The master's thesis discusses the physical characteristics of cattle in Carniola, Carinthia, and
Styria in the 16th and 17th centuries. The thesis is a comparative synthesis based on archival
records, historical paintings, early-modern Hausväter literature, 19th-century agricultural
publications as well as multidisciplinary literature, including the field of archeozoology. Records
on cattle kept at demesne lands and lands in possession of subjects of selected seigneuries
were analysed to collect information on hair colours and colour patterns, the introduction of
foreign morphological traits, and the cattle weight and size. In addition, attention was paid to
milk production, use of cattle as draft animals, cattle salt provisions, and veterinary practices of
the time.
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