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The 'long' sixteenth century: a key period of animal husbandry change in England

Grau-Sologestoa, Idoia and Albarella, Umberto. (2019) The 'long' sixteenth century: a key period of animal husbandry change in England. Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, 11 (6). pp. 2781-2803.

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Abstract

Although many historians have extensively discussed the agricultural history of England between the Late Middle Ages and the Modern Era, this period of crucial changes has received less attention by archaeologists. In this paper, zooarchaeological evidence dated between the Late Middle Ages and the Early Modern period is analysed to investigate changes in animal husbandry during the long' sixteenth century. The size and shape of the main domestic animals (cattle, sheep, pig and chicken) is explored through biometrical data and discussed in line with evidence of taxonomic frequencies, ageing and sex ratios. Data from 12 sites with relevant chronologies and located in different areas of the country are considered. The results show that, although a remarkable size increase of animals occurred in England throughout the post-medieval period, much of this improvement occurred as early as the sixteenth century. The nature and causes of such improvement are discussed, with the aim of understanding the development of Early Modern farming and the foundations of the so-called Agricultural Revolution.
Faculties and Departments:05 Faculty of Science > Departement Umweltwissenschaften > Ehemalige Einheiten Umweltwissenschaften > Archäozoologie (Schibler)
UniBasel Contributors:Grau, Idoia
Item Type:Article, refereed
Article Subtype:Research Article
Publisher:Springer
ISSN:1866-9557
e-ISSN:1866-9565
Note:Publication type according to Uni Basel Research Database: Journal article
Language:English
Identification Number:
edoc DOI:
Last Modified:29 Sep 2021 14:34
Deposited On:24 Sep 2021 15:00

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