Abstract: |
Volume charting the changing human-animal relationship at one particular location, Dudley Castle, West Midlands, over several centuries. The temporal span considered (the eleventh--eighteenth centuries) is, the author argues, one of the most formative in the evolving relationship between humans and animals. The period was one of economic, social and demographic change, witnessing the evolution of modern breeds of domestic animals and a change in the way animals were perceived and treated. In this study, the animal bones recovered from archaeological excavations at Dudley Castle have been integrated with historical documentation to provide a basis from which to explore these issues. Site-specific questions, as well as broader trends within the social and economic landscape of the medieval and post-medieval periods in England, are considered. The study also attempts to explore dietary patterns on site, and the way in which the acquisition and consumption of food was used in the negotiation of social relationships. Includes CD containing |