Discerning beetles : an entomo-archaeological study of coleopteran faunas in relation to place and time
This work initially examines the origins and methods of entomo-archaeological studies and reviews the current state of this discipline. Original work is presented on coleopteran faunas, mainly from medieval pits, recovered and analysed from sites in Winchester, Southampton and Chichester. The faunas resemble those recovered from deposits of similar provenance from other sites. They also contain the earliest records of some species in Britain and the earliest medieval occurrences of others which, were common in Roman Britain, but missing from the Saxon urban record. A modem analogue of a medieval cesspit was set up in order to investigate the coleopteran faunas, which develop in that environment. Further experimental work was carried out using a choice chamber, to determine the preferred pabulum of certain species of Aphodius dung beetles. The findings are placed in a wider context as a representative sample of all work, carried out on Roman and post-Roman coleopteran thanatocoenoses, were included in the following investigations. Methods of standardising data from different sources are discussed. The distribution of synanthropic species through time was studied, with special emphasis on Tipnus unicolor and
Grove, Katherine Jane
Discerning beetles : an entomo-archaeological study of coleopteran faunas in relation to place and time. This work initially examines the origins and methods of entomo-archaeological studies and reviews the current state of this discipline. Original work is presented on coleopteran faunas, mainly from medieval pits, recovered and analysed from sites in Winchester, Southampton and Chichester. The faunas resemble those recovered from deposits of similar provenance from other sites. They also contain the earliest records of some species in Britain and the earliest medieval occurrences of others which, were common in Roman Britain, but missing from the Saxon urban record. A modem analogue of a medieval cesspit was set up in order to investigate the coleopteran faunas, which develop in that environment. Further experimental work was carried out using a choice chamber, to determine the preferred pabulum of certain species of Aphodius dung beetles. The findings are placed in a wider context as a representative sample of all work, carried out on Roman and post-Roman coleopteran thanatocoenoses, were included in the following investigations. Methods of standardising data from different sources are discussed. The distribution of synanthropic species through time was studied, with special emphasis on Tipnus unicolor and
archaeological_study fauna relation place time work initially_examine origin method archaeological_study review_current state discipline original work_present fauna mainly medieval pit recover analyse site winchester southampton resemble recover deposit similar provenance site also_contain early record specie britain early_medieval others common roman_britain miss saxon urban record modem analogue medieval set order_investigate fauna develop environment experimental_work carry use choice chamber determine prefer certain specie dung finding place wide_context representative_sample work_carry roman post_roman include following investigation methods standardise data different_source discuss distribution specie time study special_emphasis