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Of fish, pigs and cesspits : a comparative study of stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses on animal bone and soil samples from five medieval sites in Belguim
Bibliography: leaves 141-184.
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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Department of Archaeology
2014
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| _version_ | 1867613226170056704 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Schietecatte, Liesbet |
| author2 | Sealy, Judith |
| author_browse | Schietecatte, Liesbet Sealy, Judith |
| author_facet | Sealy, Judith Schietecatte, Liesbet |
| author_sort | Schietecatte, Liesbet |
| collection | Thesis |
| description | Bibliography: leaves 141-184. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/8585 |
| institution | University of Cape Town (South Africa) |
| language | eng |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:32:46.693Z |
| license_str | Not specified — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| publishDate | 2014 |
| publishDateRange | 2014 |
| publishDateSort | 2014 |
| publisher | Department of Archaeology |
| publisherStr | Department of Archaeology |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| spelling | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/8585 Of fish, pigs and cesspits : a comparative study of stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses on animal bone and soil samples from five medieval sites in Belguim Schietecatte, Liesbet Sealy, Judith Archaeology Bibliography: leaves 141-184. In medieval archaeology, diet is often inferred from excavated faunal remains. Recently, researchers have started to apply stable isotope techniques to diet reconstruction. Most studies have focused on the analysis of human bone collagen. In this research, human skeletal remains were not available, so ¹³C/¹²C and ¹⁵N/¹⁴N analyses were made on animal bones and soil samples from a medieval fisherman's village, Walraversijde. In addition, samples were analysed from four other late medieval sites: Ostend, Bruges, Aalst and Namur. Bone collagen samples fiorn Walraversijde showed an ocean-derived saline influence on the isotopic values of especially sheep/goats. Dogs, often used in prehistoric research as dietary proxies for humans, are unsuitable at this site because of huge variability in δ¹⁵N values. Pigs showed the most positive δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N values of all the terrestrial animal species. It seems likely that the residues after fish processing were collected and fed to them in pens, thus indicating that a waste management system existed. Analysis of sequential samples of pig teeth showed that piglets were probably bought at inland markets and brought to the village for fattening. These resuits call for an extended survey of animal isotopic values. δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N analysis was also carried out on soil samples, including a number taken from excavated cesspits. This is the first time that a study of this kind has been undertaken. The results are very promising as there seems to be less routing of dietary components than in human bone collagen. The cesspits at Narnur, the site furthest from the coast, yielded the lowest δ¹⁵N values, indicating a low trophic level diet with little influence from fish. The highest trophic level diet was recorded in the cesspit at Aalst. At Walraversijde, the low representation of marine foods was very surprising, apparently contradicting the abundance of fish remains found at the site. Fish seems to have been more important for its commercial value than as an item of diet. Clearly, more research is needed into the economy of the village and its organization. 2014-10-18T05:52:38Z 2014-10-18T05:52:38Z 2003 Master Thesis Masters MSc http://hdl.handle.net/11427/8585 eng application/pdf Department of Archaeology Faculty of Science University of Cape Town |
| spellingShingle | Archaeology Schietecatte, Liesbet Of fish, pigs and cesspits : a comparative study of stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses on animal bone and soil samples from five medieval sites in Belguim |
| thesis_degree_str | Master's |
| title | Of fish, pigs and cesspits : a comparative study of stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses on animal bone and soil samples from five medieval sites in Belguim |
| title_full | Of fish, pigs and cesspits : a comparative study of stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses on animal bone and soil samples from five medieval sites in Belguim |
| title_fullStr | Of fish, pigs and cesspits : a comparative study of stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses on animal bone and soil samples from five medieval sites in Belguim |
| title_full_unstemmed | Of fish, pigs and cesspits : a comparative study of stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses on animal bone and soil samples from five medieval sites in Belguim |
| title_short | Of fish, pigs and cesspits : a comparative study of stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses on animal bone and soil samples from five medieval sites in Belguim |
| title_sort | of fish pigs and cesspits a comparative study of stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses on animal bone and soil samples from five medieval sites in belguim |
| topic | Archaeology |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/11427/8585 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT schietecatteliesbet offishpigsandcesspitsacomparativestudyofstablecarbonandnitrogenisotopeanalysesonanimalboneandsoilsamplesfromfivemedievalsitesinbelguim |