European communities experienced many agricultural and economic changes during the Iron Age and a... more European communities experienced many agricultural and economic changes during the Iron Age and after the Roman conquest. Variations in livestock size and shape are direct evidence of such transformations. Based on 56,283 cattle bone measurements from 112 archaeological sites, this study aims to better define husbandry change mechanisms and diversity in Britain. Results reveal very different regional patterns, due to environmental and cultural characteristics, breeding preferences, and external contacts. Cattle size seems to reflect the uneven impact of the Iron Age economic organization on British populations, the Roman influence over production strategies, and the establishment of trade networks within Britain and with the mainland Europe. This detailed analysis of the pastoral landscape of the well-de- fined territory of Britain can help our understanding of processes of economic change in the broader area of Iron Age and Roman Europe.
Émeline Marot et al. 2022 - Le monastère de Marmoutier : de l'hôtellerie à la maison du Grand Pri... more Émeline Marot et al. 2022 - Le monastère de Marmoutier : de l'hôtellerie à la maison du Grand Prieur (10e-19e siècle), publié sous la direction d'Élisabeth Lorans, Recherches sur Tours 12, 80e Supplément à la Revue archéologique du Centre de la France, FERACF, Tours. Mis en ligne le 15 avril 2022.
Boves Castle, located in northern France, was occupied between the 9th and 16th centuries AD. Und... more Boves Castle, located in northern France, was occupied between the 9th and 16th centuries AD. Under excavation since 1996, this high-status site has yielded more than six tons of faunal remains. Until now, archaeozoological studies have focused on the early occupation of the site (10th and 11th centuries AD), revealing specific supply and consumption strategies, widely based around birds. Aside from the very large amount of domestic fowl, Boves Castle is distinguished by the number and diversity of wild birds from various environments, including wetland, coastal, forested and anthropized areas. However, the special feature of this site is the importance of freshwater birds, especially large waders, which remained a status symbol until modern times in this region. On the basis of this outstanding example, and other high-status sites from the same region, we aim to discuss the importance and status of various domestic and game bird categories in northern France during the High Middle Ages. We will also address the subject of controlled hunting areas around castles and other high-status consumer sites, for a better understanding of the link between power and consumption during the medieval period.
La mise en place du programme de recherche pluridisciplinaire d’intérêt régional VOLAILLES, à par... more La mise en place du programme de recherche pluridisciplinaire d’intérêt régional VOLAILLES, à partir de 2018, a notamment permis de mener une collecte à visée exhaustive des données archéozoologiques produites en région Centre-Val de Loire depuis près de 60 ans. Les informations rassemblées concernent 282 sites archéologiques et couvrent une période allant de la Préhistoire à nos jours. Dans le cadre de ce projet, elles ont permis d’établir une cartographie détaillée de la répartition des différents oiseaux de basse-cour au cours du temps, mais surtout de définir les dynamiques précises d’introduction et de diffusion des poules, oies, canards, pigeons, dindes et paons au sein de l’espace régional et sur le long terme. Cette étude d’ampleur inédite a également permis de synthétiser les données morphologiques, tirées des mensurations osseuses de la poule domestique, et de faire le point sur les connaissances relatives à la volaille à l’échelle française et européenne. // The multidisciplinary research programme of regional interest, VOLAILLES, from 2018, has in particular made it possible to carry out an exhaustive collection of archaeozoological data produced in the Centre-Val de Loire region for almost 60 years. The information gathered concerns 282 archaeological sites and covers a period from Prehistory to the present day. Within the framework of this project, it has made it possible to establish a detailed map of the distribution of the various farmyard birds over time, but above all to define the precise dynamics of the introduction and spread of domestic fowl, goose, duck, pigeon, turkey and peacock within the region and over the long term. This unprecedented study also made it possible to synthesise morphological data, drawn from bone measurements of the domestic fowl, and to take stock of knowledge on poultry on a French and European scale.
Depuis plus de 50 ans, dans le domaine de l’archéozoologie française et européenne, les études et... more Depuis plus de 50 ans, dans le domaine de l’archéozoologie française et européenne, les études et les données relatives à la taille des animaux domestiques s’accumulent de manière importante. Elles nourrissent notre compréhension globale des modèles économiques et de leur évolution au cours du temps. Le boeuf, par l’abondance du matériel qu’il fournit, se trouve bien souvent au coeur de la réflexion. Cet article propose une synthèse des acquis sur le sujet. En outre, à partir d’un corpus inédit de nombreuses valeurs ostéométriques, il apporte un éclairage nouveau sur les fluctuations morphologiques bovines et leurs implications historiques, en France, du Néolithique à nos jours. Depuis la chute de taille initiale de l’animal domestiqué, en passant par sa croissance laténienne et romaine, sa réduction de format au Moyen Âge, jusqu’aux lourds Charolais qui paissent aujourd’hui dans nos champs, le travail présenté tend à lier les formats bovins aux variations économiques pour une lecture plus précise de l’histoire pastorale française à l’aide du matériel osseux. Si la démarche engagée tend à embrasser la chronologie la plus vaste possible, les périodes gauloise et romaine font l’objet d’une attention particulière. Les résultats obtenus offrent une vision neuve des dynamiques agricoles au cours de La Tène et de l’organisation du territoire gaulois jusqu’aux premiers siècles de notre ère.
