Abstract
This paper reviews the evidence for the Hanseatic fish trade in the North Atlantic from the perspective of the consumer sites: the Hanse cities in Germany. Stockfish, the most important good in the North Atlantic trade, are discussed from an archaeozoological perspective. The evidence from Hanse cities accumulated thus far is presented and evaluated. The amount of fish remains analysed from Hanse cities in Germany is still very low, which precludes in-depth research and wider conclusions. Nevertheless, overall patterns appear that are generally consistent with the assumptions of patterns for imported stockfish: high frequencies of Gadidae among the fish remains of coastal Hanse cities, overrepresentation of postcranial skeletal elements, prevailing remains of large size classes, and isotopic data supporting the hypothesis.
Highlights
This paper reviews the evidence for the Hanseatic fish trade in the North Atlantic from the perspective of the consumer sites: the Hanse cities in Germany
If we concentrate on coastal sites with a number of identified specimens (NISP) of more than a thousand vertebrate and more than fifty fish remains, all sites in Lübeck and the site Bremen-253 display more than 50 % Gadidae among the total fish remains
If we look at the inland sites, Höxter and Halberstadt match with expectations, as all Gadidae bones found are postcranial elements, supporting the assumption that they stem from stockfish
Summary
Different types of stockfish with different processing methods and a variety of qualities were distinguished by producers and tradesmen, which result in different potentials for archaeological recovery. Hanseatic merchants distinguished different types of Atlantic cod The caught fish were decapitated, gutted, and left to dry on racks Only a few caudal vertebrae in the shipped fish.15 This means that we would not be able to find many remains some hundred years later. An impression of the degree of standardization is given by the representation of decapitated, processed cod on various seals and coats of arms from Iceland and Hanseatic cities (Fig. 6). 68.6 Quade 1984 65.7 Reichstein 1993; Heinrich raw data 25.0 Küchelmann and Nolde, in prep. 75.0 Heinrich 1992; Nobis and Ninov 1992; Erfurt, Grafengasse 2–6 medieval–early modern
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