Zooarchaeology Lab Sheffield

Livestock management in Spain from Roman to post-medieval times: a biometrical analysis of cattle, sheep/goat and pig The aim of this paper is to present the results of the biometrical analysis carried out on cattle, sheep/goat and pig measurements from a number of Sp…

A&K n.14 We return to the Sheffield team to highlight this paper by Idoia Grau Sologestoa who completed her PhD between the University of the Basque Country and the University of Sheffield. Idoia continues to be a leading light in medieval zooarchaeology.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Morphometric Data for Cattle from North America and the Caribbean Prior to the 1850s An important aspect of early colonies was the adaptive response of domestic animals to new environments. This is reflected in zooarchaeological studie…

For A&K n.13 we would like to showcase this seminal paper on the study of colonial zooarchaeology. First author is Betsy Reitz, an absolute legend in the world of zooarchaeology, from whose work we have have all learned a lot. Paper here 👉 www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Should anybody be interested, @umbertoalbarella.bsky.social will give a seminar at the University of Cambridge on Thursday at 4pm., which can be followed online too. Details here: talks.cam.ac.uk/talk/index/2...

Ageing dogs and wolves using x-ray micro-computed tomography (μ-CT): an application to canid remains from the Junction Site, Alberta, Canada Evidence for relationships between people, dogs, and wolves can be found across much of the world. Methods for studying archaeological canid remains, …

Good to see our former MSc Osteoarchaeology student, @Megan Bieraugle, keeping busy! www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Who’s eating pork? Investigating pig breeding and consumption in Byzantine, Islamic and Norman/Aragonese Sicily (7th-14th c. AD) This paper investigates the culture of pork consumption in Sicily by examining a number of archaeological faunal assemblages dated to chronological ph…

Today we celebrate the work of one of our most dedicated members, Veronica Aniceti! 🎉

Her paper “Who’s Eating Pork?” has helped reshape our understanding of the pork taboo and the Islamic heritage of Sicily.

Enjoy the read! 🐖📖 www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Zooarchaeology in Practice Zooarchaeology in Practice advances the methodological discussion beyond its present strictures by addressing the development of analytically sound

A&K 11 alert! We are delighted to highlight this very valuable compendium of zooarchaeological case studies across the world edited by Christina Giovas (Simon Fraser University, Vancouver) & Michelle LeFebvre (Florida Museum of Natural History). Enjoy! link.springer.com/book/10.1007...

📅 2025
🦴 Zooarchaeology: Nov 4 & 18 | Dec 2 & 16
🌾 Archaeobotany: Nov 11 & 25 | Dec 9 & 16

💡 2026 dates announced in January. Other visits available (fees apply).
📧 Book your visit:
🦴 Dr Lenny Salvagno – l.salvagno@sheffield.ac.uk
🌾 Dr Catherine Longford – c.longford@sheffield.ac.uk

🎉 Free Open Access Days!

Explore Sheffield’s 🌾 Archaeobotany & 🦴 Zooarchaeology collections through the SHEFF BIOARCH RICHeS (UKRI) project.
Consult, learn & photograph heritage materials — booking info below 👇

Traditional pig herding practices in southwest Iberia: Questions of scale and zooarchaeological implications Archaeological interpretations are interwoven with analogical reasoning. This paper presents a large volume of ethnographic data on traditional pig hu…

#A&K Alive & Kicking helping n.10! This is an article by one of our longest members, Angelos Hadjikoumis. It is based on his PhD dissertation, undertaken in Sheffield. This is highly relevant ethnoarchaeological work. Enjoy! www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti....

#A&K. With Alive & Kicking n.9 we would like to celebrate the work of a wonderful friend and colleague who left us far too soon. Here is her influential paper on donkey domestication. This is for you, Stine. We miss you very much. www.pnas.org/doi/full/10....

Was pike on the menu? Exploring the role of freshwater fish in medieval England - Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences Historical sources report that some species of freshwater fish were considered luxury food items in England during the Middle Ages. The high retail price associated with species such as pike, salmon and sturgeon, as well as restrictions of fishing rights on rivers, estuaries and natural and artificial ponds, proves their exclusivity and role as symbols of social privilege. In this work, the zooarchaeological evidence from 11 English sites dated between the 11th and the 15th c. AD is discussed. This paper explores the differences between the ranges of freshwater species recovered from different site types, by looking at specific features that could define these fishes as luxury items: in particular, species selection and fish size are investigated as potentially meaningful variables. The size of fish will be used as an indicator of status and interpreted in view of the increasing phenomenon of fishing from artificial fishponds.

#A&K ⚡ Alive & Kicking n.8 is live!

This week we highlight our colleague Angela Maccarinelli’s paper 🐟. With Hannah Russ, she pioneered fish studies in Sheffield — and even from Italy, Angela remains a key part of our team. 🌍💡

Read it here 👉 link.springer.com/article/10.1...

YouTube video by The Watching Brief Sheffield University Zooarchaeology Lab Left Without Windows!?

