We are pretty proud of this one: in our paper published in Journal of Anthropological Archaeology, #palaeopathology shows that draught reindeer were used in NE Fennoscandia in the 14th century at the latest 1/4 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0278416521000362#f0040

We analyzed reindeer bones from three AD 1300-1800 Sámi dwelling sites in Finland for #paleopathology and changes in muscle attachment sites. We noticed that the same skeletal elements were affected in the archaeological assemblages and modern working reindeer 2/4

The Sámi of NE Fennoscandia combined small-scale #reindeer herding with hunting and fishing in 1300–1800 AD. We think that such a mix of herding and hunting may have been practiced by the earliest Sámi reindeer herders from 9th century onwards 3/4

Working with reindeer is based on #interspecies learning and communication. We think that draught reindeer training and use were important components of reindeer #domestication, helping to construct and shape the bonds between people and reindeer 4/4