Naomi Sykes
Biographic Data
| ID | 116936 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Naomi Sykes |
| GIVEN NAMES | Naomi |
| FAMILY NAME | Sykes |
| SIGNATURE | SYKES N |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Nottingham |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-6114-7557 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 46 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 208 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 44 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 2 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1934 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 9 |
A Modern Metrical Baseline for Sexing Sheep Horn‐Cores
Sex determination is essential for reconstructing past livestock management, yet the limited skeletal sexual dimorphism of sheep hinders the identification of ewes, rams, and wethers in archaeological assemblages. Horn‐cores are the most sexually dimorphic element of the sheep skeleton, and here, we establish a new metrical baseline for differentiating these groups. This was created using three measurements—basal circumference, maximum basal diam…
Tracking 4000 years of raptor diets through isotope analysis reveals urban scavenging with implications for conservation
A photographic atlas for European freshwater and migratory fish remains and key considerations for their analysis
Identification of archeological fish remains requires the use of comparative reference materials, generally in the form of disarticulated fish skeletons. Photographic or illustrative atlases provide an additional resource for the analysis of fish remains. Photographic resources exist for many marine species and for specific geographic regions, whereas freshwater European species have not been covered in great detail. Here, we present a photograph…
Redefining the timing and circumstances of the chicken's introduction to Europe and north-west Africa
Little is known about the early history of the chicken ( Gallus gallus domesticus ), including the timing and circumstances of its introduction into new cultural environments. To evaluate its spatio-temporal spread across Eurasia and north-west Africa, the authors radiocarbon dated 23 chicken bones from presumed early contexts. Three-quarters returned dates later than those suggested by stratigraphy, indicating the importance of direct dating. Th…
Debates and emerging issues in 2022
In search of the 'great horse
Popular culture presents a deep-rooted perception of medieval warhorses as massive and powerful mounts, but medieval textual and iconographic evidence remains highly debated. Furthermore, identifying warhorses in the zooarchaeological record is challenging due to both a paucity of horse remains relative to other domesticates, and the tendency of researchers to focus on osteological size, which makes it difficult to reconstruct in-life usage of ho…
Estimating the age of domestic fowl (Gallus gallus domesticusL. 1758) cockerels through spur development
Determining the age of bird remains after the cessation of growth is challenging due to the absence of techniques such as tooth eruption and wear available for mammals. Without these techniques, it is difficult to reconstruct hunting strategies, husbandry regimes, and wider human-animal relationships. This paper presents a new method, developed from a collection (n = 71) of known-age specimens of domestic fowl (Gallus gallus domesticusL. 1758), f…
Hunting and Hunting Landscapes
The introduction of the European fallow deer to the northern provinces of the Roman Empire
Many exotic animal species were introduced to Northern Europe during the Roman period, including fallow deer ( Dama dama ). To date, however, finds of fallow deer bones at archaeological sites in this region have been sporadic and disarticulated, leaving uncertainty over their origins. This article presents the first known articulated fallow deer skeleton from Roman North-western Europe. Osteological, ancient DNA, radiocarbon dating and stable is…
Anglo-Norman Studies XLI
In view and under foot
The chance discovery of an 18th-century knuckle-bone floor at the National Trust property of Belton House in Lincolnshire prompted a review of all known post-medieval knuckle-bone floors i
Archaeological and biometric perspectives on the development of chicken landraces in the Horn of Africa
Domestic chickens (Gallus gallus domesticusL., 1758) were integrated into agricultural systems in the Horn of Africa as early as the pre-Aksumite period (c. 2,500 years ago), after they were introduced from Asia through land and maritime trade and exchange. In this paper, we explore the development of chicken landraces in this region by examining continuity and change in chicken body size. Specifically, we compare the measurements of chicken bone…
Beyond curse or blessing
International audience
Ring depressions in cattle horncores as indicators of traction use – a cautionary note
Animals, the Bones of Medieval Society
