Livestock and deadstock in early medieval Europe from the North Sea to the Baltic

Abstract

The relative abundance and mortality profiles of cattle, sheep and pigs from a series of 8th-to 11th-century sites across northern Europe are reviewed with the aim of identifying broad regional trends in livestock husbandry and redistribution. Although based on published NISP data derived from hand-collected material, the broad scale and coarse precision of the survey mitigates the worst effects of differential recovery. Marked local variation in the relative abundance of cattle and of pigs is noted in certain regions. In the latter case, the association of pigs with more easterly sites is tested and discussed. Evidence from York and its region are discussed in more detail, including an association between chalk uplands and sheep husbandry in the Middle Saxon period.

Comparison of isotopic variability in proteinaceous tissues of a domesticated herbivore: a baseline for zooarchaeological investigation

“…The determination of δ 2 H and δ 18 O values employed standard keratin standards for the analysis of keratin substrates, and developed two new collagen standards for the determination of δ 2 H values in collagen substrates, using an identical methodology. Sheep were chosen as the species of study because: (1) no keratin/collagen comparator data yet exists for domesticated herbivores (Table ); (2) sheep remains are commonly found at archaeological sites in the Old World; and (3) sheep hair (wool) has been and continues to be an important industrial commodity in its own right . The aims of the study were to: (1) compare the isotopic relationships between these tissues in sheep and those in other species; and (2) explore contributory factors to these relationships by examining the effects of differences in nutritional plane, sex, breeding history and season of sample collection on isotope values.…”

Agrarian archaeology in Early Medieval Europe

“…According to this author, who has studied previous work livestock husbandry and redistribution patterns in Northern Europe (O'Connor, 2010), the changes in husbandry practices during the early Anglo-Saxon period were less evident than the scenario suggested by P. Crabtree. Rural assemblages show a mixed-farming economy but in urban sites such as Wroxeter the consumption of cattle bred in the countryside is very relevant.…”

Reintegration of Crop-Livestock Systems in Europe: An Overview

“…Food and fiber demand from growing cities in the Roman period (between 27 AC and 467 AD) intensified animal husbandry, changing types and sizes of animals kept throughout the Roman empire [30] . In later medieval times, animal husbandry improved [31] with regional differences in proportions of cattle, pigs and sheep [32] . On the Pleistocene sands of the Netherlands and Western Germany [33] and in wider northwestern Europe [34] , the so called 'plaggen' culture created Anthrosols concentrating nutrients on cropland where plaggen were used as bedding material for ruminants [35] .…”