SAXON & MEDIEVAL ANIMAL BONES FROM BURYSTEAD AND LANGHAM ROAD, NORTHANTS; 1984 - 1987 EXCAVATIONS
Author(s): Simon Davis
The animal bones from the Saxon - Medieval rural site of Burystead/ Langham Road consist mainly of castle, sheep, pig and horse. The faunal assemblage is characterised by its poor state of preservation and high ratio of teeth to bones - especially of the smaller animals such as sheep. Many of the limb bones had been gnawed. A slight increase of sheep may reflect the growth of wool production. A very marked increase of horse, most of which were old individuals, in the Medieval period may be due to the increased use of this animal for transport and to pull ploughs, now made possible by introduction of the rigid horse harness. A conspicuous paucity of large game animals suggests that the site was probably inhabited by peasants. The wide range of age classes of the sheep and cattle culled indicates that the economy at Burystead/ Langham Road was a 'producer + consumer' one.
- Report Number:
- 71/1992
- Series:
- AML Reports (New Series)
- Pages:
- 46
- Keywords:
- Animal Bone Animal Remains
