Fallow Deer

[Dr. John E. McLaughlin]

The Persian Fallow Deer (Dama mesopotamica or Dama dama mesopotamica) did,
indeed, exist (and was common) throughout Asia Minor before the modern era.
It's butchered bones have been found as far west as Cyprus and the Aegean
littoral.  It has shrunk to its current isolated pockets along the Iran/Iraq
border only after the arrival of the gun in Asia Minor.  As a piece of
trivia, the closest relative (ancient or modern) of the two species of
fallow deer was the Irish elk.

John E. McLaughlin, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, English
Utah State University

Program Director
USU On-Line Linguistics
http://english.usu.edu/lingnet

(435) 797-2738 (voice)
(435) 797-3797 (FAX)
mclasutt at brigham.net

-----Original Message-----
From: Indo-European mailing list [mailto:Indo-European at xkl.com]On Behalf
Of David L. White
Sent: Monday, April 30, 2001 15:34

> Likewise, PIE lacks a word for the fallow deer, common throughout southern
> Europe, but has terms for 'elk' and 'red deer'.

        Another kind of fallow deer, not terribly distinct, occurs along the
border between Iraq and Iran, or did until the war there.

[ moderator snip ]