The byres tale: farming nutrient-poor coversands at the edge of the Roman Empire (NW-Belgium)

Mikkelsen, Jari; Langohr, Roger; Vanwesenbeeck, Veerle; Bourgeois, Ignace; Clercq, Wim De

doi:10.5281/zenodo.3421029

Cited by 1 publication

(1 citation statement)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Soil micromorphology provides a powerful tool to identify human activities and to characterize stabling deposits, yet none of the byre-houses in S1 Table were interpreted as such based on the study of sediments under the microscope. At Brecht-Zoegweg (Belgium), byre-houses were indeed studied with micromorphology, but the analysis focused only on the byre sector of the house, without considering the supposed domestic one [ 33 ]. At Aðalstræti 16 (Reykjavik, Iceland), instead, micromorphological evidence was only briefly discussed, and the authors suggested that a longhouse was occasionally used as a byre-dwelling due to the “presence of fragmented vegetal remains” [ 34 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

High-resolution sediment analysis reveals Middle Bronze Age byre-houses at the site of Oppeano (Verona province, NE Italy)

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

High-resolution sediment analysis allowed us to identify two Middle Bronze Age (MBA 1, 1650–1550 cal a BCE) byre-houses at the waterlogged site of Oppeano “4D”, south of Verona (Veneto region, NE Italy). The site lies in a low-lying valley incised by the Adige River in its LGM alluvial fan. In this fluvio-palustrine environment burial and taphonomic conditions were such that the archaeological record was extremely well preserved. The wooden elements making up basal parts of nine ‘huts’ were in fact exposed at Oppeano, and so were their internal accretion deposits. These featured finely laminated dung units deriving from the stalling of small herbivores, possibly ovicaprids, intercalated with repeated accumulations of wood ash. This was produced in large and multi-stratified hearths that were exposed within each hut. Organic petrology provided evidence of the production of wood tar inside one of the studied structures. At Oppeano 4D it was thus demonstrated that these structures were not just byres or stables, but spaces that housed humans together with animals at least during some periods of the year, hence byre-houses. The identification of byre-houses in a Middle Bronze Age settlement is key for the reconstruction of socio-economic aspects of Bronze Age economy and production systems.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%