The importance of animals in medieval society cannot be overstated — they inhabited the landscape and minds of the population who utilized them for food, as economic commodities, raw materials and as symbols. Interpretations beyond ‘what people ate’ are provided by cull patterns, constructed from bone development and dental ageing data, which can indicate how animals were used prior to their slaughter. Age and size data can be particularly inform…
Ireland's fallow deer
Fiona Beglane*, Karis Baker, Ruth F. Carden, A. Rus Hoelzel, Angela L. Lamb, Rita Mhig Fhionnghaile, Holly Miller, Naomi Sykes, Ireland's fallow deer: their historical, archaeological and biomolecular records, Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy: Archaeology, Culture, History, Literature, Vol. 118C (2018), pp. 141-165
Celebrating Easter, Christmas and their associated alien fauna
Easter and Christmas are the most important events in the Christian calendar. Despite their global \nreach and cultural significance astonishingly little is known about the festivals’ genesis. Equally \nobscure is our understanding of the animals that have come to be associated with these celebrations \n– notably the Christmas Turkey and the Easter ‘Bunny’ (brown hare and the European rabbit). Like \nChristianity, none of these animals are native…
Celebrating archaeology and the archaeology of celebrations
This volume, which marks the fiftieth anniversary of World Archaeology, is fittingly on the theme of \ncelebrations and festivities. In keeping with the theme, this editorial has been co-authored by \ncurrent members of the editorial board who, in addition to introducing the papers submitted \nwithin the volume, have added commentary on the subject of celebrations from their own \ntemporal and geographical areas of expertise
New directions in the archaeology of medicine
The maintenance of human health and the mechanisms by which this is achieved – through medicine, medical intervention and care-giving – are fundamentals of human societies. However, within archaeol
The identification of poultry processing in archaeological ceramic vessels using in-situ isotope references for organic residue analysis
Poultry products are rarely considered when reconstructing pottery use through organic residue analysis, impinging upon our understanding of the changing role of these animals in the past. Here we evaluate an isotopic approach for distinguishing chicken fats from other animal products. We compare the carbon isotopes of fatty acids extracted from modern tissues and archaeological bones and demonstrate that archaeological bones from contexts associ…
From Icon of Empire to National Emblem
Barbuda and Antigua’s national animal is the fallow deer, Dama dama dama, a species native to the eastern Mediterranean that has been transported around the world by people during the last 8000 years. The timing and circumstances by which fallow deer came to be established on Barbuda are currently uncertain but, by examining documentary, osteological and genetic evidence, this paper will consider the validity of existing theories. It will review …
Fair game
This paper brings together zooarchaeological data from Neolithic to Post-medieval sites in England to explore the plasticity of cultural attitudes to the consumption of wild animals. It shows how, through time, game has been considered variously as ‘tabooed’ and ‘edible’, each having implications for patterns of biodiversity and wildlife management. The essential points being made are that deeper-time studies can reveal how human perceptions of ‘…
Fiona Beglane . Anglo-Norman parks in medieval Ireland. 2015. xii+227 pages, 66 b&w illustrations. Dublin
An abstract is not available for this content so a preview has been provided. Please use the Get access link above for information on how to access this content
Wild to domestic and back again
This paper presents the results of the first comprehensive scientific study of the fallow deer, a non-native species whose medieval-period introduction to Britain transformed the cultural landscape. It brings together data from traditional zooarchaeological analyses with those derived from new ageing techniques as well as the results of a programme of radiocarbon dating, multi-element isotope studies and genetic analyses. These new data are here …
Zootherapy in Archaeology
The abundant anthropological and historical evidence for animal-based medicine, or zootherapy, suggests that animals are, and have always been, perceived as important components in maintaining human health and well-being. Despite being interwoven into every aspect of life, from food medicines to ritual practice and everyday human-animal interactions, zootherapies are widely considered invisible in the archaeological record, perhaps because of the…
A social perspective on the introduction of exotic animals
