Periodic Reporting for period 1 - Sus.Post-Med (Tracking the path of the Agricultural Revolution from England to Continental Europe: changes in pig husbandry from the Late Medieval to Early Modern period as a marker of socio-economic transformation)
Reporting period: 2020-04-01 to 2022-03-31
Pork is the most widely consumed meat in the world after chicken and it represents the preferred animal-based protein source in the EU. Our current agricultural system has made it possible for us to produce food in vast quantities, but how sustainable is this massive consumption? Agriculture, animal husbandry and sustainable farming are some of the main concerns of the EU, and archaeological and historical investigations have the potential to contribute greatly to the development of new common policies. The main aim of this project is to understand how pig husbandry practices were influenced by, and adapted to, the changing economy and society that characterized the transition between the late medieval and early modern periods (1400-1800 AD), a key time in which modern husbandry systems developed. Pig bone frequencies are, more than for other species, associated with cultural choices and social status; the reason they can be used as a marker of social and economic transformation.
This project will apply a rigorous scientific approach to investigate how changes in pig management, which originated and developed in England, spread to continental Europe. This will be done by comparing data from England and Germany in order to trace the pathway of this phenomenon which deeply influenced not only modern pig populations but also modern food production systems. This comparative approach is important as it will allow us to understand chronological and geographical variation in the changes that occurred during this crucial time. England is one of the chosen areas because it is here that the Agricultural Revolution began, bringing significant technological changes in farming practices, such as breed improvements and the adoption of more efficient breeding strategies, i.e. the foundation of the modern production system. Bavaria, in southern Germany, has been selected as, during the medieval period, there was a very strong tradition of pig husbandry and very little is known about when, and to what extent, the improvements developed by the English were adopted here. The period this project focuses on is also very important as it is the direct precursor of the contemporary world, thus it has the potential to reveal the foundation of our current relationship with animals. This project will bring together humanities and science, using archaeological evidence but also taking into account historical context. The contribution this project will make will be highly valuable due to the combination of several strands of evidence that are rarely combined: traditional zooarchaeology, 2 Dimensional Geometric Morphometrics (2D GMM) and stable isotope analysis.
This project will apply a rigorous scientific approach to investigate how changes in pig management, which originated and developed in England, spread to continental Europe. This will be done by comparing data from England and Germany in order to trace the pathway of this phenomenon which deeply influenced not only modern pig populations but also modern food production systems. This comparative approach is important as it will allow us to understand chronological and geographical variation in the changes that occurred during this crucial time. England is one of the chosen areas because it is here that the Agricultural Revolution began, bringing significant technological changes in farming practices, such as breed improvements and the adoption of more efficient breeding strategies, i.e. the foundation of the modern production system. Bavaria, in southern Germany, has been selected as, during the medieval period, there was a very strong tradition of pig husbandry and very little is known about when, and to what extent, the improvements developed by the English were adopted here. The period this project focuses on is also very important as it is the direct precursor of the contemporary world, thus it has the potential to reveal the foundation of our current relationship with animals. This project will bring together humanities and science, using archaeological evidence but also taking into account historical context. The contribution this project will make will be highly valuable due to the combination of several strands of evidence that are rarely combined: traditional zooarchaeology, 2 Dimensional Geometric Morphometrics (2D GMM) and stable isotope analysis.
Zooarchaeology
Pig remains, along with their measurements from three Bavarian sites, were recorded. For the English sites, data from existing datasets and publications were collected and merged into one large dataset. The study of size and shape changes was undertaken for both investigated areas through the use of a log-scaling technique. Measurements were statistically tested in each site for each chronological phase to assess whether differences in size which emerged from preliminary analysis were statistically significant. What the results showed is that, in England, there is an evident and statistically significant increase in body size (affecting both length and width) between the Later Middle Ages and the Modern period; this increase is greater in postcranial bones than in teeth. For the Bavarian sample, the results revealed a different situation; while the length of German pig bones seems not to vary over time (this is also the case also for teeth, where no significant differences in size were found), the width decreases, making the German pig dated to the 16th and post 16th century more `gracile` compared to those belonging to the Later Middle Ages.
Macro shape changes were analysed using the ratio technique, i.e. plotting combinations of measurements together to describe shape. Results show that, while there were some indications of morphological differences in the English samples between periods, mainly affecting the shape of the lower 1st and 2nd molar, in Germany, the pigs seem not to present major shape differences in their bones and teeth. Statistical tests confirmed this pattern. The results of this study are currently being prepared for publication.
Geometric Morphometrics
Micro morphological changes were analysed through the use of 2D GM on pig lower 2nd and 3rd molars. After the 2D GMM data acquisition, statistical analyses, such as Generalized Procrustes Analysis, Principal Component Analysis, Discriminant Analysis and ANOVA, followed. The results of this study are currently being prepared for publication.
