When
Event speaker
Rachel Blevis, University of Cambridge
Presented here are select findings from my PhD research focused on the ichthyo- zooarchaeological analysis of medieval fishbone assemblages (8th - 16th Cent.CE) from two English study sites: Lyminge and Coppergate. My main goal was to gain insights on "baseline" fish populations prior to anthropogenic influences such as industrialized fishing practices, by developing new methods for body size estimations of fish from their archaeological remains, using Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) as a case study. Cod skeletal elements which had rarely been utilized in previous archaeological studies, i.e. vertebrae and additional cranial elements, were utilized here to construct regression models. The resulting models were employefd for estimations of body sizes of cod from the archaeological study sites. A literature survey was conducted to assess the anthropological factors which could influence the archaeological body size distributions, e.g. fishing gear selectivity; cultural preferences; and sieving methods. The results reveal ecological characteristics of early, pristine cod populations. Significantly, past populations were larger in body size, and therefore more sustainable, as compared to modern populations.
https://zoom.us/j/98578019100?pwd=VkI3Vk5pVUY1amlCR0ZCV0hqNFQ5dz09
Event location
South Lecture Room