The Roman conquest of Gaul is usually perceived as the trigger of morphological changes in livest... more The Roman conquest of Gaul is usually perceived as the trigger of morphological changes in livestock and, more widely, the origin of an important agropastoral evolution. However, recent studies suggest that the economic transition between the Iron Age and Roman periods occurred much earlier than previously thought and was partially disconnected from Italy. This article, based on the morphometric analysis of pig teeth and bones, sheds new light on this transition. It reveals a more complex agropastoral change process, in two distinct phases, from the Middle La Tène period and after the creation of the Roman Empire. Moreover, it identifies two large economic models, around the Mediterranean platform and in the temperate part of Europe, with different paces of change, production objectives, and agricultural and market strategies.
In this article we present a comparative study of pig and cattle morphologies, and stable isotope... more In this article we present a comparative study of pig and cattle morphologies, and stable isotope analysis relating to pig demographic management at Levroux Les Arènes (Indre, France), to evaluate changes in husbandry practices between the Iron Age and the Roman period in Gallic societies. Results indicate the establishment of new production and distribution structures, probably before the second century BC, along with the implementation of a specific size/weight selection for the specialized production of pork. Pig and cattle size evolves progressively from the end of the third century BC. These changes are likely to be the result of an internal evolution within Gallic societies, based on local herds, but possibly they are a response to a broader changing economic climate. Within the Western Roman Empire, each province, and Italy, follows its own evolutionary pattern, which also differs between pig and cattle, suggesting that each region adapted its husbandry strategies according to its agro-pastoral characteristics, capacities, or ambitions.
By means of geometrical morphology applied to the second molars of pigs, this paper aims to shed ... more By means of geometrical morphology applied to the second molars of pigs, this paper aims to shed new light on the question of the morphological modifications undergone by domestic animals in Gaul in the 1st century B.C. The study is based on nearly 600 dental remains from eleven sites in Gaul and Italy. The comparison of these different samples suggests that the link between Roman and Gallic pigs, at that time, is weak. Indeed, each of these two countries - and within them, each area or each settlement – seems to have its own pattern of supply and management, based moreover on local livestock species. Even if certain connections between the two countries are not to be excluded, they appear too early before the Conquest, and thus this event cannot be the driving force behind the changes observed. Hence, it is possible that the Gauls were themselves at the origin, and had the initiative, of the renewal of their farming.
By means of a sequential isotopic analysis of the dental remains of pigs from the La Tène village... more By means of a sequential isotopic analysis of the dental remains of pigs from the La Tène village of Levroux Les Arènes, and of a morphometric analysis of the bones of Gallic and Italian pigs, this paper aims to reconsider the role of Gallic societies in the development of pig farming between the Late Iron Age and the Roman period. This study shows that from very early times there exist in Gaul the will and the technical means for developing a specialized production of pig’s meat, as well as for the development and distribution of livestock of a larger size. In this field, the evolution observed tends to differentiate Gaul from Italy, and, moreover, shows that the different regions of the area concerned practise their own particular breeding methods.
In Western Europe, at the turn of our era, the emergence of the Roman economic and agropastoral m... more In Western Europe, at the turn of our era, the emergence of the Roman economic and agropastoral model is considered as the trigger for morphological changes experienced by livestock. This assumption is now undermined, reviving questions of the origin and mechanism of these changes as well as the influence of Gaul's agricultural particularities in the process. To investigate this question we used a geometric morphometric approach to study the phenotypic relationships of almost 600 dental remains of pigs (Sus scrofa domesticus) from 11 Gallic and Italian sites, and pinpoint evidence of Roman or indigenous signature on the livestock. The comparison of these different samples allowed us to demonstrate that the link between the Roman and Gallic pigs is weak, and, more importantly, that each of the two territories seem to follow its own livestock management model. Furthermore, each region or settlement within Gaul adopted their own particular pastoral or supplying strategies; apart from two urban sites of central Gaul which showed clear phenotypic relationships with southern populations. These results suggest that the pigs' morphology depended mainly on agricultural and economic characteristics of the different territories, within Gaul and Italy, except perhaps on some urban sites with different supply strategies. It seems, therefore, that the changing economic environment impacted both provinces independently, or at least differently, since it cannot be excluded that there may have been some commercial relationships between them.
