Wild birds of the Italian Middle Ages: diet, environment and society (original) (raw)
Related papers
ALBARELLA U., THOMAS R. 2002. They dined on crane: bird consumption, wild fowling and status in medieval England. In: Proceedings of the 4th Meeting of the ICAZ Bird Working Group Kraków, Poland, 11-15 September, 2001. Acta zoologica cracoviensia, 45(special issue): 23-38.
They dined on crane: bird consumption, wild fowling and status in medieval England
Proceedings of the 4th Meeting of the ICAZ Bird Working Group Kraków, Poland, 11-15 September, 2001. Acta Zoologica Cracoviensa, 2002
ALBARELLA U., THOMAS R. 2002. They dined on crane: bird consumption, wild fowling and status in medieval England. In: Proceedings of the 4th Meeting of the ICAZ Bird Working Group Kraków, Poland, 11-15 September, 2001. Acta zoologica cracoviensia, 45(special issue): 23-38.
Quaternary International, 2022
Boves Castle, located in northern France, was occupied between the 9th and 16th centuries AD. Under excavation since 1996, this high-status site has yielded more than six tons of faunal remains. Until now, archaeozoological studies have focused on the early occupation of the site (10th and 11th centuries AD), revealing specific supply and consumption strategies, widely based around birds. Aside from the very large amount of domestic fowl, Boves Castle is distinguished by the number and diversity of wild birds from various environments, including wetland, coastal, forested and anthropized areas. However, the special feature of this site is the importance of freshwater birds, especially large waders, which remained a status symbol until modern times in this region. On the basis of this outstanding example, and other high-status sites from the same region, we aim to discuss the importance and status of various domestic and game bird categories in northern France during the High Middle Ages. We will also address the subject of controlled hunting areas around castles and other high-status consumer sites, for a better understanding of the link between power and consumption during the medieval period.
Ducks and Deer, Profit and Pleasure: Hunters, Games and the Natural Landscapes of Medieval Italy
2015
Abstract: This dissertation is an ample and thorough assessment of hunting in late medieval and Renaissance northern and central Italy. Hunting took place in a variety of landscapes and invested animal species. Both of these had been influenced by human activities for centuries. Hunting had deep cultural significance for a range of social groups, each of which had different expectations and limitations on their use of their local game animal-habitat complexes. Hunting in medieval Italy was business, as well as recreation. The motivations and hunting dynamics (techniques) of different groups of hunters were closely interconnected. This mutuality is central to understanding hunting. It also deeply affected consumption, the ultimate reason behind hunting. In all cases, although hunting was a marginal activity, it did not stand in isolation from other activities of resource extraction. Actual practice at all levels was framed by socioeconomic and legal frameworks. While some hunters wer...
Mammal and bird remains from excavations at the Baptistery of Padua
This chapter describes the faunal assemblage comprising over 2000 vertebrate remains (mainly mammals, but also birds) from Early Medieval rubbish layers recovered at the Baptistery site of Padua. Pigs, caprines (sheep and goat) and cattle followed by domestic fowl and goose dominate the taxonomic composition. Few equids as well as wild boar, red deer, roe deer, hare, cat, rat and several species of ducks are also present. Anatomical distributions and butchery patterns of the main livestock species suggest the assemblages derive from food preparation and consumption. Slaughtering profiles of caprines and pigs show opposite trends over time. While more juvenile caprines were culled towards 10th century AD the age at death of pigs increases from Longobard times onwards. Simultaneously, there is a significant decline in cattle remains after 6th-7th centuries AD mirrored by an increase in pig relative frequency. Comparison with contemporary assemblages from northern Italy provides an opportunity to explore more complex issues than dietary preferences, such as urban food provisioning and changes in production systems over time.
, large-scale excavations were carried out at Wijnaldum-Tjitsma, an artificial dwelling mound (terp) in the north-western part of the province of Friesland in the Netherlands. Several finds of luxury products made clear that in the Early Middle Ages, the site must have been a place of importance. The excavations yielded a huge amount of well-conserved animal remains, among them many bird bones. In this paper, it will be discussed to what extent the special status of the inhabitants is reflected by the assemblages of bird remains, in particular those of waders. Furthermore, the methods of wildfowling will be discussed, with special attention to the development of the clap-net.