Animal husbandry between the Roman times and the High Middle Ages in central Europe : a biometrical analysis of cattle, sheep and pig

This paper presents a meta-analysis of biometrical data of cattle (Bos taurus), sheep (Ovis aries), and pig (Sus domesticus), with a diachronic, long-term approach (first–twelfth centuries AD) and at a large regional scale (Switzerland and adjacent areas of France), with the aim of looking at changes in animal husbandry during the transition between Roman times and the Early Middle Ages. With this in mind, a comprehensive biometrical analysis is carried out, on the basis of the log-ratio technique (or logarithmic size index — LSI). The results show an increase of the size of domesticates during the Late Roman period, as well as a long period of size decrease in the subsequent centuries. The possible reasons behind this size decrease are discussed, focusing on three factors: a genetic change, less direct control over feeding and breeding, and changing patterns of herd sex ratios. We argue that these changes should be seen as an efficient adaptation of animal husbandry strategies to broader social, economic, and political transformations

Schlemmerei in Brigantium : Untersuchungen zu den Tierknochen aus einem Sodbrunnen und dem Kultbezirk

Bodensee - Tierknochen - Kultbezirk - Sievin

The transition from Antiquity to the Middle Ages in present-day Switzerland: the archaeobiological point of view

This article summarises the results of archaeobiological research into the period from the mid-3rd to the 8th centuries AD in the area of present-day Switzerland. Compared to the preceding and subsequent periods, the state of research is rather poor, particularly in the cases of archaeobotanical research on the period of Late Antiquity and archaeozoological research on the early Middle Ages. The majority of the sites investigated so far are situated in the northern part of the country. A marked decline in human impact can be observed at the transition from Roman times to the early Middle Ages, particularly in pollen diagrams. A change from surplus production to a subsistence economy can be seen from changes in the relative importance of different species of domestic animals and in the size of cattle. The cereal spectrum becomes increasingly diverse. A movement from long-distance to regional trade is illustrated by the absence of imported foods, such as exotic plants, from the 3rd century onwards. At the same time, the production of goods from antlers is intensified and the cultivation of rye begins; both are probably influences from northern (Germanic) regions. Some of the Roman innovations, like the cultivation of fruit trees and the keeping of poultry, persist throughout these times of change

Texture analysis of bronze age axes by neutron diffraction

The paper presents the result of archeometrical analysis by neutron diffraction on bronze axes of the Early and Middle Bronze Age of the Po valley area