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Why was cattle-stalling introduced in prehistory? The significance of byre and stable and of outwintering
... Although it is possible to keep cattle outdoors through winters with temperatures well below freezing (Zimmermann 1999), snow and frost make winter grazing impossible in most parts of Norway. Thus, fodder needs to be collected. ...
Geoarchaeological research captures dimensions of the past at an unprecedented level of detail and multiple spatial and temporal scales. The record of the past held by soils and sediments is an archive for past environments, climate change, resource use, settlement lifeways, and societal development and resilience over time. When the McDonald Institute was established at Cambridge, geoarchaeology was one of the priority fields for a new research and teaching environment. An opportunity to develop the legacy of Charles McBurney was bestowed upon Charles French, whose ‘geoarchaeology in action’ approach has had an enormous impact in advancing knowledge, principles and practices across academic, teaching and professional sectors. Many journeys that began at Cambridge have since proliferated into dozens of inspired geoarchaeologies worldwide. This volume presents research and reflection from across the globe by colleagues in tribute to Charly, under whose leadership the Charles McBurney Laboratory became a beacon of geoarchaeology.
Full open access: https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/344516
... The reasons behind byre-houses are a debated issue in European archaeology [135]. Zimmermann [136] denies that housing animals warms up the domestic space, this practice more frequently resulting in unhealthy and humid conditions. Nisly [11] states that stalled animals prefer lower temperatures than humans, and that in winter shelter from wind and dry bedding are the only requirements. ...
High-resolution sediment analysis allowed us to identify two Middle Bronze Age (MBA 1, 1650–1550 cal a BCE) byre-houses at the waterlogged site of Oppeano “4D”, south of Verona (Veneto region, NE Italy). The site lies in a low-lying valley incised by the Adige River in its LGM alluvial fan. In this fluvio-palustrine environment burial and taphonomic conditions were such that the archaeological record was extremely well preserved. The wooden elements making up basal parts of nine ‘huts’ were in fact exposed at Oppeano, and so were their internal accretion deposits. These featured finely laminated dung units deriving from the stalling of small herbivores, possibly ovicaprids, intercalated with repeated accumulations of wood ash. This was produced in large and multi-stratified hearths that were exposed within each hut. Organic petrology provided evidence of the production of wood tar inside one of the studied structures. At Oppeano 4D it was thus demonstrated that these structures were not just byres or stables, but spaces that housed humans together with animals at least during some periods of the year, hence byre-houses. The identification of byre-houses in a Middle Bronze Age settlement is key for the reconstruction of socio-economic aspects of Bronze Age economy and production systems.
... Soil micromorphology from the fill of internal Pit 462 in Structure 1A demonstrated the presence of animal faecal matter possibly derived from animal bedding, which would support the argument for stalling animals within houses. However, Zimmerman has questioned the functional necessity of overwintering cattle within houses, pointing out that there are alternative methods (Zimmerman 1999, cited in Webley 2008. ...
The extensive remains of enclosed and unenclosed prehistoric settlements, including the remains of at least 14 circular structures, were discovered within ten areas of archaeological interest, situated on well-drained knolls in an undulating landscape north of Blackford village. The settlements have been dated principally to the Middle and Late Bronze Age, although continued habitation can be traced through to the Early Iron Age. Most of the structures were probably roundhouses, and were likely to have been the foci of domestic and economic life across generations. The remains ranged from single isolated structures to groups of closely spaced structures. Some were enclosed by palisades, possibly for defence, others were not. Diachronic changes in architecture are readily identifiable. The community made their living from a mixed farming economy, with some craft production also undertaken. Evidence for funerary rites was rare, but what little there was suggests that the dead were cremated and buried in urns.
... This rarity can be explained by cultural as well as taphonomic factors (these features are identified in Roman farms). Indeed, it has been argued that livestock (Caprinae, pigs, and a few cattle; Bayle, 2011Bayle, , 2010 were not stalled, but herded outdoors, with light shelters (Zimmermann, 1999). Penning livestock on cultivated plots during intercrop periods after daily grazing fertilises the land without having to store and transport manure. ...