European communities experienced many agricultural and economic changes during the Iron Age and a... more European communities experienced many agricultural and economic changes during the Iron Age and after the Roman conquest. Variations in livestock size and shape are direct evidence of such transformations. Based on 56,283 cattle bone measurements from 112 archaeological sites, this study aims to better define husbandry change mechanisms and diversity in Britain. Results reveal very different regional patterns, due to environmental and cultural characteristics, breeding preferences, and external contacts. Cattle size seems to reflect the uneven impact of the Iron Age economic organization on British populations, the Roman influence over production strategies, and the establishment of trade networks within Britain and with the mainland Europe. This detailed analysis of the pastoral landscape of the well-de- fined territory of Britain can help our understanding of processes of economic change in the broader area of Iron Age and Roman Europe.
Émeline Marot et al. 2022 - Le monastère de Marmoutier : de l'hôtellerie à la maison du Grand Pri... more Émeline Marot et al. 2022 - Le monastère de Marmoutier : de l'hôtellerie à la maison du Grand Prieur (10e-19e siècle), publié sous la direction d'Élisabeth Lorans, Recherches sur Tours 12, 80e Supplément à la Revue archéologique du Centre de la France, FERACF, Tours. Mis en ligne le 15 avril 2022.
Boves Castle, located in northern France, was occupied between the 9th and 16th centuries AD. Und... more Boves Castle, located in northern France, was occupied between the 9th and 16th centuries AD. Under excavation since 1996, this high-status site has yielded more than six tons of faunal remains. Until now, archaeozoological studies have focused on the early occupation of the site (10th and 11th centuries AD), revealing specific supply and consumption strategies, widely based around birds. Aside from the very large amount of domestic fowl, Boves Castle is distinguished by the number and diversity of wild birds from various environments, including wetland, coastal, forested and anthropized areas. However, the special feature of this site is the importance of freshwater birds, especially large waders, which remained a status symbol until modern times in this region. On the basis of this outstanding example, and other high-status sites from the same region, we aim to discuss the importance and status of various domestic and game bird categories in northern France during the High Middle Ages. We will also address the subject of controlled hunting areas around castles and other high-status consumer sites, for a better understanding of the link between power and consumption during the medieval period.
La mise en place du programme de recherche pluridisciplinaire d’intérêt régional VOLAILLES, à par... more La mise en place du programme de recherche pluridisciplinaire d’intérêt régional VOLAILLES, à partir de 2018, a notamment permis de mener une collecte à visée exhaustive des données archéozoologiques produites en région Centre-Val de Loire depuis près de 60 ans. Les informations rassemblées concernent 282 sites archéologiques et couvrent une période allant de la Préhistoire à nos jours. Dans le cadre de ce projet, elles ont permis d’établir une cartographie détaillée de la répartition des différents oiseaux de basse-cour au cours du temps, mais surtout de définir les dynamiques précises d’introduction et de diffusion des poules, oies, canards, pigeons, dindes et paons au sein de l’espace régional et sur le long terme. Cette étude d’ampleur inédite a également permis de synthétiser les données morphologiques, tirées des mensurations osseuses de la poule domestique, et de faire le point sur les connaissances relatives à la volaille à l’échelle française et européenne. // The multidisciplinary research programme of regional interest, VOLAILLES, from 2018, has in particular made it possible to carry out an exhaustive collection of archaeozoological data produced in the Centre-Val de Loire region for almost 60 years. The information gathered concerns 282 archaeological sites and covers a period from Prehistory to the present day. Within the framework of this project, it has made it possible to establish a detailed map of the distribution of the various farmyard birds over time, but above all to define the precise dynamics of the introduction and spread of domestic fowl, goose, duck, pigeon, turkey and peacock within the region and over the long term. This unprecedented study also made it possible to synthesise morphological data, drawn from bone measurements of the domestic fowl, and to take stock of knowledge on poultry on a French and European scale.
Depuis plus de 50 ans, dans le domaine de l’archéozoologie française et européenne, les études et... more Depuis plus de 50 ans, dans le domaine de l’archéozoologie française et européenne, les études et les données relatives à la taille des animaux domestiques s’accumulent de manière importante. Elles nourrissent notre compréhension globale des modèles économiques et de leur évolution au cours du temps. Le boeuf, par l’abondance du matériel qu’il fournit, se trouve bien souvent au coeur de la réflexion. Cet article propose une synthèse des acquis sur le sujet. En outre, à partir d’un corpus inédit de nombreuses valeurs ostéométriques, il apporte un éclairage nouveau sur les fluctuations morphologiques bovines et leurs implications historiques, en France, du Néolithique à nos jours. Depuis la chute de taille initiale de l’animal domestiqué, en passant par sa croissance laténienne et romaine, sa réduction de format au Moyen Âge, jusqu’aux lourds Charolais qui paissent aujourd’hui dans nos champs, le travail présenté tend à lier les formats bovins aux variations économiques pour une lecture plus précise de l’histoire pastorale française à l’aide du matériel osseux. Si la démarche engagée tend à embrasser la chronologie la plus vaste possible, les périodes gauloise et romaine font l’objet d’une attention particulière. Les résultats obtenus offrent une vision neuve des dynamiques agricoles au cours de La Tène et de l’organisation du territoire gaulois jusqu’aux premiers siècles de notre ère.
