A method for constructing demographic proﬁles of Ovis orientalis/O. aries using Logarithm Size Index scaling Melinda A. Zeder Department of Anthropology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, 4955 Old Swimming Pool Road, Frederick, MD, 21703, USA A R T I C L E INFO Keywords: Sheep Sex-speciﬁc demographic proﬁles Logarithm size index scaling Zagros Hunting Herding ABSTRACT This paper presents a new method for constructing demographic proﬁles of archaeological sheep skeletal as- semblages drawing on a method developed for Sus scrofa (Zeder and Lemoine, 2020a) and, most recently, for goats (Zeder, 2024a). This method normalizes metric data using the Logarithm Size Index (LSI) scaling tech- nique. LSI values of post-crania metric data of modern wild sheep from Iran and Iraq are shown to reﬂect strong sexual dimorphism in body size which is evident in animals over one year of age. After adjustments to account for the impacts of region and age on body size, along with differentials in the scaling of different elements, the mid- point of the range of LSI values is shown to be a reliable and accurate way of distinguishing between the elements of females and males that can then be used to construct sex-speciﬁc age proﬁles. This method is applied to metric data from thirteen archaeological sheep skeletal assemblages from the Zagros Mountains of Iran and Iraq spanning the period from the Middle Paleolithic to the Ceramic Neolithic. The resulting sex-speciﬁc demographic proﬁles indicate that during pre-ceramic periods hunters practiced varied prey strategies that targeted different segments of wild sheep populations. A clear signal of herding is detectable in Ceramic Neolithic assemblages despite limitations in the recovery of unfused elements. The paper concludes by offering recommendations, and caveats, to the use of this method for building sex-speciﬁc demographic proﬁles of ancient sheep assemblages. 1. Introduction Age and sex-speciﬁc demographic proﬁling of archaeological faunal assemblages can provide insights into the range of different harvest strategies employed during the transition from the hunting of free-living wild animals to the management of captive domesticates (Zeder, 2006a). This paper is the third in a series that employs the Logarithm Size Index (LSI) scaling method for normalizing metric data to construct age and sex harvest proﬁles of key prey/domesticate species during this major transition. The ﬁrst of these studies focused on wild boar and pig (Sus scrofa) (Lemoine et al., 2014; Zeder et al., 2015; Zeder and Lemoine, 2020). The second presented a new demographic proﬁling method based on LSI scaling for goats (Capra aegagrus/hircus) (Zeder, 2024a). Here the focus is on applying this LSI scaling approach to a third major prey/domesticate species— sheep (Ovis aries). I begin with the analysis of modern Ovis skeletal collections from Southwest Asia. After discussing the composition and history of these modern collections, the impact of factors such as region, age, and skel- etal element on log normalized metric data is examined. As in the earlier study focusing on goats, the mid-point of a range of LSI values is found to be a reliable boundary line for distinguishing between females and males once the impact of region, element, and age are considered. The accuracy of this method is then assessed by comparing actual demographic proﬁles of the modern sheep sample against proﬁles generated using the sex-assignments based on mid-point values. Once its accuracy is demonstrated, this method is then employed in the analysis of 13 archaeological assemblages of sheep skeletal elements from sites in the Zagros region that extend in time from the Middle Paleolithic up to the Ceramic Neolithic. Recommendations about the application of this method to sheep, and other species, are offered at the end of this paper. 2. Modern sheep assemblage The modern assemblage of wild sheep used in this study consists of a total of 56 specimens curated by the Department of Mammals of the Field Museum of Natural History (FMNH) (Table 1, Table S1). The majority of these specimens were collected by the Street Expedition to Iran in 1962–1963 and the Lay-Nadler Expedition to Iran in 1969 (Lay, 1967). A total of seven general collecting localities are represented in the E-mail address: zederm@si.edu. Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Journal of Archaeological Science journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jas https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2025.106224 Received 26 January 2025; Received in revised form 5 April 2025; Accepted 7 April 2025 Journal of Archaeological Science 179 (2025) 106224 Available online 26 May 2025 0305-4403/© 2025 Elsevier Ltd. All rights are reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies.