Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-jkksz Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-23T03:58:36.089Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Stock Rearing as a Cultural Factor in Prehistoric Europe

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 May 2014

C. F. W. Higham
C. F. W. Higham
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, University of Otago
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Extract

Agriculture and stock rearing moulded the life of the English peasant during the Middle Ages. Together, they absorbed the greater part of his energy, time and skill. In good seasons there was plenty, and in times of dearth, the threat of starvation. Tracts were written on the most effective means of stock management and soil utilization, and farming methods varied with regional changes in topography and environment.

There is no reason to suppose that the same does not hold for the prehistoric peasant: yet the economic prehistory of England, indeed of Europe as a whole, remains unwritten. This paper will consider the possibility of discovering the basic economic framework of a number of prehistoric societies through the examination of both faunal and floral remains. The sites in question are restricted to the Alpine Foreland, due to the excellent local conditions for the survival of floral, faunal and artefactual material.

Type
Research Article
Information
Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society , Volume 33 , February 1968 , pp. 84 - 106
Copyright
Copyright © The Prehistoric Society 1968

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

page 84 note 1 Thirsk, J. (ed.), The Agrarian History of England and Wales, vol. IV, London 1967Google Scholar.

page 84 note 2 Higham, C., ‘Patterns of Prehistoric Economic Exploitation on the Alpine Foreland: A Statistical Analysis of Faunal Remains in the Zoological Museum of Zurich University’. Viertel. Nat. Ges. in Zurich, 1968, in press. (1968a)Google Scholar.

page 85 note 1 Cornwall, I., Bones for the Archaeologist, London, 1956Google Scholar.

page 85 note 2 Boessneck, J., Müller, H-H. and Teichert, M., ‘Osteologische Unterschiedungsmerkmale zwischen Schaf (Ovis aries Linné) und Ziege (Capra hircus Linné)’, Kühn Archiv: Arb. aus d. Landw. der Martin Luther Univ., 78 Band, Heft 1/2, 1–129, Berlin, 1964Google Scholar.

page 85 note 3 Higham, C., ‘Trends in Prehistoric European Caprovine Husbandry’, Man, Vol. 3, No. 1, 1968(b)CrossRefGoogle Scholar.

page 85 note 4 Kurtén, B., ‘On the Variation and Population Dynamics of Fossil and Recent Mammal Populations’, Acta Zoologica Fennica, No. 76, 122 pp., Helsingfors, 1953Google Scholar.

page 87 note 1 Skinner, M. and Kaison, O., ‘The Fossil Bison of Alaska, and Preliminary Revision of the Genus’, Bull. Amer. M. of Nat. Hist., vol. 89, 123–256, 1947Google Scholar.

page 87 note 2 Kurtén, B., ‘Sex Distribution and Size Trends in the Cave Bear, Ursus spelaeus Rosenmüller and Heinroth’, Acta Zoological Fennica, No. 90, 48 pp., Helsingfors, 1955Google Scholar.

page 87 note 3 Higham, C., and Message, M., ‘The Assessment of a Society's Attitude towards Bovine Husbandry’, in Brothwell, D. and Higgs, E., Science in Archaeology 2nd Ed., London 1968Google Scholar.

page 88 note 1 Siegel, S., Non Parametric Statistics for the Behavioural Sciences, New York, 1960Google Scholar.

page 89 note 1 B. Kurtén, 1955, op. cit.

page 89 note 2 Jackson, J., ‘Quality Control Methods for two Related Variables’, Industrial Quality Control, vol. XII, no. 7, 4–8 (January, 1956)Google Scholar.

page 89 note 3 C. Higham and M. Message, 1967, op. cit.

page 89 note 4 C. Higham, The Metrical Attributes of Two Modern Bovine Bone Samples. In preparation.

page 90 note 1 Silver, I., ‘The Ageing of Domestic Animals’, in Brothwell, D. and Higgs, E., Science in Archaeology, 1st ed., 250–68, London 1963Google Scholar.

page 90 note 2 C. Higham, 1968b, op. cit.

page 91 note 1 Gutersohn, H., Geographic der Schweiz, Band 1: Jura, Bern 1958Google Scholar.

page 91 note 2 Welten, M., ‘Pollenanalitische Untersuchungen uber die Neolitischen Siedlungsverhältnisse am Burgäschisee’, in Guyan, W. (ed.), Das Pfahlbauproblem, Mon. z. Ur-u. Fruh.d.Schweiz., XI, 61–81, Schaffhausen, 1954Google Scholar.

page 91 note 3 Neuwiller, E., ‘Die Pflanzenreste aus den Pfahlbauten am Alpenquai in Zürich und von Wollishofen’. Viertel. Nat. Ges. in Zürich, vol. 64, 617–48, Zürich. 1919Google Scholar.

