Movement of agricultural products in the Scandinavian Iron Age during the first millennium AD: 87Sr/86Sr values of archaeological crops and animals in southern Sweden

In this paper, we examine the exchange of crops and livestock through the application of strontium (87Sr/86Sr) isotope analysis on cereal grains and faunal tooth enamel from the regional center of Uppåkra and three nearby settlements in Scania, southern Sweden, dating to the first millennium AD. Around a third of the fauna have non-local 87Sr/86Sr values, indicating the import of livestock from several different regions. After cleaning, almost all of the cereal grains have non-local 87Sr/86Sr values, which is surprising given the nearby abundance of fertile agricultural soils. We therefore suggest considering non-locally grown crops to be those whose 87Sr/86Sr values fall outside the normal distribution; if this approach is used, around 20% of the analyzed crop samples are interpreted as having grown non-locally. This study demonstrates the potential of combining strontium isotopic data of archaeobotanical and zooarchaeological material for gaining insights into the movement of agricultural products in prehistory

Spotted phenotypes in horses lost attractiveness in the Middle Ages

Horses have been valued for their diversity of coat colour since prehistoric times; this is especially the case since their domestication in the Caspian steppe in ~3,500 BC. Although we can assume that human preferences were not constant, we have only anecdotal information about how domestic horses were influenced by humans. Our results from genotype analyses show a significant increase in spotted coats in early domestic horses (Copper Age to Iron Age). In contrast, medieval horses carried significantly fewer alleles for these phenotypes, whereas solid phenotypes (i.e., chestnut) became dominant. This shift may have been supported because of (i) pleiotropic disadvantages, (ii) a reduced need to separate domestic horses from their wild counterparts, (iii) a lower religious prestige, or (iv) novel developments in weaponry. These scenarios may have acted alone or in combination. However, the dominance of chestnut is a remarkable feature of the medieval horse population.Peer Reviewe

Resilient Land Use in the Medieval and Early-modern Village: Crop and animal husbandry in Fjelie, southern Sweden, AD 1000–1800

Agrarian land-use in the village Fjelie, southern Sweden, AD 1000–1800, was studied through analysis of plant macrofossils, pollen, animal bones and strontium isotopes. Three different farmsteads in the village were studied and compared with other villages in the Öresund region. The composition of crop and animal husbandry was relatively constant through time, apart from a distinct increase in rye cultivation and a slight increase in cattle keeping. Similarities in crop composition between the farmsteads indicate that infield arable farming was practised in collaboration, since the 13th century probably in a three-course rotation system. Also, herding of livestock in grazing commons and fallow infields were collective efforts, whereas vegetable gardening, fishing, beer brewing and the species-composition of livestock showed differences between the individual farmsteads. The agricultural system of the village was characterised by diversity, which was reflected in several different spheres: crops and animals, ecosystems, labour intensity and organisation. Further, fishing contributed to resilience by reducing dependency on agriculture. The high diversity within the framework of village agriculture probably contributed to sustainable management of the resources and to agricultural and social resilience

Den urbana borgen och den lantliga staden

Animal bones from the town and castle of Sölvesborg dating to the 13th-15th century have been analysed. The study indicates social differences in food and in animal husbandry between a household in quarter Uttern and the castle. Wild game is unusual frequent represented in the bone sample from the castle. The kill-off pattern of cattle from the town, with most juvenile animals, is typical of a self-sufficient unit, while the slaughter of mainly adult animals at the castle is similar to medieval towns supplied with older milk cows and draught animals from the countryside. The animal bones indicates that Sölvesborg castle functioned as an urban center, while the town was more similar to a rural settlement, at least when it comes to subsistence and animal husbandry

Harvesting Wild Boar a study of prey choice by hunters during the Mesolithic in South Scandinavia by analysis of age and sex structures in faunal remains

The hunting of wild boar during the Mesolithic was studied by analysis of age and sex distributions in faunal remains from four settlement situated in Scania, Southern Sweden. The results show that the harvest of wild boar varied between different settlements, Piglets dominate the age distribution in the faunal remains of teh sites of Ringsjöholm and Tågerup, which indicate a hunting of wild boar reflecting the age composition of living populations. In the faunal remains from the sites of Ageröd I:HC and Bredasten the age distributin are different, with mainly individuals older than 36 months, which is interpreted as the result of a selective prey choice by the hunters. The sex ratio based on osteometry indicates that females made up two thirds of the harvest of adult wild boar. The hunting seems not to have been directed towards promoting a sustainable harvest, but rather to maximise the yield of the hunt

Tracking Wild Boar and Hunters : Osteology of Wild Boar in Mesolithic South Scandinavia

This thesis deals with the hunting of wild boar during the Mesolithic in South Scandinavia and the relationship between humans and wild game. The study is based on an analysis of osteological remains from sites in Scania, Sweden, dating from the Late Maglemose Culture to the Early Ertebølle Culture. Tooth development and tooth wear in recent populations from Poland, Germany and Sweden have been studied in order to evaluate and improve the methodology for ageing remains of wild boar. The taphonomic history of bone assemblages has been studied by analysis of the relationship between skeletal part frequencies and bone density and of utility index, bone fragmentation, cut marks, marrow fracturing, carnivore gnawing and spatial distribution. Osteometric analysis shows that the body size of wild boar during the Atlantic does not decrease, as has been shown for red deer and roe deer. The large body size indicates favourable environmental conditions for wild boar during the Atlantic in South Scandinavia. Analysis of age and sex profiles reveals two hunting strategies for wild boar. At the sites Ageröd I:HC and Bredasten the prey selection of adults and females indicates a harvest that optimises the short-term return rates and the use of selective hunting methods. The age profiles from Ringsjöholm and Tågerup consist mainly of juveniles and reveal harvesting that reflects the population structure of wild boar; this is the result of unselective hunting methods, such as communal drives. Estimation of season of death indicates that hunting of wild boar seems to have been concentrated in summer and autumn, while red deer was mainly hunted in late autumn and early winter. Hunting pressure during the Mesolithic in South Scandinavia seems to have been relatively high, affecting the wild game populations, as indicated by age profiles and decreasing abundance of taxa in faunal remains. The impact depletion of wild game had on Mesolithic society and the social, ideological and symbolic importance of hunting, consumption of meat and wild game animals during the Mesolithic is also discussed