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University of Southampton Research Repository ePrints Soton Copyright © and Moral Rights for this thesis are retained by the author and/or other copyright owners. A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge. This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the copyright holder/s. The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given e.g. AUTHOR (year of submission) "Full thesis title", University of Southampton, name of the University School or Department, PhD Thesis, pagination http://eprints.soton.ac.uk UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHAMPTON FACULTY OF HUMANITIES School of Archaeology The Human-Dog Relationship in Early Medieval England and Ireland (c. AD 400-1250) by Amanda Louise Grieve Thesis for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy September 2012 UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHAMPTON ABSTRACT FACULTY OF HUMANITIES Archaeology Doctor of Philosophy THE HUMAN-DOG RELATIONSHIP IN EARLY MEDIEVAL ENGLAND AND IRELAND (C. AD 400-1250) By Amanda Louise Grieve This thesis aims to explore the human-dog relationship in early medieval England and Ireland (c. AD 400-1250) and so develop an improved understanding of how people perceived and utilised their dogs. In 1974, Ralph Harcourt published a seminal paper reviewing the metrical data for archaeological dog remains excavated from British antiquity. Nearly forty years on, many more dog bones have been excavated and recorded. His results from the Anglo-Saxon period illustrated that the degree of skeletal variability had reduced after the end of the Roman occupation, with an increase in the average size. He also observed two distinct groups in the estimated shoulder height measurements. The key areas that have been considered include: dog functionality, morphology, and treatment. Influences that may have led to changes in people’s perception of dogs during this time period have been examined. Differences between England and Ireland are assessed, but variation in recording methods has meant the data obtained on the Irish dogs were limited. An interdisciplinary approach has been taken, combining archaeological, historical and anthrozoological information. New evidence has shown that humans’ relationships with dogs were more complex and varied than previous research would suggest, especially in the treatment of dogs at their death. This was particularly evident in England, where a change in the burial location of dogs was observed from the end of the seventh century, and could be linked to the development of Christianity and its negative teachings towards the dog. More metrical data from English sites have shown that the two distinct groups observed in Harcourt’s Anglo- Saxon results were no longer apparent. i ii Contents Abstract ..................................................................................................................... i Contents .................................................................................................................... iii List of Tables ............................................................................................................ x List of Figures ........................................................................................................... xii Declaration of Authorship ....................................................................................... xxi Preface and Acknowledgements ............................................................................. xxiii Chapter 1 – Introduction 1.1 Why Dogs? ..................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Origins and Domestication of the Dog – Brief Overview.............................. 1 1.3 Dogs in Archaeology – England .................................................................... 2 1.4 Dogs in Archaeology – Ireland ...................................................................... 7 1.5 Human-Dog Studies, Background into Modern Studies and Their Use in Archaeology Work ......................................................................................... 9 1.6 Aims and Objectives ...................................................................................... 11 1.7 Methodology of the Study .............................................................................. 15 1.8 Chapter Outline .............................................................................................. 17 Chapter 2 – The English Dataset 2.1 Introduction .................................................................................................... 19 2.2 Data Analysis ................................................................................................. 19 2.3 Site Location .................................................................................................. 27 2.4 Site Type ........................................................................................................ 28 2.5 Taxa Ratios ..................................................................................................... 32 2.6 Burial Location ............................................................................................... 37 2.6.1 Pit ..................................................................................................... 41 2.6.2 Ditch ................................................................................................. 42 2.6.3 Hut or House .................................................................................... 42 2.6.4 Burial or Grave ................................................................................. 44 2.6.5 Backfill ............................................................................................. 47 iii 2.6.6 Feature .............................................................................................. 47 2.7 Completeness of Skeletons............................................................................. 47 2.8 Age Profile ..................................................................................................... 51 2.9 Sex Determination .......................................................................................... 59 2.10 Butchery ......................................................................................................... 61 2.11 Pathology and Abnormalities ......................................................................... 65 2.11.1 Degenerative Conditions/Old Age ................................................... 65565 2.11.2 Trauma ............................................................................................. 66 2.11.3 Bowed Limbs ................................................................................... 68 2.11.4 Dental ............................................................................................... 70 2.12 Biometrical Data ............................................................................................ 71 2.13 Skull Measurements ....................................................................................... 71 2.13.1 Skull Indices ..................................................................................... 75 2.13.2 Cephalic Index ................................................................................. 76 2.13.3 Snout Index ...................................................................................... 77 2.13.4 Snout Width Index ........................................................................... 78 2.13.5 Neoteny Index .................................................................................. 78 2.13.6 Palatal Measurements ...................................................................... 79 2.13.7 Mandible Measurements .................................................................. 80 2.14 Limb Bone Measurements ............................................................................. 81 2.14.1 Estimated Shoulder Height .............................................................. 82 2.14.2 Limb Bone Comparisons ................................................................. 89 2.14.3 Slenderness Index ............................................................................ 93 2.15 Additional Archaeological Evidence ............................................................. 96 2.15.1 Dog Tooth Amulets .......................................................................... 96 2.15.2 Dog Gnawing ................................................................................... 98 2.15.3 Dog Coprolites ................................................................................. 98 2.16 Summary ........................................................................................................ 99 Chapter 3 – The Irish Dataset 3.1 Introduction .................................................................................................... 103 3.2 Data Analysis ................................................................................................. 103 3.3 Site Location .................................................................................................. 107 3.4 Site Type .......................................................................................................