scholarly journals Cattle management in an Iron Age/Roman settlement in the Netherlands: Archaeozoological and stable isotope analysis

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (10) ◽  
pp. e0258234
Author(s):  
Maaike Groot ◽  
Umberto Albarella ◽  
Jana Eger ◽  
Jane Evans
Keyword(s):  
Iron Age ◽  
Isotope Analysis ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Domestic Animal ◽  
Convincing Evidence ◽  
Roman Period ◽  
Birth Season ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Cattle Management ◽  
Middle Iron Age

Cattle were the predominant domestic animal in the Iron Age and Roman Netherlands, yet their management is still incompletely understood. Some aspects of cattle management, such as birth season and the provision of fodder, have received little or no attention so far. This paper is the first to investigate these aspects for the Iron Age and Roman Netherlands, through a case study of the site of Houten-Castellum. The rural settlement of Houten-Castellum was inhabited from the Middle Iron Age to the Middle Roman period, allowing a comparison between the Iron Age and Roman period. Excavations at this site have yielded a large, well-preserved animal bone assemblage. This paper investigates cattle husbandry by using an integrated approach, combining a multi-isotope analysis (oxygen, carbon and strontium) with archaeozoological and archaeobotanical results from Houten-Castellum and comparing the results with archaeobotanical evidence for fodder and evidence for dairy use for the Iron Age and Roman Netherlands in general. While our data set is small and results must therefore be interpreted cautiously, there is convincing evidence for an extended birth season in the Middle Iron Age, as well as the use of fodder.

scholarly journals British Iron Age Diet: Stable Isotopes and Other Evidence

2007 ◽  
Vol 73 ◽  
pp. 169-190 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mandy Jay ◽  
Michael P. Richards
Keyword(s):  
Iron Age ◽  
Isotope Analysis ◽  
Consumption Patterns ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Isotopic Data ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Middle Iron Age ◽  
The Uk ◽  
New Research ◽  
High Level

This paper presents the results of new research into British Iron Age diet. Specifically, it summarises the existing evidence and compares this with new evidence obtained from stable isotope analysis. The isotope data come from both humans and animals from ten British middle Iron Age sites, from four locations in East Yorkshire, East Lothian, Hampshire, and Cornwall. These represent the only significant data-set of comparative humans (n = 138) and animals (n = 212) for this period currently available for the UK. They are discussed here alongside other evidence for diet during the middle Iron Age in Britain. In particular, the question of whether fish, or other aquatic foods, were a major dietary resource during this period is examined.The isotopic data suggest similar dietary protein consumption patterns across the groups, both within local populations and between them, although outliers do exist which may indicate mobile individuals moving into the sites. The diet generally includes a high level of animal protein, with little indication of the use of marine resources at any isotopically distinguishable level, even when the sites are situated directly on the coast. The nitrogen isotopic values also indicate absolute variation across these locations which is indicative of environmental background differences rather than differential consumption patterns and this is discussed in the context of the difficulty of interpreting isotopic data without a complete understanding of the ‘baseline’ values for any particular time and place. This reinforces the need for significant numbers of contemporaneous animals to be analysed from the same locations when interpreting human data-sets.

Iron Age and Roman Enclosed Settlement at Winchester Road, Basingstoke

2019 ◽  
Vol 74 (1) ◽  
pp. 36-97
Author(s):  
Richard Massey ◽  
Matt Nichol ◽  
Dana Challinor ◽  
Sharon Clough ◽  
Matilda Holmes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Iron Age ◽  
Roman Period ◽  
Field Boundary ◽  
Crop Processing ◽  
Late Iron Age ◽  
Middle Iron Age ◽  
Grave Goods