Neuwiller, E., ‘Die Planzenreste aus den Spätbronzezeitlichen Pfahlbau “Sumpf” bei Zug’, Viertel. Nat. Ges. in Zürich, vol. 76, 116–32, Zürich, 1931Google Scholar.

page 91 note 4 Troels-Smith, J., ‘Pollenanalytische Untersuchungen zu einigen Schweizerischen Pfahlbauproblemen’, in Guyan, W. (ed.), Das Pfahlbauproblem, Mon. z. Ur-u. Fruh. d. Schweiz, XI, 11–57, Schaffhausen, 1954Google Scholar.

page 91 note 5 M. Welten, 1954, op. cit.

page 91 note 6 Troels-Smith, J., ‘Ivy, Mistletoe and Elm, Climate Indicators—Fodder Plants’, Danm. Geol. Under., IV Raekke, Bd. 4, No. 4, 1–32, Copenhagen, 1960Google Scholar.

page 91 note 7 Ludi, W., ‘Beitrag zur Kenntnis der Vegetationsverhältnisse im Schweizerischen Alpenvorland Während der Bronzezeit’, In Guyan, W. (ed.), Das Pfahlbauproblem, Mon. z. Ur-u. Fruh. d. Schweiz, no. XI, 92–109, Schaffhausen, 1954Google Scholar.

page 91 note 8 W. Ludi, 1954, op. cit.

page 92 note 1 E. Vogt, personal communication.

page 92 note 2 Sømme, L., ‘The Overwintering of House Flies (Musca domestica L.), and Stable Flies (Stomoxys calcitrans L.) in Norway’, Norsk Ent. Tid., 191–223, 1960Google Scholar.

page 92 note 3 Guyan, W., ‘Das Jungsteinzeitliche Moordorf von Thayngen-Weier’, in Das Pfahlbauproblem, Mon. z. Ur-u. Fruh. d. Schweiz, no. XI, 221–72, Schaffhausen, 1954Google Scholar.

page 92 note 4 Vogt, E., ‘Das Steinzeitliche Uferdorf Egolzwil 3 (Kt. Luzern)’, Zeit. f. Schweiz. Arch. u. Kunstg., Band 12, H. 4, 193–215, (1951)Google Scholar.

page 92 note 5 Higham, C., ‘A Consideration of the Oldest Neolithic Culture in Switzerland’, Viertel. Nat. Ges. in Zürich, 1967,Google Scholar in press.

page 92 note 6 E. Vogt, 1951, op. cit.

page 93 note 1 Higham, C., ‘Die Cortaillod Kultur, eine Studie eines Falles in Wirtschaftlicher Frühgeschichte’, in Zeit. f. Schweiz. Arch. u-Kunst., 1968Google Scholar.

page 93 note 2 E. Vogt, personal communication.

page 93 note 3 J. Thirsk, 1967, op. cit.

page 94 note 1 Drack, W., ‘Enge, Breitingerstrasse Jungsteinzeitliche Strandsiedlungsreste’, Zürch. Denkmalpflege Ber., 1960/1961, 125–31, ZürichGoogle Scholar.

page 94 note 2 Hartmann-Frick, H-P., ‘Die Tierwelt des Prähistorischen Siedlungsplatzes auf dem Eschner Lutzengüetle, Fürstentum Liechtenstein’, Jahr. Hist. Ver. f.d. Fürst. Liecht., Band 59, Vaduz, 1960Google Scholar.

page 94 note 3 Paret, O., La Mythe des Cités Lacustres, Paris, 1958Google Scholar.

page 95 note 1 J. Troels-Smith, 1960, op cit.

page 95 note 2 Childe, V., Piecing Together the Past, London, 1956Google Scholar.

page 95 note 3 Childe, V., The Dawn of European Civilization, London, 1957Google Scholar.

page 95 note 4 H-P. Hartmann-Frick, 1960, op. cit.

page 96 note 1 U. Ruoff, personal communication.

page 96 note 2 Wyss, R., ‘Age du Bronze en Suisse’, In Drack, W. (ed.), Rep. de Preh. et d'Arch. d. l. Suisse, Cahier 2, 1959Google Scholar.

page 96 note 3 Meyer, Keller-Tarnuzzer and Gesner, , ‘Der Pfahlbau Bleiche (Arbon)’, Jahrb. d. Schweiz. Ges. f. Urg. 36, Frauenfeld, 1945Google Scholar.

page 96 note 4 W. Lüdi, 1954, op. cit.

page 98 note 1 Speck, J., ‘Die Ausgrabung in der Spätbronzezeitlichen Ufersiedlung Zug Sumpf’, in Guyan, W. (ed.), Das Pfahlbauproblem', Mon. z. Ur-u. Fruli. d. Schvieiz., XI, 275–333, Schaffhausen, 1954Google Scholar.

page 98 note 2 Wettstein, E., ‘Die Tierreste den Pfahlbau am Alpenquai in Zürich’, Viertel. Nat. Ges. in Zürich, 69, 78–127, Zürich, 1924Google Scholar.

page 98 note 3 W. Lüdi, 1954, op. cit.

page 98 note 4 Huber, B. and Jazewitsch, W., ‘Jahrringuntersuchungen an Pfahlbauhölzern’, Flora, Band 146, 444–71, Regensburg, 1958Google Scholar.

page 99 note 1 C. Higham, 1968a, op. cit.

page 99 note 2 C. Higham, The Metrical Attributes of Two Modern Bovine Bone Samples. In preparation.

page 100 note 1 M. Welten, 1954, op. cit.

page 101 note 1 Childe, V., The Dawn of European Civilization, London, 1957Google Scholar.

page 101 note 2 Clark, J. G. D., Prehistoric Europe: The Economic Basis, London, 1952Google Scholar.

page 101 note 3 Waterbolk, H., Pollen Spectra from Neolithic Grave Monuments in the Northern Netherlands, Palaeohistoria, vol. v, 39–49, Groningen, 1956Google Scholar.

page 101 note 5 Kjaerum, P., ‘Criss-Cross Furrows’, KUML, 18–29, Aarhus, 1954Google Scholar.

page 102 note 1 H. Gutersohn, 1958, op. cit.

page 103 note 1 Higgs, E., ‘New perspectives in European prehistory: Greece and Paleolithic Man, The Listener, March 30, 1967Google Scholar.