Was pike on the menu? Exploring the role of freshwater fish in medieval England

Bibliographic Data

ID5409548
AuthorsAngela Maccarinelli (0000-0002-2535-5057, University of Sheffield, corresponding author)
Year2021
Volume13
Issue8
Publication date2021-08-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueArchaeological and Anthropological Sciences (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1866-9557 • E-ISSN: 1866-9565
PublisherSpringer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1007/s12520-021-01373-6
OpenAlexW3181670650
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited20

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

Biology · Catch and release · Diversity of fish · Estuary · Fish · Fishery · Fishing · Freshwater fish · Geography · Pike · Recreational fishing · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Colonialism, slavery, and trade · Global Maritime and Colonial Histories · Ecology