A method for assessing relative wear rate in cattle molars, with an application to the Iron Age and Roman periods

•A method to assess tooth wear rate in archaeological cattle is proposed.•Cattle tooth wear rates may differ between archaeological assemblages.•Caution is needed when comparing age-profiles from different cattle assemblages.•This method should be used routinely to increase reliability of age profiles.•Tooth wear rates may depend on diet, sex and/or genetic factors such as breed.