THE VERTEBRATE REMAINS FROM SIX SAXON SITES IN THE LINCOLNSHIRE AND NORFOLK FENLANDS (SAXON FENLAND MANAGEMENT PROJECT)
Author(s): Polydora Baker
The hand-collated and sieved animal bone assemblages from six of the Saxon Fenlands site yielded a total of 1522 identified mammal, bird and fish bones. Most of the hand-collected remains are from cattle and sheep, while pig, equid and other domestic mammals are less common. Domestic fowl, geese, duck, coot, wader and buzzard are present. A wide variety of marine, estuarine and freshwater fish were taken, most if not all of which may have been found inshore and/or inland. The age distributions in sheep suggest that these served a variety of purposes, in particular meat. There is no convincing evidence for seasonal site use or seasonal slaughter of livestock and the presence of very juvenile-adult animals suggests that the sites were occupied year round. The sheep metric data, albeit limited, show a possible variation in shape, with smaller jaws but larger bodies, compared to other Saxon and early Medieval sites, suggesting a possible change in sheep management and husbandry from the Roman period. The evidence for tooth overcrowding in many of the sheep jaws suggests that the animals may have been subject to nutritional or other environmental stress, but which does not seem to manifest itself in adult size. A number of cattle metapodials, including at least one of a subadult show evidence of asymmetrical development of the condyles, an abnormality generally attributed to the use of cattle for traction. The evidence for this development in young animals may indicate a different cause, or that animals were used for labour, at a younger age than expected.
- Report Number:
- 46/2002
- Series:
- CfA Reports
- Pages:
- 74
- Keywords:
- Animal Bone Animal Remains Bird Bone Fish Bone