The Roman conquest of Gaul is usually perceived as the trigger of morphological changes in livest... more The Roman conquest of Gaul is usually perceived as the trigger of morphological changes in livestock and, more widely, the origin of an important agropastoral evolution. However, recent studies suggest that the economic transition between the Iron Age and Roman periods occurred much earlier than previously thought and was partially disconnected from Italy. This article, based on the morphometric analysis of pig teeth and bones, sheds new light on this transition. It reveals a more complex agropastoral change process, in two distinct phases, from the Middle La Tène period and after the creation of the Roman Empire. Moreover, it identifies two large economic models, around the Mediterranean platform and in the temperate part of Europe, with different paces of change, production objectives, and agricultural and market strategies.
In this article we present a comparative study of pig and cattle morphologies, and stable isotope... more In this article we present a comparative study of pig and cattle morphologies, and stable isotope analysis relating to pig demographic management at Levroux Les Arènes (Indre, France), to evaluate changes in husbandry practices between the Iron Age and the Roman period in Gallic societies. Results indicate the establishment of new production and distribution structures, probably before the second century BC, along with the implementation of a specific size/weight selection for the specialized production of pork. Pig and cattle size evolves progressively from the end of the third century BC. These changes are likely to be the result of an internal evolution within Gallic societies, based on local herds, but possibly they are a response to a broader changing economic climate. Within the Western Roman Empire, each province, and Italy, follows its own evolutionary pattern, which also differs between pig and cattle, suggesting that each region adapted its husbandry strategies according to its agro-pastoral characteristics, capacities, or ambitions.
By means of geometrical morphology applied to the second molars of pigs, this paper aims to shed ... more By means of geometrical morphology applied to the second molars of pigs, this paper aims to shed new light on the question of the morphological modifications undergone by domestic animals in Gaul in the 1st century B.C. The study is based on nearly 600 dental remains from eleven sites in Gaul and Italy. The comparison of these different samples suggests that the link between Roman and Gallic pigs, at that time, is weak. Indeed, each of these two countries - and within them, each area or each settlement – seems to have its own pattern of supply and management, based moreover on local livestock species. Even if certain connections between the two countries are not to be excluded, they appear too early before the Conquest, and thus this event cannot be the driving force behind the changes observed. Hence, it is possible that the Gauls were themselves at the origin, and had the initiative, of the renewal of their farming.
By means of a sequential isotopic analysis of the dental remains of pigs from the La Tène village... more By means of a sequential isotopic analysis of the dental remains of pigs from the La Tène village of Levroux Les Arènes, and of a morphometric analysis of the bones of Gallic and Italian pigs, this paper aims to reconsider the role of Gallic societies in the development of pig farming between the Late Iron Age and the Roman period. This study shows that from very early times there exist in Gaul the will and the technical means for developing a specialized production of pig’s meat, as well as for the development and distribution of livestock of a larger size. In this field, the evolution observed tends to differentiate Gaul from Italy, and, moreover, shows that the different regions of the area concerned practise their own particular breeding methods.
In Western Europe, at the turn of our era, the emergence of the Roman economic and agropastoral m... more In Western Europe, at the turn of our era, the emergence of the Roman economic and agropastoral model is considered as the trigger for morphological changes experienced by livestock. This assumption is now undermined, reviving questions of the origin and mechanism of these changes as well as the influence of Gaul's agricultural particularities in the process. To investigate this question we used a geometric morphometric approach to study the phenotypic relationships of almost 600 dental remains of pigs (Sus scrofa domesticus) from 11 Gallic and Italian sites, and pinpoint evidence of Roman or indigenous signature on the livestock. The comparison of these different samples allowed us to demonstrate that the link between the Roman and Gallic pigs is weak, and, more importantly, that each of the two territories seem to follow its own livestock management model. Furthermore, each region or settlement within Gaul adopted their own particular pastoral or supplying strategies; apart from two urban sites of central Gaul which showed clear phenotypic relationships with southern populations. These results suggest that the pigs' morphology depended mainly on agricultural and economic characteristics of the different territories, within Gaul and Italy, except perhaps on some urban sites with different supply strategies. It seems, therefore, that the changing economic environment impacted both provinces independently, or at least differently, since it cannot be excluded that there may have been some commercial relationships between them.
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