Studies of animal introductions have traditionally been the preserve of ecologists and natural historians but here it is argued that exotic species are a rich source of cultural evidence with the potential to enhance archaeological interpretations relating to human behaviour and beliefs. This paper focuses on the domestic fowl (Gallus gallus), a native of East Asia that spread across Europe during the Neolithic to Iron Age and became well establi…
New evidence for the establishment and management of the European fallow deer (Dama dama dama) in Roman Britain
The identification of poultry processing in archaeological ceramic vessels using in-situ isotope references for organic residue analysis
Poultry products are rarely considered when reconstructing pottery use through organic residue analysis, impinging upon our understanding of the changing role of these animals in the past. Here we evaluate an isotopic approach for distinguishing chicken fats from other animal products. We compare the carbon isotopes of fatty acids extracted from modern tissues and archaeological bones and demonstrate that archaeological bones from contexts associ…
Deer, Land, Knives and Halls
It is well known that Anglo-Saxon England witnessed dramatic changes in landscape organization, economy and social structure but this paper aims to demonstrate how a more nuanced appreciation of these transformations can be gained by weaving together different (and superficially incompatible) strands of information. Here zooarchaeological data relating to the distribution and consumption of venison are combined with evidence from studies of weapo…
Tracking animals using strontium isotopes in teeth
Using strontium isotope measurements on the teeth of fallow deer found at Fishbourne, the authors argue that these elegant creatures were first introduced into Britain as a gift to the Romanised aristocracy. Kept and bred in a special enclosure at the palace, they provided more than a status symbol and gastronomic treat: the fallow deer was an emblem of Empire
Les fouilles de Tell es-Sakan (Gaza)
Tell es-Sakan a connu deux phases d'occupation culturellement distinctes : une phase égyptienne (niveaux 9 à 6) caractérisée par une culture matérielle presque exclusivement égyptienne qui date de l'époque prédynastique récente (Dynastie 0), soit du Bronze ancien IB récent de Palestine ; et une phase cananéenne (niveaux 5 à 1) qui relève de la civilisation cananéenne du Bronze ancien III. Protégé par des fortifications reconstruites deux fois, l …
Fallow deer (Dama dama dama) management in Roman South-East Britain
Beyond curse or blessing
International audience
The Dynamics of Status Symbols
Hawking and the consumption of wildfowl were unquestionably a mark of nobility in later medieval England, and, as such, the archaeological representation of wild birds has come to be viewed as a signature of medieval elite settlement. Like all fashions, however, the social significance of wildfowling and the consumption of different game birds changed through time. Historical evidence does not record clearly when these activities acquired their h…
Redefining the timing and circumstances of the chicken's introduction to Europe and north-west Africa
Little is known about the early history of the chicken ( Gallus gallus domesticus ), including the timing and circumstances of its introduction into new cultural environments. To evaluate its spatio-temporal spread across Eurasia and north-west Africa, the authors radiocarbon dated 23 chicken bones from presumed early contexts. Three-quarters returned dates later than those suggested by stratigraphy, indicating the importance of direct dating. Th…
From Icon of Empire to National Emblem
Barbuda and Antigua’s national animal is the fallow deer, Dama dama dama, a species native to the eastern Mediterranean that has been transported around the world by people during the last 8000 years. The timing and circumstances by which fallow deer came to be established on Barbuda are currently uncertain but, by examining documentary, osteological and genetic evidence, this paper will consider the validity of existing theories. It will review …
Changes in the size and shape of fallow deer-evidence for the movement and management of a species
The European fallow deer (Dama dama dama) is native to the eastern Mediterranean and whilst it is clear that its dispersion from this region was the result of human transportation, the timing and circumstances of its post-glacial diffusion are still uncertain. Archaeological fallow deer remains offer perhaps the best opportunity to understand the deep history of the species, with measurements of ancient bones providing important information about…
New directions in the archaeology of medicine
The maintenance of human health and the mechanisms by which this is achieved – through medicine, medical intervention and care-giving – are fundamentals of human societies. However, within archaeol
Dama Dentition
