Bird exploitation in an Early Anglo-Saxon community: Taxonomic and biometrical investigations at West Stow

Abstract

This paper focusses on the bird remains from West Stow, a renowned Early Anglo-Saxon site in southeast Britain. The evidence provided by the frequency of species, ageing, sexing, and biometrical analyses has been integrated to investigate changes and continuities in the exploitation of domestic and wild birds at the settlement. Domestic birds dominate the assemblage. The management of chicken probably became more structured and efficient after the first phase of settlement. Intra-site and regional comparisons of biometrical data suggest the improvement in chicken size, achieved under the Romans, was maintained by Early Anglo-Saxon communities.