Environmental Archaeology. The journal of human palaeoecology

Volume 4 Published October 1999

Research Papers

Lining up on the M1: a Tooth Defect as a Bio-indicator for Environment and Husbandry in Ancient Pigs

Anton Ervynck and Keith Dobney

From the analysis of five collections of pig mandibles of Neolithic and medieval date, it is argued that the detailed observation of a common developmental tooth defect, i.e., linear enamel hypoplasia, can shed light on the impact of environmental conditions and husbandry practices on ancient swine herding. It is suggested that degradation of forest environment through the Middle Ages, was responsible for an increase of the frequency of LEH in domestic pigs. Conversely, a supposed late medieval shift in pig husbandry, from forest herding to rearing in (semi-)confinement, could have been the cause of a significant decrease in the occurrence of this tooth defect.

Keywords: DOMESTIC PIG, MIDDLE AGES, SEASONALITY, ANIMAL HUSBANDRY, FOREST ENVIRONMENTS

Coleoptera from Late Medieval Smoke-Blackened Thatch (SBT): their Archaeological Implications

David Smith, John Letts and Alison Cox

Distinctive assemblages of Coleoptera (beetles) recovered from seven samples of smoke-blackened Thatch (SBT) from a range of late medieval roofs in the south of England are listed. The age, ecology and possible origins of this fauna are discussed. Although its precise origin is known, it is suggested that its occurrence is not limited to thatch, and so cannot be used as a ‘finger print’ for thatch per se. A find of Sitophilus granarius, the ‘granary weevil’, suggests that thatch may represent another route by which this species has been incorporated into the archaeological record.

Keywords: Coleoptera, smoke-Blackened Thatch (SBT), palaeoentomological interpretation, Sitophilus granarius.

Criteria to Distinguish Capsule Fragments of Flax/Linseed (Linum usitatissimum L.) from Wild Radish (Raphanus raphanistrum L.)

Wendy Smith

Flax/linseed (Linum usitatissimum L.) is a major economic crop which was grown throughout much of the ‘Old World’ region in the past. A by-product of flax or linseed processing is crushed capsule fragments and, therefore, their detection in the archaeobotanical record is crucial. The internal membrane of wild radish (Raphanus raphanistrum L.) capsules bears a similar cell pattern to that of flax/linseed, thus complicating accurate identification of either plant based on highly fragmented capsule material. This paper presents the criteria developed to distinguish capsule fragments of these two species using a standard low-power binocular microscope.

Keywords: FLAX, LINSEED, WILD RADISH

Microwear in Modern Rooting and Stall-fed Pigs: the Potential of Dental Microwear Analysis for Exploring Pig Diet and Management in the Past

Jayne Ward and Ingrid L. Mainland

In recent years dental microwear analysis has attracted considerable interest as a potential method for reconstructing ancient diet. The potential of dental microwear for reconstructing pig diet and management within an archaeological context is explored through the analysis of microwear patterning in modern stall-fed and free-range/rooting pigs. Stall-fed pigs are readily distinguished from rooting/free-range pigs by the greater density of microwear features evident in the latter on both buccal and occlusal surfaces. This distinction can be attributed to the more abrasive diet of the free-ranging pigs, as a consequence of soil ingestion during rooting.

Keywords: MICROWEAR, DIET, WILD BOAR, DOMESTIC PIG, ARCHAEOZOOLOGY

New Data on Early Medieval Flax Cultivation: an Archaeobotanical Record from Northern Poland

Malgorzata Latalowa, Wlodzimierz Raczkowski

Abstract

The analysis of a great accumulation of flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) remains found as a well delimited bundle on an early medieval site in northern Poland is the basis of this paper. Ecological indicators are used to reconstruct the palaeoenvironmental conditions under which flax cultivation took place. The rich flax weed flora, including specific 'linicolous plants', is described. This botanical data is presentented and discussed against the archaeological background.

Keywords: ARCHAEOBOTANY, EARLY MIDDLE AGES, FLAX CULTIVATION, NORTHERN POLAND

Hydrological Monitoring of an Alluviated Landscape in the Lower Great Ouse Valley, Cambridgeshire: Interim Results of the First Three Years

Charles French, Matthew Davis and Jennifer Heathcote

A five year research project was set up to monitor soil moisture and groundwater levels of an extensive buried, mainly alluviated landscape located at the interface between the lower Great Ouse valley and the fen-edge in western Cambridgeshire. The intention was to monitor changes in hydrology, soil structure and geochemical status before, during and after large scale gravel extraction. The results presented here concern the pre-extraction monitoring period over three years. The project has identified three major landscape zones - shallowly buried former dryland, several sets of relict palaeochannel systems which still remain waterlogged, and a marginal zone between these where the monitored parameters fluctuate on a seasonal basis. The moisture levels of the alluvial overburden, buried soils and infills of the palaeochannel systems appear to act independently of each other, controlled by a combination of rainfall, agricultural land management, height above sea level and depth of burial. It is predicted that the removal of 1-3m of overburden accompanied by water abstraction when gravel extraction commences will lead to changes in the moisture regime of the immediate area and therefore of any contained archaeological contexts and the superficial sediments in this river valley/fen-edge landscape.