Excavation in Area 1 identified an enclosed settlement of Middle–Late Iron Age and Early Roman date, which included a roundhouse gully and deep storage pits with complex fills. A group of undated four-post structures, situated in the east of Area 1, appeared to represent a specialised area of storage or crop processing of probable Middle Iron Age date. A sequence of re-cutting and reorganisation of ditches and boundaries in the Late Iron Age/Early Roman period was followed, possibly after a considerable hiatus, by a phase of later Roman activity, Late Iron Age reorganisation appeared to be associated with the abandonment of a roundhouse, and a number of structured pit deposits may also relate to this period of change. Seven Late Iron Age cremation burials were associated with a contemporary boundary ditch which crossed Area 1. Two partly-exposed, L-shaped ditches may represent a later Roman phase of enclosed settlement and a slight shift in settlement focus. An isolated inhumation burial within the northern margins of Area 1 was tentatively dated by grave goods to the Early Saxon period.<br/> Area 2 contained a possible trackway and field boundary ditches, of which one was of confirmed Late Iron Age/Early Roman date. A short posthole alignment in Area 2 was undated, and may be an earlier prehistoric feature.

scholarly journals Iron Age Settlements and Roman Roads: archaeological fieldwork along the Angelinos trunk water main in north Oxfordshire

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Owain Scholma-Mason ◽  
◽  
Michael Tierney ◽  
Hayley Goacher ◽  
Matt Edgeworth ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bronze Age ◽  
Iron Age ◽  
Adult Male ◽  
Roman Period ◽  
Early Bronze Age ◽  
Agricultural Activity ◽  
Linear Features ◽  
Single Structure ◽  
Water Main ◽  
Middle Iron Age

Excavations along an 18.5km stretch of the Angelinos trunk water main in north Oxfordshire between Tackley and Milton uncovered a panoply of prehistoric to post-medieval remains. Residual sherds of Beaker pottery suggest Chalcolithic/early Bronze Age activity within the vicinity of the development, but most of the excavated features were middle Iron Age in date, comprising linear boundaries and probable enclosures. At least three areas of domestic occupation were recorded, ranging from a single structure to multiple pits associated with various linear features. A double burial, comprising an adult male and a child, dating to the middle Iron Age was also recorded. Roman remains were largely limited to a section dug through Akeman Street, which formed a key arterial route during the Roman period. Other Roman evidence includes a possible midden or manure spread, suggestive of nearby agricultural activity. Medieval and post-medieval features ranged from plough marks to probable quarry pits.

A Probable Cattle-Handling Settlement in the Windrush Valley, Oxfordshire: A Brief Summary of 25 Years Work at Gill Mill Quarry, Ducklington and South Leigh

Britannia ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 47 ◽  
pp. 253-261 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Booth
Keyword(s):  
Iron Age ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Second Century ◽  
Third Century ◽  
Cattle Management ◽  
Middle Iron Age ◽  
Seasonal Population

ABSTRACTExtensive long-term excavations at Gill Mill revealed polyfocal floodplain settlement of middle Iron Age date, one area continuing in occupation into the early/mid-third centurya.d.Elsewhere a nucleated site ofc.10 ha developedde novofrom the early second century around a network of minor roads. Characterised by extensive systems of enclosures and limited structural evidence (but probably including a shrine), this settlement, occupied up to abouta.d.370, is interpreted as concerned principally with cattle management and marketing, perhaps with a partly seasonal population base.

Middle and Late Iron Age Occupation at Cadnam Farm, Alton, Hampshire

2018 ◽  
Vol 73 (1) ◽  
pp. 110-136
Author(s):  
Oliver Good ◽  
Richard Massey
Keyword(s):  
Iron Age ◽  
The South ◽  
Late Iron Age ◽  
South West ◽  
Middle Iron Age

Three individual areas, totalling 0.55ha, were excavated at the Cadnam Farm site, following evaluation. Area 1 contained a D-shaped enclosure of Middle Iron Age date, associated with the remains of a roundhouse, and a ditched drove-way. Other features included refuse pits, a four-post structure and a small post-built structure of circular plan. Area 2 contained the superimposed foundation gullies of two Middle Iron Age roundhouses, adjacent to a probable third example. Area 3 contained a small number of Middle Iron Age pits, together with undated, post-built structures of probable Middle Iron Age date, including a roundhouse and four and six-post structures. Two large boundary ditches extended from the south-west corner of Area 3, and were interpreted as the funnelled entrance of a drove-way. These contained both domestic and industrial refuse of the late Iron Age date in their fills.

