Livestock and landscape : exploring animal exploitation in later prehistory in the South West of Britain
The animal remains from British later prehistory have frequently been treated as generally only able to inform us about economy, and occasionally about symbolic behaviour. On the other hand, the use and division of landscape has been largely discussed in terms of social organisation. There has been a failure to appreciate that there is a reflexive relationship between pastoral farming and the utilisation and inhabiting of landscapes. The nature and needs of livestock and detailed consideration of husbandry methods have informed identification of the types of archaeological data we can use to discuss husbandry practices. This thesis integrates faunal, field and environmental data to achieve a holistic understanding. Husbandry practices and animal consumption and deposition identified from analysis of over 130,000 fragments of animal bone from Cadbury Castle, Somerset, and sites in its environs, have been considered in the light of successive arrangements of fields in the area. The relationship between changes in landscape organisation and in animal exploitation has been established and can also be detected across the south west. The fields of the earlier Bronze Age apparently relate to continuation of extensive
Randall, Clare Elizabeth
Archaeology ; Biology and Botany
Livestock and landscape : exploring animal exploitation in later prehistory in the South West of Britain. The animal remains from British later prehistory have frequently been treated as generally only able to inform us about economy, and occasionally about symbolic behaviour. On the other hand, the use and division of landscape has been largely discussed in terms of social organisation. There has been a failure to appreciate that there is a reflexive relationship between pastoral farming and the utilisation and inhabiting of landscapes. The nature and needs of livestock and detailed consideration of husbandry methods have informed identification of the types of archaeological data we can use to discuss husbandry practices. This thesis integrates faunal, field and environmental data to achieve a holistic understanding. Husbandry practices and animal consumption and deposition identified from analysis of over 130,000 fragments of animal bone from Cadbury Castle, Somerset, and sites in its environs, have been considered in the light of successive arrangements of fields in the area. The relationship between changes in landscape organisation and in animal exploitation has been established and can also be detected across the south west. The fields of the earlier Bronze Age apparently relate to continuation of extensive
livestock landscape explore animal_exploitation later_prehistory south west britain animal_remain british later_prehistory frequently treat generally able inform economy occasionally symbolic behaviour hand use division landscape largely discuss_term social_organisation failure appreciate reflexive relationship pastoral farming utilisation inhabit landscape nature need livestock detailed_consideration husbandry method inform identification type archaeological_data use discus husbandry_practice integrates faunal field environmental_data achieve holistic understanding husbandry_practice animal consumption deposition identify analysis fragment animal_bone castle somerset sit environs consider_light successive arrangement field area relationship change landscape organisation animal_exploitation establish also detect across south_west field earlier bronze_age apparently relate continuation extensive