeirsson, S. (1981). Growth and development of Scottish blackface and Icelandic sheep (Unpublished PhD thesis). University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh.

Number on bones
Age in days
Sex
Year
Scapula
Radius ulna
Humerus
Pelvis
Femur
Tibia
Ribs
Atlas
Axis
Vertebra
Vertebral column
Sacrum and caudal vertebrae
Sternum
Metacarpal
Metatarsal
Skull
Mandible
Location
14097
340d
male
1977
null
null
null
null
null
null
null
null
null
null
x
null
null
null
null
null
x
referance collection
14037
340d
male
1977
null
null
null
null
x
null
null
null
null
null
null
null
null
null
null
x
x
referance collection
10988
168d
male
1978
x
null
x
x
x
x
null
null
null
null
X
x
null
null
null
x
x
referance collection
15307
340d
male
1977
null
null
null
null
null
null
null
null
null
null
null
null
null
null
null
null
x
referance collection
4156
adult
unknown
unknown
x
x
x
x
x
x
1
null
null
null
null
x
x
null
null
null
null
referance collection
10459
42d
male
1979
x
x
x
2
x
x
10
null
null
null
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
referance collection
14117
340d
female
1977
x
x
x
2
x
x
null
null
null
null
null
x
x
null
null
x
x
referance collection
14045
340d
unknown
null
null
null
null
null
null
null
null
null
null
null
null
null
null
null
x
null
null
referance collection
10549
112d
female
1979
null
null
null
x
x
null
null
null
null
null
x
null
null
null
null
x
x
referance collection
11008
birth
female
1978
x
x
x
2
x
x
12
x
x
null
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
referance collection
10259
birth
male
1979
x
x
x
2
x
x
13
null
null
null
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
referance collection
10039
42d
male
1979
x
x
x
2
x
x
13
null
null
null
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
referance collection
4155
adult
unknown
unknown
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
2
null
null
null
null
null
null
null
referance collection
10908
42d
female
1978
x
x
x
2
x
x
12
null
null
null
x
x
x
null
null
x
x
referance collection
14817
340d
male
1977
null
null
null
null
null
null
11
null
null
null
null
x
null
x
x
null
null
referance collection
14087
340d
male
1977
x
x
x
x
x
null
null
null
null
null
null
x
null
null
null
null
null
referance collection
10209
42d
female
1979
x
x
x
2
x
x
11
null
null
null
x
x
x
null
null
x
x
referance collection
10849
birth
female
1979
x
x
x
2
x
x
12
null
null
null
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
referance collection
10818
168d
female
1978
null
null
null
null
null
null
null
null
null
null
X
null
null
null
null
null
null
referance collection
10408
168d
female
1978
null
null
null
null
null
null
null
null
null
null
X
null
null
null
null
null
null
referance collection
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