The studied area on the Beauce plateau (France) was densely inhabited during the Iron Age and several archaeological excavations have enriched our knowledge of agrarian systems during this period. This study investigates fertilisation management between 400 and 80 BCE focusing on numerous crop storage remains from three neighbouring farms. We sampled 18 cereal groups with 50 grains to conduct stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses commonly used for reconstructing past agricultural practices, in particular δ¹⁵N as a proxy for manuring.
The δ¹⁵N values range between 1.3‰ and 7.6‰, with an increase over time from 3.2‰ to 5.6‰ (mean by occupation phase), reflecting a continuous use of manure, consistent with the dynamism of agricultural activities during the Second Iron Age. All three farms seem to have applied the same manuring strategies. Barley and emmer may have been manured more often than free-threshing wheats, even when free-threshing wheats are the dominant crop. This contrasts with the neighbouring Ile-de-France region and indicates diversity in agropastoral systems between regions. The analysis of several grain groups from the same silo shows diversified δ¹⁵N values between crops, reflecting various manuring rates: some fields were fertilised while others were less so. This is consistent with the description of a large-scale farming system, with a large cultivated area and a mosaic landscape.
ABSTRACT. This chapter discusses five pit houses identified on Dilling, E-Norway, one in house area 5 and four in house area 6, the latter in an area with many large pits. The question discussed here is the construction of the pit houses and their functions. Furthermore, what type of pit houses were they, and can we elucidate any common features based on type, dating and function? Identification of floor layers, a few post holes and fireplaces in the pit houses indicates that they were of the 'traditional type.' Their dating to the Bronze Age and Pre-Roman Iron Age makes them among the earliest identified pit houses in Norway. It is therefore possible that the primary functions of the pit houses were workshop activities or craftsmanship, such as drying or smoking of meat or plants such as flax, slaughtering and processing of animals. The pit house in house area 5 was of a different type, with possible benches built in the sides and a possible fireplace. However, the material from Dilling shows clear traces that the pit houses in house area 6 had a secondary function in manure management or functioned as stables with sunken floors before they in the last phase were filled with waste and refilled.
Abstract
A settlement with six houses and two offering pits is presented
in the article. The settlement is roughly dated to the Late
Neolithic II (c.1950–1700 BCE). It contained comprehensive
subsistence material, including carbonised grain, food crust
and burned bones of a cow and a smaller mammal. The two
animals were possibly trapped in a house fire and interpreted
as evidence of livestock stalling during the Late Neolithic.
The material forms the basis of an interpretation of the subsistence,
which is suggested to have consisted of cereal cultivation
enhanced by intensive fertilisation with dung from
domestic animals. This cultivation cycle ensured stable food
production on the lean soils of the area during the occupation.
Analysis of the food crust indicates that fruit wine was
also consumed in the settlement.
Geoarchaeological research captures dimensions of the past at an unprecedented level of detail and multiple spatial and temporal scales. The record of the past held by soils and sediments is an archive for past environments, climate change, resource use, settlement lifeways, and societal development and resilience over time. When the McDonald Institute was established at Cambridge, geoarchaeology was one of the priority fields for a new research and teaching environment. An opportunity to develop the legacy of Charles McBurney was bestowed upon Charles French, whose ‘geoarchaeology in action’ approach has had an enormous impact in advancing knowledge, principles and practices across academic, teaching and professional sectors. Many journeys that began at Cambridge have since proliferated into dozens of inspired geoarchaeologies worldwide. This volume presents research and reflection from across the globe by colleagues in tribute to Charly, under whose leadership the Charles McBurney Laboratory became a beacon of geoarchaeology.
The toft is the Cinderella of early medieval farmhouses. Most maintenance and social reproduction activities occurred in this space: harvest processing and storage, animal husbandry, daily chores, manure collection, tool, fodder, and fuel storage, etc. Archaeological characterization of this space was overlooked in convergent conceptual and methodological circumstances and has deprived deprived these dwellings of their context. This paper reviews the informative potential of domestic enclosures by analysing several case studies from inner Iberia, all of which were scrutinized under homogeneous criteria. After addressing the main problems arising from archaeological recognition and analysis of these enclosures, we discuss the research challenges that lie ahead in using these data to generate critical knowledge of early medieval rural society.
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