Keywords: HYDROLOGY, NEUTRON PROBE, SOIL MOISTURE CONTENT, GROUNDWATER, OXIDATION, REDUCTION

Molluscan Total Assemblages across a Woodland-Grassland Boundary and their Palaeoenvironmental Relevance

Paul Davies

Molluscan total assemblages across a woodland-grassland boundary are described and analysed using a variety of numerical techniques. These demonstrate that although the Mollusca respond to the vegetation boundaries their response does not exactly parallel that of vegetation structure. In particular, some shade-preferential species have encroached from woodland into adjacent grassland, degree of encroachment being an individual species characteristic. The study indicates that the detection of boundaries in sub-fossil assemblages from buried soil surfaces will only be possible if spatially-oriented multi-sampling strategies are employed.

Keywords: MOLLUSCA, VEGETATION BOUNDARIES, NUMERICAL ANALYSIS, PALAEOECOLOGY

Review Paper

Charting the Emergence of Cereal and Pulse Domestication in South-west Asia

Andrew Garrard

During the last decade, considerable advances have been made in our knowledge of the origins of cereal and pulse domestication in south-west Asia. Archaeobotanical assemblages have become available from hitherto poorly known regions and time periods, and new methodologies and interpretative approaches have allowed the reevaluation of older collections. Our understanding of the environmental and cultural context of the domestication process is also far better understood. The progenitors of the majority of the south-west Asian cereal and pulse domesticates were native to the park and steppe woodland habitats of the Fertile Crescent. This environment was very restricted at the pleniglacial, but there is nevertheless evidence for the use of cereals and pulses from this period. From ca. 13,000 bc, this food-rich habitat began to expand and it is likely that this accelerated during the Bölling and Alleröd interstadials. Localised food-storing, semi-sedentary communities developed from ca. 10,500 bc. The Younger Dryas stadial led to a retraction of these resources and it is during the early ninth millennium bc that we see the first evidence for cereal cultivation. By 7,000 bc, ‘domestic-type’ cereals are found throughout the Fertile Crescent and by 6,000 bc ‘domestic-type’ pulses are found in many areas.

Keywords: DOMESTICATION, CEREALS, PULSES, EPIPALAEOLITHIC, NEOLITHIC, SOUTH-WEST ASIA

Short Contributions

Evidence for 17th and 18th Century Cattle Improvements in Bedford

Eden Hutchins and Sean Steadman 87

An assemblage of horn cores from Bedford was analysed in comparison to similar archaeological material from other sites in the country. The assemblage is broken down into improved and unimproved cattle stock, with particular emphasis on a feature identified as a horner’s pit.

Keywords: BONES; HORN CORES; CATTLE; IMPROVED; MEASUREMENT

Probable Fibres from Hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) in Bronze Age Scotland

Michael L. Ryder

Abstract

Diameter measurements of bast fibres from cloth and string with a hoard of bronze age metalwork found in St Andrews, were different from those of flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) but comparable with those of hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) leading to the suggestion that hemp was used as a textile fibre in Britain much earlier than has been thought.

Keywords: BAST-FIBRE, BRONZE AGE, FLAX, HEMP, SCOTLAND, TEXTILES

An Unexpected Discovery in Medieval Bruges (Flanders, Belgium): Seeds of the Caper (Capparis spinosa L.)

Brigitte Cooremans

In this short paper attention is drawn to an extraordinary find in medieval Bruges (Flanders, Belgium). Among the macrobotanical remains recovered from one ditch and two pits, seeds of the caper-bush, Capparis spinosa, dating between AD 1200 and AD 1495, were found. Their presence means that either the plant was grown locally or whole fruits were imported from the Mediterranean region. Given the circumstances, time period and the role of medieval Bruges as an important trade centre, the latter seems to be most likely. Apart from two rather doubtful finds in Roman Tongeren and Tienen (both in Flanders, Belgium), this is the first time Capparis spinosa has been identified in our regions in an archaeological context.

Keywords: MACROBOTANICAL REMAINS, ARCHAEOLOGY, MEDIEVAL, CAPPARIS SPINOSA L