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The Value in Studying Large Faunal Collections Using Traditional Zooarchaeological Methods: A Case Study from Anglo-Saxon England

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Zooarchaeology in Practice

Abstract

New methods for the study of stable isotopes and ancient DNA have revolutionized zooarchaeology in the twenty-first century. However, there are many questions about prehistoric and early historic hunting patterns and animal husbandry practices that can best be answered by studying large faunal assemblages using traditional zooarchaeological methods, including basic identifications and body-part distributions, age and sex profiles, and standard measurement data. These low-tech methods can inform us about the use of animals for secondary products and economic intensification, as well as long term changes in butchery practices, animal sizes, and hunting and husbandry practices. Zooarchaeological data from the Anglo-Saxon sites of Brandon and West Stow and the Late Roman site of Icklingham in eastern England will be used to illustrate the value of traditional methods for contemporary zooarchaeological research.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by grants from the US National Science Foundation (BNS77-08141), the Wenner-Gren Foundation (no. 3267), and the US National Endowment for the Humanities, in addition to a Fulbright-Hayes Full Grant and Renewal to the University of Southampton. Additional financial support was received from English Heritage and from the Suffolk County Council Archaeological Service. I am very grateful to the two anonymous reviewers who helped me improve this paper. I am, of course, responsible for any mistakes or shortcomings.

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  1. Department of Anthropology, Center for the Study of Human Origins, New York University, New York, NY, 10003, USA

    Pam J. Crabtree

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Correspondence to Pam J. Crabtree .

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  1. Department of Archaeology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada

    Christina M. Giovas

  2. Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA

    Michelle J. LeFebvre

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Crabtree, P.J. (2018). The Value in Studying Large Faunal Collections Using Traditional Zooarchaeological Methods: A Case Study from Anglo-Saxon England. In: Giovas, C., LeFebvre, M. (eds) Zooarchaeology in Practice. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-64763-0_9

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