Abstract
ABSTRACTThis paper employs δ13C and δ15N analysis of bone collagen to explore animal management at large Norse settlement sites in the liminal environments of the Scottish North Atlantic Islands. The Norse period was a time of social, cultural and economic change; the need to feed an expanding population and the demand for trade meant that domestic stock were a crucial resource. Our results indicate that rearing animals in these challenging insular environments required careful management. At all sites, the diet and movement of domestic cattle and sheep were highly similar and carefully controlled and, despite many of the analysed settlements lying close to the coast, there was no use of shorefront grazing or fodder resources. In contrast, pig rearing strategies varied across the island groups. In the Western Isles pig diets were diverse, indicative of household or ad hoc management, whilst on Orkney all pigs consumed a more restricted diet based primarily on terrestrial protein. A comparison of red deer with domestic stock on the Western Isles indicates that both groups were exploiting similar grazing niches.
Highlights
The arrival of the Vikings, and their subsequent settlement in the Scottish North Atlantic islands, produced distinct changes in population, culture and economics, including the emergence of market economies and centralised authorities (Barrett 2012; Barrett et al 2000, 2004)
This study examines animals from Norse sites spanning the archipelagos of the Western Isles, Orkney and Shetland
This is achieved by comparative analysis of bulk bone collagen stable isotope (δ13C and δ15N) of fauna from Norse period sites across three island groups: The Western Isles, Orkney and Shetland
Summary
The arrival of the Vikings, and their subsequent settlement in the Scottish North Atlantic islands, produced distinct changes in population, culture and economics, including the emergence of market economies and centralised authorities (Barrett 2012; Barrett et al 2000, 2004). The importance of fishing is evidenced by an increase in the numbers of fish recovered from archaeological sites, with a rise in the consumption of marine resource demonstrated by isotopic analysis of human remains (δ13C and δ15N) (Barrett, Nicholson, and Cerón-Carrasco 1999, 2001; Barrett and Richards 2004; Colley 1983; Harland 2006; Ingrem 2005; Richards, Fuller, and Molleson 2006) and the presence of fish residues within pottery (Cramp et al 2014) This dietary diversification indicates a greater resource base being exploited, and is probably related to the change in population in the islands during this period. This is achieved by comparative analysis of bulk bone collagen stable isotope (δ13C and δ15N) of fauna from Norse period sites across three island groups: The Western Isles, Orkney and Shetland These closely dated assemblages permit chronological comparison within the Norse period, and spatial comparison between the different island groups. Both domestic (cattle, sheep, and pig) and wild species (red deer) will be investigated to explore the impact of the Norse on the agricultural and natural environment throughout this period
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