Sheffield University Zooarchaeology Lab Left Without Windows!?

w/ @umbertoalbarella.bsky.social, @andybrockman.bsky.social and @mrsoup.bsky.social

youtu.be/qbvuDGHbt0w

#archaeologynews #sheffield #universityofsheffield #zooarchaeology

It's a very interesting idea and we have thought along those lines - but have been reluctant to divorce ourselves form students. However, still thinking...

YouTube video by Sheffield Zooarchaeology Lab The destruction of the Zooarch laboratories in Sheffield

www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bEv... For decades we've worked to enhance the Sheffield Zooarch Lab & to see years of dedication destroyed by corporate executives who know the cost of everything and the value of nothing is heart breaking @watchingbrief.bsky.social #savesheffieldarchaeology

Our own Phoebe Liu has presented a poster based on her PhD research at the conference of the British Association for
Biological Anthropology and Osteoarchaeology. Well done Phoebe! Photos by @snakesandbones.bsky.social. @umbertoalbarella.bsky.social @zig-saa.bsky.social @zooarch.bsky.social

Very proud of our PhD students - Marina Chorro Giner, Ruth Irovec and Benjamin Wimmer - for giving excellent talks at the School of Biosciences postgraduate research conference @zooarch.bsky.social

A&K #7 - This week we're moving outside of Europe to highlight this remarkable compendium of Neotropical Zooarchaeology, edited by our wonderful Argentinian colleagues Mariana Mondini, Sebastián Muñoz and Pablo Fernández

link.springer.com/book/10.1007...

A&K #6 - This week we turn our attention again to the Sheffield team to highlight this paper which reviews the evidence for animal use at Roman roadside settlements in Britain.

To get your very own copy visit Lizzie Wright or Umberto Albarella's pages on researchgate.net or academia.edu

Zooarchaeological evidence for Moslem and Christian improvements of sheep and cattle in Portugal This study of osteometric variation of sheep and cattle remains from archaeological sites in southern Portugal—the part that was once ruled by the Mos…

A&K #5 - We've got another domestication special for you this week! This time looking at the different ways Moslems and Christians improved sheep and cattle in Southern Portugal, read it here:

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

#zooarchaeology

Our reference collection needs constant upkeep so this week we're having a spring clean of our key reference bones! Specifically we're retouching and improving the labelling to make sure the collection is as accessible as possible for everyone, no matter their experience level.

Was the English medieval goat genuinely rare? A new morphometric approach provides the answer - Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences There are important gaps in the historical and archaeological evidence that have, so far, precluded us from reliably assessing the role of the goat in the English Middle Ages. This, in part, is the di...

A&K #4 - Are you intrigued by goats? Would you like to know more about their role in the British Middle Ages? Well you're in luck! This week we bring you an article from our own Lenny and Umberto which tackles why goats have been neglected in British archaeology:

link.springer.com/article/10.1...

A&K #3 - Our latest instalment discusses the introduction of the domestic horse to Ireland, using modern technology (radiocarbon measurements) to tackle an age old question - when did the horse first appear? Find it here: www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

@icaz-news.bsky.social

A new addition to our fabulous bird reference collection, Accipiter nisus aka a Eurasian Sparrowhawk. This beautiful bird was very kindly donated by our friends at The Raptor Foundation, because conservation doesn't have to end at death.

oar.onroerenderfgoed.be/.../RELM/20/... It's great to see the book dedicated to our fantastic colleagues An Lentacker and Anton Ervynck, who have done so much for #zooarchaeology, published thanks to the efforts of Bea De Cupere et al. @icaz-news.bsky.social @zooarchlabsheff.bsky.social

Apologies, it seems this link doesn't allow downloads! Get your own copy of the paper here: authors.elsevier.com/a/1kau3_glky...

Spavin in modern and archaeological cattle: Reassessing its association with traction use To investigate the correlations of biological factors, including age, body size, and sex, with the occurrence of spavin, demonstrating that using spav…

A&K #2 - A piece of work from one of our own PhD students this week. I'm sharing this again because it will only be available on open access until the end of March so get it while you can!

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

#1 - 'Archaeozoological Analysis of the Fortified Settlement of Sand (10th Century AD, Lower Austria)' by Konstantina Saliari

This is a zooarchaeological analysis of the Early Medieval fortified settlement Sand, in Lower Austria, a fascinating site with lots of faunal remains.

Introducing 'Alive and Kicking'! Each week we will be sharing an article or book produced by one of our wonderful research team, or just something that we've enjoyed from the wider community...

This week our MSc students have been using our #zooarchaeology teaching and reference collections to tackle the ever challenging task of identifying closely related species like sheep and goat

Congratulations to our very own Phoebe Liu @phoebe-liu.bsky.social, Lenny Salvagno, and Umberto Albarella @umbertoalbarella.bsky.social who have just published a new paper on spavin in cattle! You can read it here for free until the 1st of April - authors.elsevier.com/a/1kau3_glky...