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Size increase in Post-Medieval English sheep

The osteological evidence

Bibliographic Data

ID12480357
AuthorsT P O'Connor (University of Bradford, corresponding author)
Year1995
Issue4
Pages81-91
Publication date1995-10-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueArchaeofauna (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1132-6891
PublisherServicio de Publicaciones de la Universidad Autonoma de Madrid (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.15366/archaeofauna1995.4.009
OpenAlexW130797588
LanguageEN
Citations received5

From the end of the medieval period to the end of the 18th century, the economic priorities of sheep farming over much of England shifted from an emphasis on wool and milk to one which valued meat as never before. With this change in priority came attempts to increase the carcass size and to ’improve’ the conformation, and many present-day breeds owe their origins to this process. A general increase in size of sheep is reported in documentary records from this period, but there is little published supporting evidence from the archaeological record. This paper draws together some biometrical data from post-medieval sheep, and shows the size increase to have been gradual, piecemeal, and a phenomenon of the late 18th-19th centuries

Archaeology · Biology · Geography · Osteology · Zoology · Folklore, Mythology, and Literature Studies · Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology Studies · Genetic and phenotypic traits in livestock

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Unique citing works5
Citations per year0.38
Citation span2013 - 2026 (14)
Citation velocitycurrent
Highly citedNo
Citation typesNeutral: 5

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