Reliable ageing techniques for wild animals are notoriously challenging to develop because of the scarcity of sizeable collections of known-age specimens. Without such techniques it is difficult to reconstruct hunting patterns, which is a significant problem for the examination of assemblages from pre-farming cultures. This paper presents a new method, based on mandibular tooth eruption and wear, for assessing the age of fallow deer. The method w…
Is it time for an elemental and humoral (re)turn in archaeology
This paper asks whether archaeologists might profitably re-engage with the pre-Enlightenment doctrines of elemental philosophy and humoral theory as paradigms more relevant for archaeological interpretation in certain contexts than much of current theoretical discourse. These ancient cosmologies are here reconceptualized to suggest ways in which archaeologists might provide fairer representations of past cultures, through the readoption of ideas …
Archaeological and biometric perspectives on the development of chicken landraces in the Horn of Africa
Domestic chickens (Gallus gallus domesticusL., 1758) were integrated into agricultural systems in the Horn of Africa as early as the pre-Aksumite period (c. 2,500 years ago), after they were introduced from Asia through land and maritime trade and exchange. In this paper, we explore the development of chicken landraces in this region by examining continuity and change in chicken body size. Specifically, we compare the measurements of chicken bone…
Celebrating Easter, Christmas and their associated alien fauna
Easter and Christmas are the most important events in the Christian calendar. Despite their global \nreach and cultural significance astonishingly little is known about the festivals’ genesis. Equally \nobscure is our understanding of the animals that have come to be associated with these celebrations \n– notably the Christmas Turkey and the Easter ‘Bunny’ (brown hare and the European rabbit). Like \nChristianity, none of these animals are native…
Dead or alive? Investigating long-distance transport of live fallow deer and their body parts in antiquity
The extent to which breeding populations of fallow deer were established in Roman Europe has been obscured by the possibility that the skeletal remains of the species, in particular Dama foot bones and antlers, were traded over long distances as objects in their own right. This paper sets out to refine our understanding of the evidence for the transportation of living and dead fallow deer in Iron Age and Roman Europe. To achieve this, museum arch…
Estimating the age of domestic fowl (Gallus gallus domesticusL. 1758) cockerels through spur development
Determining the age of bird remains after the cessation of growth is challenging due to the absence of techniques such as tooth eruption and wear available for mammals. Without these techniques, it is difficult to reconstruct hunting strategies, husbandry regimes, and wider human-animal relationships. This paper presents a new method, developed from a collection (n = 71) of known-age specimens of domestic fowl (Gallus gallus domesticusL. 1758), f…
Fair game
This paper brings together zooarchaeological data from Neolithic to Post-medieval sites in England to explore the plasticity of cultural attitudes to the consumption of wild animals. It shows how, through time, game has been considered variously as ‘tabooed’ and ‘edible’, each having implications for patterns of biodiversity and wildlife management. The essential points being made are that deeper-time studies can reveal how human perceptions of ‘…
Were Fallow Deer Spotted (OE * pohha /* pocca ) in Anglo-Saxon England? Reviewing the Evidence for Dama dama dama in Early Medieval Europe
There is a Growing recognition that introduced species are direct records of cultural activity and that studies of their biogeography have the potential to tell us about patterns of human migration, trade and even ideology. In England the fallow deer (Dama dama dama) is one of the earliest and most successful animal introductions, whose establishment has traditionally been attributed to the Normans. However, recent investigations of Old English p…
The Introduction of Fallow Deer to Britain
Ambiguous historical evidence, misidentifications, contextual disturbance, as well as ancient trade in antler and other skeletal elements, have all confused our understanding of the past distribution and spread of European fallow deer (Vama dama). In order to determine the date and source of their introduction to Britain, this paper sets out to examine and, in some cases, re-analyse the zooarchaeological evidence for this species
A photographic atlas for European freshwater and migratory fish remains and key considerations for their analysis
Identification of archeological fish remains requires the use of comparative reference materials, generally in the form of disarticulated fish skeletons. Photographic or illustrative atlases provide an additional resource for the analysis of fish remains. Photographic resources exist for many marine species and for specific geographic regions, whereas freshwater European species have not been covered in great detail. Here, we present a photograph…
