Livestock changes at the beginning and end of the Roman period in Britain: Issues of acculturation, adaptation, and ‘improvement’

Mauro Rizzetto, Pam J. Crabtree, Umberto Albarella

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    Abstract

    This article reviews aspects of the development of animal husbandry in Roman Britain, focusing in particular on the Iron Age/Roman and Roman/early medieval transitions. By analysing the two chronological extremes of the period of Roman influence in Britain we try to identify the core characteristics of Romano-British husbandry by using case studies, in particular from south-eastern Britain, investigated from the perspective of the butchery and morphometric evidence they provide. Our aim is to demonstrate the great dynamism of Romano-British animal husbandry, with substantial changes in livestock management occurring at the beginning, the end, and during the period under study. It is suggested that such changes are the product of interactions between different cultural and social traditions, which can be associated with indigenous and external influences, but also numerous other causes, ranging from ethnic origins to environmental, geographic, political, and economic factors.

    Original languageEnglish (US)
    Pages (from-to)535-556
    Number of pages22
    JournalEuropean Journal of Archaeology
    Volume20
    Issue number3
    DOIs
    StatePublished - Aug 1 2017

    Keywords

    • Animal husbandry
    • Biometry
    • Butchery
    • Early Anglo-Saxon period
    • Late Iron Age
    • Roman period
    • Zooarchaeology

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • Archaeology
    • Archaeology

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