Abstract
Rodents have important effects on contemporary human societies, sometimes providing a source of food but more often as agricultural pests, or as vectors and reservoirs of disease. Skeletal remains of rodents are commonly found in archaeological assemblages from around the world, highlighting their potential importance to ancient human populations. However, there are few studies of the interactions between people and rodents at such sites and most of these are confined to locations where rodents have formed a part of the recent diet. Here we compare the accumulation pattern of rodent remains from four locations within and adjacent to the renowned Neolithic site of Skara Brae, Orkney, showing that those within the settlement itself were the result of deliberate human activity. The accumulation and nature of burnt bones, incorporated over an extended period within deposits of household waste, indicate that rodents were used as a nutritional resource and may have been the subject of early pest control. We, therefore, provide the first evidence for the exploitation or control of rodents by the Neolithic inhabitants of Europe.
Highlights
Rodents form the most diverse order of living mammals, with over 2000 species [1], some of which are very abundant
Despite the important influence of rodents on human populations, and the presence of their skeletal remains in many archaeological assemblages, zooarchaeological evidence has rarely been used to examine the interactions between them. Some of these studies incorporate a relatively holistic view of rodent commensalism [6,7], but few have sought to examine a comprehensive range of factors that might influence the composition of rodent bone assemblages (e.g. [8,9])
Observed values for number of identifiable specimens (NISP) and Minimum number of individuals (MNI), taking account of context size, are significantly different (p < 0.001) from expected values, this conclusion should be treated with caution
Summary
Rodents form the most diverse order of living mammals, with over 2000 species [1], some of which are very abundant. The majority focus on more specific aspects, for example, the possible inclusion of rodent remains in ritual contexts [10] Prominent among these latter studies are those which consider the use of rodents as food, in the Americas [11,12,13,14,15], South Africa [16,17] or the Far East [18]. Specific interactions between people and rodents, for example their utilization as a source of food, have not been studied in depth at any archaeological site within Europe This is remarkable, given the highly developed nature of European archaeology and the potential importance of rodents to the survival of sedentary human populations
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