In search of the 'great horse
Popular culture presents a deep-rooted perception of medieval warhorses as massive and powerful mounts, but medieval textual and iconographic evidence remains highly debated. Furthermore, identifying warhorses in the zooarchaeological record is challenging due to both a paucity of horse remains relative to other domesticates, and the tendency of researchers to focus on osteological size, which makes it difficult to reconstruct in-life usage of ho…
Ireland's fallow deer
Fiona Beglane*, Karis Baker, Ruth F. Carden, A. Rus Hoelzel, Angela L. Lamb, Rita Mhig Fhionnghaile, Holly Miller, Naomi Sykes, Ireland's fallow deer: their historical, archaeological and biomolecular records, Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy: Archaeology, Culture, History, Literature, Vol. 118C (2018), pp. 141-165
The Study of History1
Queen Anne and the Episcopate
Journal Article Queen Anne and the Episcopate Get access N. SYKES N. SYKES Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar The English Historical Review, Volume L, Issue CXCIX, July 1935, Pages 433–464, https://doi.org/10.1093/ehr/L.CXCIX.433 Published: 01 July 1935
Church and State in England in the XVIIIth Century
Les fouilles de Tell es-Sakan (Gaza)
Tell es-Sakan a connu deux phases d'occupation culturellement distinctes : une phase égyptienne (niveaux 9 à 6) caractérisée par une culture matérielle presque exclusivement égyptienne qui date de l'époque prédynastique récente (Dynastie 0), soit du Bronze ancien IB récent de Palestine ; et une phase cananéenne (niveaux 5 à 1) qui relève de la civilisation cananéenne du Bronze ancien III. Protégé par des fortifications reconstruites deux fois, l …
The Introduction of Fallow Deer to Britain
Ambiguous historical evidence, misidentifications, contextual disturbance, as well as ancient trade in antler and other skeletal elements, have all confused our understanding of the past distribution and spread of European fallow deer (Vama dama). In order to determine the date and source of their introduction to Britain, this paper sets out to examine and, in some cases, re-analyse the zooarchaeological evidence for this species.
The Introduction of Fallow Deer to Britain
Ambiguous historical evidence, misidentifications, contextual disturbance, as well as ancient trade in antler and other skeletal elements, have all confused our understanding of the past distribution and spread of European fallow deer (Vama dama). In order to determine the date and source of their introduction to Britain, this paper sets out to examine and, in some cases, re-analyse the zooarchaeological evidence for this species
The Dynamics of Status Symbols
Hawking and the consumption of wildfowl were unquestionably a mark of nobility in later medieval England, and, as such, the archaeological representation of wild birds has come to be viewed as a signature of medieval elite settlement. Like all fashions, however, the social significance of wildfowling and the consumption of different game birds changed through time. Historical evidence does not record clearly when these activities acquired their h…
Tracking animals using strontium isotopes in teeth
Using strontium isotope measurements on the teeth of fallow deer found at Fishbourne, the authors argue that these elegant creatures were first introduced into Britain as a gift to the Romanised aristocracy. Kept and bred in a special enclosure at the palace, they provided more than a status symbol and gastronomic treat: the fallow deer was an emblem of Empire
Sexing cattle horn-cores
It has long been recognised that cattle horn-cores are sexually dimorphic, and many methods have been developed using archaeological material for differentiating between specimens belonging to cows, bulls and oxen. Whilst these techniques have been adopted widely by zooarchaeologists, in particular those studying medieval and post-medieval tannery and horn-working assemblages, they are highly subjective and their reliability has never been tested…
Extinctions and Invasions
New evidence for the establishment and management of the European fallow deer (Dama dama dama) in Roman Britain
Deer, Land, Knives and Halls
It is well known that Anglo-Saxon England witnessed dramatic changes in landscape organization, economy and social structure but this paper aims to demonstrate how a more nuanced appreciation of these transformations can be gained by weaving together different (and superficially incompatible) strands of information. Here zooarchaeological data relating to the distribution and consumption of venison are combined with evidence from studies of weapo…
Were Fallow Deer Spotted (OE * pohha /* pocca ) in Anglo-Saxon England? Reviewing the Evidence for Dama dama dama in Early Medieval Europe
There is a Growing recognition that introduced species are direct records of cultural activity and that studies of their biogeography have the potential to tell us about patterns of human migration, trade and even ideology. In England the fallow deer (Dama dama dama) is one of the earliest and most successful animal introductions, whose establishment has traditionally been attributed to the Normans. However, recent investigations of Old English p…
