Occasional Papers 22, 2009: Norwich Castle: Excavations and Historical Survey 1987–98. Part III A Zooarchaeological Study

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This is Part III of the Norwich Castle report (EAA 132). Although Parts I and II both contain summary accounts of the faunal remains, setting them into their wider context and including additional information on craft activities, the scale of the data required the production of a separate and more specialised report on the faunal remains which permits presentation of metrical and other data that could not be published in detail within the monograph, where the faunal assemblage is considered largely in chronological terms. Instead, this occasional paper details the evidence more specifically by species. Excavations at Castle Mall yielded the largest faunal assemblage ever recovered from Norwich with the greatest, most continuous chronological spread. The assemblages recovered demonstrate the breadth of information available from faunal remains, from the common farm animals providing milk, meat and eggs, to the trade in horns, antlers, hides and bones for crafts and industries. Evidence ranging from the occasional exotic species to the use of non-traditional food animals such as horse and dog has revealed a picture of the human-animal interaction within a medieval town. The analyses reveal details of how animals were procured and butchered, which foods people ate and how they disposed of their waste. It has also been possible to link archaeological and zooarchaeological evidence to trace the changing use of space within and around the castle throughout its long history.

Full reference:

Albarella, U., Beech, M., Curl, J., Locker, A., Moreno García, M. and Mulville, J., 2009, Norwich Castle: Excavations and Historical Survey 1987–98. Part III A Zooarchaeological Study, East Anglian Archaeology Occasional Papers 22

A4, 188pp

ISBN 978 0 905594 50 7