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Re: Multiplicity of Scribal Hands
On Wed, 30 Oct 1996, Asia Lerner wrote:
> On Tue, 29 Oct 1996, David W. Suter wrote:
>
> >
> > Bob,
> >
> > Has any initial DNA testing been done? I had heard of it being suggested
> > but had not seen any reports of actual tests.
>
> What would be the point of such tests? To see whether the parchments came
> from the same goat?
>
> Best, Asia
>
Typical practice in goat breeding would lead to herds that have a high
degree of genetic similarity among individuals in the herd. The does are
valued for milk and must be bred once a year to maintain production, but
this only requires a single buck for a large number of does. Most buck
kids are therefore used for food, while many of the the does in a single
herd are likely to be half sisters or show a fairly close genetic
relationship (this could extend to a general area, depending upon how
bucks were kept for breeding purposes and how far one would take a doe
to be bred). If a variety of scrolls showed genetic
similarity, it would suggest that the scrolls are the result of
production in one locality. If they showed genetic diversity, the
chances of diverse origin are much higher.
Sheep breeding practices might have been somewhat different, but one
would guess that there would still be genetic similarity in a local area.
Is it possible to determine is there is diversity in the kinds of skins
used or techniques of preparation?
Best,
David Suter
Saint Martin's College