The aim of this study is to explore the role and importance of different animal species in Turku through an analysis of osteological data and documentary evidence. The osteological material used in this study is derived from two town plots in Turku dating from the 13th century to the 19th century. The osteological material deposited in Turku represents animals bred both in the town and in the surrounding landscape. Animal husbandry in SW‐Finland can also be examined through a number of historical documents. The importance of animals in Turku and its hinterland are closely connected and therefore the roles of the animals in both urban and rural settings are examined.
The study has revealed the complexity of the depositional patterns in medieval and post‐medieval Turku. In the different areas of Turku, characteristic patterns in the osteological material and different deposit types were evident. These patterns are reflections of the activities and therefore of the lifestyles practiced in Turku. The results emphasise the importance of context‐awareness in the study of material culture from archaeological sites.
Author(s): Auli Tourunen
Series: Annales Universitatis Turkuensis, Ser. B, Humaniora, 308
Publisher: University of Turku
Year: 2008
Language: English
Pages: 308
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
List of Figures
List of tables
List of Appendices
1 INTRODUCTION
1.1 Turku
1.2 Aims of this study
1.3 Cultural background of Finland Proper
1.4 Animal husbandry in different sources
1.4.1 Animal husbandry in written sources
1.4.2 Previous zooarchaeological studies in Finland and neighbouring areas
1.4.3 Combining historical sources and osteological data
1.5 Animal husbandry in the light of historical sources
1.5.1 Animal care
1.5.1.1 Feeding
1.5.1.2 Maturation
1.5.1.3 Reproduction
1.5.1.4 Size and physical fitness
1.5.1.5 Physical properties
1.5.2 The urban lifestyle: animals in towns
1.5.2.1 Animals living inside the town boundaries
1.5.2.2 Urban and rural interactions
1.5.2.2.1 Meat supply
1.5.2.2.2 Professional needs
1.5.3 The importance of animals in historical sources
1.5.3.1 Utilisation of cattle
1.5.3.2 Utilisation of sheep
1.5.3.3 Utilisation of goats
1.5.3.4 Utilisation of horses and pigs
1.5.3.5 Utilisation of wild animals
1.6 Animal husbandry in the light of osteology
1.6.1 Bones as a source of information
1.6.2 The material is not objective
1.6.3 The formation of the assemblage
1.6.4 Archaeological excavation: methods of recovery
2 MATERIAL AND METHODS
2.1 Excavations
2.2 Depositional patterns in Turku- towards taphonomic histories
2.2.1 Origin of bone deposits
2.2.2 Nature of bone deposits
2.2.3 Species abundance and anatomy in the contexts: the question of equilfinality
2.2.4 Discussion
2.3 Osteoarchaeological methods
2.3.1 Osteological analysis
2.3.1.1 Identification
2.3.1.2 Anatomical distribution
2.3.2 Ageing
2.3.3 Sexing
2.3.4 Body size of animals
2.3.5 Pathological changes
2.3.6 Quantification
2.3.6.1 NISP and MNI
2.3.6.2 MNE and MAU
2.3.6.3 Quantification methods used in this study
2.4 Historical and ethnological sources
3 ABUNDANCE OF ANIMALS
3.1 Introduction
3.1.1 Identification
3.1.2 Infant animals
3.1.3 Craft activities
3.2 NISP
3.2.1 Main domesticates
3.2.2 Other species
3.2.3 Infant animals – signs of local production?
3.3 MNE
4 THE ANIMAL BONES
4.1 Cattle
4.1.1 Anatomical representation
4.1.2 Age
4.1.2.1 Age data from mandibles – eruption and wear
4.1.2.2 Age data from postcranial bones –epiphyseal fusion
4.1.3 Sex distribution
4.1.3.1 Horn cores
4.1.3.2 Metacarpals
4.1.3.3 Pelvis
4.1.3.4 Oxen in osteological material
4.1.4 Size
4.1.5 Pathologies in cattle
4.1.5.1 Arthropathies
4.1.5.1.1 Arthropathies in cattle bones: results of draught animal exploitation?
4.1.5.1.2 Phalanges
4.1.5.1.3 Metapodials
4.1.5.1.4 Other elements
4.1.5.2 Trauma
4.1.5.3 Oral pathologies
4.1.5.4 Inflammation
4.1.5.5 Abnormalities
4.2 Sheep and goat
4.2.1 Anatomical distribution
4.2.2 Age
4.2.2.1 Goats among sheep: problems in age data
4.2.3 Sex distribution for small bovids
4.2.3.1 Sheep
4.2.3.2 Goat
4.2.4 Size and shape of small bovids
4.2.4.1 Sheep
4.2.4.2 Goat
4.2.4.3 Sheep horns
4.2.5 Pathologies
4.2.5.1 Arthropathies
4.2.5.2 Trauma
4.2.5.3 Other pathologies
4.2.6 Small ungulates
4.3 Pig
4.3.1 Anatomical distribution
4.3.2 Age
4.3.3 Sex
4.3.4 Size
4.3.5 Pathologies
4.4 Horse
4.5 Cat
4.6 Dog
4.6.1 Big and small, long and short
4.6.2 Comparison of the dog bones to modern breeds
4.7 Wild fauna
4.7.1 Elk (Alces alces)
4.7.2 Forest reindeer (Rangifer tarandus fennicus)
4.7.3 Red deer (Cervus elaphus) and Roe deer (Capreolus capreolus)
4.7.4 Brown bear (Ursus arctos)
4.7.5 Wolf (Canis lupus)
4.7.6 Seal (Ringed seal, Phoca hispida and Grey seal, Halichoerus grypus)
4.7.7 Squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris)
4.7.8 Arctic hare (Lepus timidus)
4.7.9 Rat (Black rat, Rattus rattus and Brown rat, Rattus norvegicus)
4.7.10 Red fox (Vulpes vulpes) and other fur-bearing carnivores
4.7.11 Beaver (Castor fiber)
4.7.12 Importance of birds and fish in Turku
5 EVIDENCE FOR CRAFTS IN TURKU
5.1 Indications of craftsmanship
6 DISCUSSION: ANIMALS IN AN URBAN CONTEXT
6.1 Crafts in Turku
6.2 Spatial and temporal differences
6.3 Animals in Turku
6.3.1 Urban and rural production and consumption
6.3.2 Consumed cattle: age and sex structure
6.3.3 Sheep breeding in the light of urban consumption waste
6.3.4 Goats as a part of the husbandry system
6.3.5 Pig consumption
6.3.6 Horses outside consumption
6.3.7 Cats in Turku
6.3.8 Dogs in Turku
6.3.9 The importance of wild mammal resources in Turku
6.4 Animal utilization in Turku compared to other locations
6.5 Local adaptations
6.5.1 Cattle
6.5.2 Sheep and goat
6.5.3 Pig
6.5.4 Cats
6.6 Animal husbandry in SW Finland
6.6.1 Castration practices
6.6.1.1 Castration of oxen in Finland Proper
6.6.1.2 Castration in the neighbouring areas
6.6.1.3 Castration of sheep and goat
6.6.2 State of the health of the domesticated animals
6.6.3 Past and present- the question of local breeds?
6.6.3.1 Cattle
6.6.3.2 Sheep
6.6.3.2.1 Wool
6.6.3.3 Goats
6.6.3.4 Pig
7 CONCLUDING REMARKS
BIBLIOGRAPHY