scholarly journals Late-Holocene forest resilience in the central Pyrenean highlands as deduced from pollen analysis of Lake Sant Maurici sediments

The Holocene ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 095968362110332
Author(s):  
Valentí Rull ◽  
Núria Cañellas-Boltà ◽  
Teresa Vegas-Vilarrúbia
Keyword(s):  
Bronze Age ◽  
Middle Ages ◽  
Iron Age ◽  
Late Holocene ◽  
High Elevation ◽  
Roman Period ◽  
High Mountain ◽  
Southern Central ◽  
Central Pyrenees ◽  
The Middle Ages

Palynological analysis of the last ca. 4300 cal year BP using a sediment core taken from high mountain (ca. 1900 m elevation) Lake Sant Maurici sediments (southern-central Pyrenees) showed remarkable vegetation constancy during the Bronze Age and the Middle Ages. Records of the Iron Age and the Roman period were missing due to a major sedimentary gap. During the studied periods, the vegetation around the lake was largely dominated by pine ( Pinus) forests with birch ( Betula), oak ( Quercus) and hazel ( Corylus) trees, as is the case today. The composition of these forests and the abundance of their components remained quite stable, despite the occurrence of temperature and moisture shifts. The degree of human disturbance, notably that of pastoralism and cereal cultivation by scattered and temporary settlements, was very low and had little or no effect on the dominant forests. This situation contrasts with most high-elevation (subalpine and alpine) environments of the central Pyrenees that were massively anthropized during the Middle Ages. Further research should be aimed at finding sediments corresponding to the Iron Age and the Roman period to verify whether the vegetation constancy can be extended throughout the Late-Holocene. Past records of this type may allow the estimation of natural and anthropogenic thresholds for irreversible forest changes, which would be useful for conservation purposes.

Taxonomic reassessment of the freshwater mussel genus Unio (Bivalvia: Unionidae) in Russia and Ukraine based on morphological and molecular data

Zootaxa ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 4286 (1) ◽  
pp. 93 ◽  
Author(s):  
OLGA KLISHKO ◽  
MANUEL LOPES-LIMA ◽  
ELSA FROUFE ◽  
ARTHUR BOGAN ◽  
LYUDMILA VASILIEV ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Freshwater Mussel ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Molecular Data ◽  
Coi Gene ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Widespread Species ◽  
Molecular Analyses ◽  
Morphological Variations ◽  
Mtdna Coi ◽  
Morphological And Molecular Data

The taxonomy of species within the genus Unio (Bivalvia: Unionidae: Unioninae) in Russia and Ukraine has been contentious due to the lack of correspondence between three concurrent yet divergent classifications. In order to clarify which classification system best reflects the evolutionary relationships among these taxa, we performed detailed morphological analyses on 720 Ukrainian and Russian specimens, complemented with molecular data (COI) from a selected number of specimens. The morphological character data set shows the existence of only three widespread species with slight eco-morphological variations. Statistical analyses of shell morphometric parameters and molecular analyses based on mtDNA COI gene fragment sequences confirm the existence of the same three species within a single genus, Unio, in Russia and Ukraine, that is U. pictorum, U. tumidus and U. crassus. Results from molecular analyses suggest the existence of an additional subgroup within the U. crassus lineage, U. crassus cf. courtilieri that deserves further research. The present integrated approach confirms the validity of the classification by Zhadin (1952) and rejects the complex classifications of Starobogatov et al. (2004) and Bogatov & Kijashko (2016). 

Massive storage in As Laias/O Castelo (Ourense, NW Spain) from the Late Bronze Age/Iron Age transition to the Roman period: a palaeoethnobotanical approach

2013 ◽  
Vol 40 (11) ◽  
pp. 3865-3877 ◽  
Author(s):  
João Pedro Tereso ◽  
Pablo Ramil-Rego ◽  
Yolanda Álvarez González ◽  
Luis López González ◽  
Rubim Almeida-da-Silva
Keyword(s):  
Bronze Age ◽  
Iron Age ◽  
Roman Period ◽  
Late Bronze Age ◽  
Nw Spain
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