Isotopes
Suitable bones were selected for isotopic sampling from both the Bavarian and the English material. A total of 56 samples were then processed for stable isotope geochemistry analysis (δ13C and δ15N in bone collagen) to investigate changes in pig diet through time. The results of this study are currently being prepared for publication.
Pig remains, along with their measurements from three Bavarian sites, were recorded. For the English sites, data from existing datasets and publications were collected and merged into one large dataset. The study of size and shape changes was undertaken for both investigated areas through the use of a log-scaling technique. Measurements were statistically tested in each site for each chronological phase to assess whether differences in size which emerged from preliminary analysis were statistically significant. What the results showed is that, in England, there is an evident and statistically significant increase in body size (affecting both length and width) between the Later Middle Ages and the Modern period; this increase is greater in postcranial bones than in teeth. For the Bavarian sample, the results revealed a different situation; while the length of German pig bones seems not to vary over time (this is also the case also for teeth, where no significant differences in size were found), the width decreases, making the German pig dated to the 16th and post 16th century more `gracile` compared to those belonging to the Later Middle Ages.
Macro shape changes were analysed using the ratio technique, i.e. plotting combinations of measurements together to describe shape. Results show that, while there were some indications of morphological differences in the English samples between periods, mainly affecting the shape of the lower 1st and 2nd molar, in Germany, the pigs seem not to present major shape differences in their bones and teeth. Statistical tests confirmed this pattern. The results of this study are currently being prepared for publication.
Geometric Morphometrics
Micro morphological changes were analysed through the use of 2D GM on pig lower 2nd and 3rd molars. After the 2D GMM data acquisition, statistical analyses, such as Generalized Procrustes Analysis, Principal Component Analysis, Discriminant Analysis and ANOVA, followed. The results of this study are currently being prepared for publication.
Isotopes
Suitable bones were selected for isotopic sampling from both the Bavarian and the English material. A total of 56 samples were then processed for stable isotope geochemistry analysis (δ13C and δ15N in bone collagen) to investigate changes in pig diet through time. The results of this study are currently being prepared for publication.
This project has compiled the largest biometric dataset of pig remains dated to the Medieval and Post Medieval period from England. Furthermore, a large biometric dataset for German pigs was also compiled, allowing a better understanding of pig husbandry practices in the late Medieval and early modern period in Bavaria, a topic which has received very little attention to date. Both these datasets represent a great research tool as they can be used for future Zooarchaeological studies on changes in husbandry practices during the transition between the Late Medieval and Early Modern periods in Europe.
This project included stable isotope analysis to investigate changes in pig feeding practices in Bavaria and England for the above mentioned time period. While this kind of investigation has already been attempted on English material for this period, this is entirely novel for Bavarian material, allowing for new perspectives regarding pig husbandry in continental Europe. Finally, this project is also a rare example of multidisciplinary research, combining isotopes, zooarchaeology and a geometric morphometrics approach.
The results from this project are highly important to deepen our understanding of the `Agricultural Revolution`, and how, and to what extent, the changes it brought shaped our modern food production systems. This project has confirmed that the ‘Agricultural Revolution’ was a very complex phenomenon which happened at different times and at different paces in different European Countries. Future work will build on this project by applying a more geographically extensive approach to track with more definition how such a phenomenon and its ‘package of innovations’ travelled from England to Continental Europe.
We hope the results of the project will have an impact on European policies: pig is one of the most important farm animals for food production in Europe and understanding a bit more about the history of our relationship with this species is vital for future agricultural planning. More widely, the results enhance our understanding of ways past societies adapted their livestock husbandry to changing social and cultural circumstances. Considering the significant social and economic changes the current global pandemic has generated, it is now vital to learn about strategies adopted in the past.
This project included stable isotope analysis to investigate changes in pig feeding practices in Bavaria and England for the above mentioned time period. While this kind of investigation has already been attempted on English material for this period, this is entirely novel for Bavarian material, allowing for new perspectives regarding pig husbandry in continental Europe. Finally, this project is also a rare example of multidisciplinary research, combining isotopes, zooarchaeology and a geometric morphometrics approach.
The results from this project are highly important to deepen our understanding of the `Agricultural Revolution`, and how, and to what extent, the changes it brought shaped our modern food production systems. This project has confirmed that the ‘Agricultural Revolution’ was a very complex phenomenon which happened at different times and at different paces in different European Countries. Future work will build on this project by applying a more geographically extensive approach to track with more definition how such a phenomenon and its ‘package of innovations’ travelled from England to Continental Europe.
We hope the results of the project will have an impact on European policies: pig is one of the most important farm animals for food production in Europe and understanding a bit more about the history of our relationship with this species is vital for future agricultural planning. More widely, the results enhance our understanding of ways past societies adapted their livestock husbandry to changing social and cultural circumstances. Considering the significant social and economic changes the current global pandemic has generated, it is now vital to learn about strategies adopted in the past.