Abstract
Element patterning, fish sizes, and butchery marks are discussed at length below to tease out patterns within the dataset, particularly regarding the consumption
and trade of preserved fish. When all of that evidence is taken together, it is concluded that cod and, secondarily, haddock were consumed fresh in the
pre-mill Phase M. Butchery may hint that a few cod might have arrived at the site as a preserved product, but these were not present in sufficient quantities to skew the proportions of cranial, appendicular, and vertebral elements. Haddock element proportions show that some – but not many – were arriving as a preserved product in this early phase.
and trade of preserved fish. When all of that evidence is taken together, it is concluded that cod and, secondarily, haddock were consumed fresh in the
pre-mill Phase M. Butchery may hint that a few cod might have arrived at the site as a preserved product, but these were not present in sufficient quantities to skew the proportions of cranial, appendicular, and vertebral elements. Haddock element proportions show that some – but not many – were arriving as a preserved product in this early phase.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | The Earl's Bu, Orphir |
| Subtitle of host publication | Feasting, Farming and Commerce at the Heart of the Orkney Norse Earldom |
| Editors | Colleen Batey |
| Place of Publication | Kirkwall |
| Publisher | The Orcadian |
| Chapter | 10 |
| Pages | 389-414 |
| Number of pages | 25 |
| ISBN (Print) | 978-1912 88951-8 |
| Publication status | Published - 15 Dec 2025 |
Keywords
- Viking age
- Late Norse
- Orkney
- zooarchaeology
- fish remains