A social perspective on the introduction of exotic animals
Studies of animal introductions have traditionally been the preserve of ecologists and natural historians but here it is argued that exotic species are a rich source of cultural evidence with the potential to enhance archaeological interpretations relating to human behaviour and beliefs. This paper focuses on the domestic fowl (Gallus gallus), a native of East Asia that spread across Europe during the Neolithic to Iron Age and became well establi…
Fallow deer (Dama dama dama) management in Roman South-East Britain
Changes in the size and shape of fallow deer-evidence for the movement and management of a species
The European fallow deer (Dama dama dama) is native to the eastern Mediterranean and whilst it is clear that its dispersion from this region was the result of human transportation, the timing and circumstances of its post-glacial diffusion are still uncertain. Archaeological fallow deer remains offer perhaps the best opportunity to understand the deep history of the species, with measurements of ancient bones providing important information about…
Deer and People
Dead or alive? Investigating long-distance transport of live fallow deer and their body parts in antiquity
The extent to which breeding populations of fallow deer were established in Roman Europe has been obscured by the possibility that the skeletal remains of the species, in particular Dama foot bones and antlers, were traded over long distances as objects in their own right. This paper sets out to refine our understanding of the evidence for the transportation of living and dead fallow deer in Iron Age and Roman Europe. To achieve this, museum arch…
Fiona Beglane . Anglo-Norman parks in medieval Ireland. 2015. xii+227 pages, 66 b&w illustrations. Dublin
An abstract is not available for this content so a preview has been provided. Please use the Get access link above for information on how to access this content
Wild to domestic and back again
This paper presents the results of the first comprehensive scientific study of the fallow deer, a non-native species whose medieval-period introduction to Britain transformed the cultural landscape. It brings together data from traditional zooarchaeological analyses with those derived from new ageing techniques as well as the results of a programme of radiocarbon dating, multi-element isotope studies and genetic analyses. These new data are here …
Zootherapy in Archaeology
The abundant anthropological and historical evidence for animal-based medicine, or zootherapy, suggests that animals are, and have always been, perceived as important components in maintaining human health and well-being. Despite being interwoven into every aspect of life, from food medicines to ritual practice and everyday human-animal interactions, zootherapies are widely considered invisible in the archaeological record, perhaps because of the…
Both introduced and extinct
Dama Dentition
Reliable ageing techniques for wild animals are notoriously challenging to develop because of the scarcity of sizeable collections of known-age specimens. Without such techniques it is difficult to reconstruct hunting patterns, which is a significant problem for the examination of assemblages from pre-farming cultures. This paper presents a new method, based on mandibular tooth eruption and wear, for assessing the age of fallow deer. The method w…
Is it time for an elemental and humoral (re)turn in archaeology
This paper asks whether archaeologists might profitably re-engage with the pre-Enlightenment doctrines of elemental philosophy and humoral theory as paradigms more relevant for archaeological interpretation in certain contexts than much of current theoretical discourse. These ancient cosmologies are here reconceptualized to suggest ways in which archaeologists might provide fairer representations of past cultures, through the readoption of ideas …
The identification of poultry processing in archaeological ceramic vessels using in-situ isotope references for organic residue analysis
Poultry products are rarely considered when reconstructing pottery use through organic residue analysis, impinging upon our understanding of the changing role of these animals in the past. Here we evaluate an isotopic approach for distinguishing chicken fats from other animal products. We compare the carbon isotopes of fatty acids extracted from modern tissues and archaeological bones and demonstrate that archaeological bones from contexts associ…
Geography (32 works) · Archaeology (30 works) · History (26 works) · Biology (22 works) · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies (19 works) · History (14 works) · Wildlife Ecology and Conservation (14 works) · Art (13 works) · Ecology (12 works) · Sociology (10 works)