Abstract
Archaeology has yet to capitalise on the opportunities offered by bioarchaeological approaches to examine the impact of the 11th-century AD Norman Conquest of England. This study utilises an integrated multiproxy analytical approach to identify and explain changes and continuities in diet and foodways between the 10th and 13th centuries in the city of Oxford, UK. The integration of organic residue analysis of ceramics, carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotope analysis of human and animal bones, incremental analysis of δ13C and δ15N from human tooth dentine and palaeopathological analysis of human skeletal remains has revealed a broad pattern of increasing intensification and marketisation across various areas of economic practice, with a much lesser and more short-term impact of the Conquest on everyday lifestyles than is suggested by documentary sources. Nonetheless, isotope data indicate short-term periods of instability, particularly food insecurity, did impact individuals. Evidence of preferences for certain foodstuffs and cooking techniques documented among the elite classes were also observed among lower-status townspeople, suggesting that Anglo-Norman fashions could be adopted across the social spectrum. This study demonstrates the potential for future archaeological research to generate more nuanced understanding of the cultural impact of the Norman Conquest of England, while showcasing a method which can be used to elucidate the undocumented, everyday implications of other large-scale political events on non-elites.
Highlights
The Norman Conquest of England in AD 1066 led to profound political and economic change
Data were separated into three chronological groups: pre-Conquest (c. 10th century), 11th-century and post-Conquest (c. 12th century) to reflect our aspiration to understand change as a continuous process across the Conquest period, in contrast to a single event marked by the historical threshold of AD 1066
The organic residues suggest variation in the use of vessels that might tentatively be associated with change across the Conquest period
Summary
The Norman Conquest of England in AD 1066 led to profound political and economic change. The advance of the Norman army devastated the countryside, disrupting. The dietary impact of the Norman Conquest to BJ (PI), RM & ECA), https:// medievalarchaeology.co.uk/awards/researchgrants/); and Cardiff University The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript
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