Does size matter? Changes in the size of animals throughout the English Saxon period (AD 450–1066)

Abstract

Biometrical analysis of changes in the size of cattle, sheep/goat and pigs was carried out on data from 42 Anglo-Saxon sites. Log-scaling techniques on raw data and comparisons of summary data were employed in the analysis. A number of changes could be observed that were dependant on a continuation of Roman husbandry, importation of animals with the Saxon migration and links between stock size and Saxo-Norman developments in agriculture. A decline in the size of animals with time was also noted, yet it is likely that there would be little observable difference in the actual size of cattle and sheep of between one herd or flock to the next. Such homogeneity suggests that they were not isolated populations, but that some trade of stock occurred between sites. Limitations and problems in working with biometrical data are also discussed, most notably sample size, the reduction in the robustness of datasets with an increase in variables, and those associated with using summary and raw data.