Feeding Medieval Carrickfergus: A Multi-proxy Study of Livestock Husbandry in a Frontier Town

卡里克弗格斯位于爱尔兰北部的东海岸，是一个有800多年历史的小镇。它的声望始于公元1177年，当时盎格鲁-诺曼冒险家约翰·德·库西开始建造一座大城堡，作为他入侵战略的一部分。在整个盎格鲁-诺曼时期，它是一个重要的军事前哨、城市聚居地和教会中心。到14世纪中叶，阿尔斯特的地位衰落，盎格鲁-诺曼殖民地被迫收缩到卡里克弗格斯手中，卡里克弗格斯现在由盖尔族领主克兰德博耶·奥尼尔控制。然而，Carrickfergus继续发挥作用，并通过海路与爱尔兰东海岸其他盎格鲁-诺曼地区保持联系，并在整个中世纪后期一直处于英国人的控制之下。虽然偶尔会受到奥尼尔的攻击，但在都铎九年战争(1594-1603)和随后的阿尔斯特种植园(1610)期间，它仍然是一个主要的贸易中心，直到18世纪初被贝尔法斯特黯然失色。在过去的50年里，考古学家密集地挖掘出了Carrickfergus。总体而言，这项工作产生了大量关于该镇城堡、防御、手工艺和贸易活动的信息。从英格兰和欧洲大陆进口陶器的证据可以证明17世纪港口的活力。在各种发掘中发现的大量动物考古收藏品对中世纪时期城镇居民的肉类饮食有了深入的了解，而狗的消费的证据可能证明了边境城镇的生活困难。然而，尽管有丰富的动物考古学证据，但还没有对该镇中世纪的畜牧业经济进行综合研究。乡亲们是怎么得到他们消费的肉的？腹地的敌对性质是否意味着他们必须自给自足，维持自己的牛群，尽管有时它的面积严重收缩？或者，与居住在小镇周围奥尼尔土地上的盖尔人有一定程度的合作吗？中世纪卡里克弗格斯的重要性意味着小镇已经被很好地绘制出来，它拥有阿尔斯特最早的地图，可以追溯到公元1560年，以及RIA历史城镇地图集，这些将使人们能够询问小镇在畜牧业方面的潜力。该项目的测绘工作也将扩展到邻近的高地，因为最近的考古调查和挖掘发现，在南安特里姆的高地上存在一种以前未被认识的纪念碑类型，这是一类大型亚圆形围栏，直径高达约100米，通常带有内部房屋。对在Slivenacloy，Co.Antrim出土的这样一个遗址的放射性碳年代测定表明，它在中世纪时期使用，而在20世纪80年代在Tildarg，Co.Antrim出土的平行遗址，可以追溯到12-14世纪。将这些古迹确定为旱地牛圈的说法得到了历史来源的支持；Clandeboye是众所周知的好牛国，拥有广阔的牧场，能够饲养数千头动物。卡里克弗格斯的居民与当地盖尔牛业大亨交易他们的牲畜是真的吗？20世纪90年代的动物报告使用了现代动物考古方法，但将重新分析以前的组合，并整合所有动物考古材料。主要牲畜品种的样本将接受多同位素分析，包括硫、氧和锶，以确定其来源。这种多代理方法结合了历史测绘、景观调查、历史源的使用、动物考古学和多同位素分析，有可能提供对人与动物相互作用的更细微的理解，使卡里克弗格斯的英国小镇能够在其盖尔景观中运作。

Carrickfergus, located on the eastern coast of the north of Ireland, has been a town for over 800 years. Its rise to prominence started in AD 1177 when the Anglo-Norman adventurer John de Courcy commenced the construction of a major castle as part of his invasion strategy. Throughout the Anglo-Norman period it was a major military outpost, an urban settlement, and an ecclesiastical centre. By the mid-14th century the earldom of Ulster was in decline and the Anglo-Norman colony was forced to contract to Carrickfergus, its hinterland now controlled by the Gaelic lordship of the Clandeboye O'Neills. Carrickfergus continued to function, however, and remained in contact via sea-lanes other Anglo-Norman areas along the eastern coast of Ireland and remained under English control throughout the Late Medieval period. While subject to occasional O'Neill attack, it continued to be a major trading centre, through the Tudor Nine Years War (1594-1603) and the subsequent Plantation of Ulster (1610), to the early 18th century when it became eclipsed by Belfast. Carrickfergus has been intensively excavated by archaeologists over the past 50 years. Collectively this work has yielded a substantial body of information about the town's castle, defences, craftworking and trading activities. The vibrancy of the port in the 17th century is attested through evidence of imported pottery from England and continental Europe. Substantial zooarchaeological collections recovered during the various excavations have yielded insights concerning the meat diet of the townsfolk across the Medieval period, while evidence for the consumption of dogs may attest to the difficulties of life within a frontier town. Despite this rich array of zooarchaeological evidence, however, no synthetic study has been made of the town's Medieval livestock economy. How did the townsfolk get the meat they consumed? Did the hostile nature of the hinterland mean they had to become self-sufficient, maintaining their own herds, despite its heavily contracted extent at times? Alternatively, was there a degree of cooperation with the Gaelic population living on the O'Neill lands surrounding the town?The importance of Medieval Carrickfergus has meant the town has been well mapped and it boasts the earliest map of any town in Ulster, dating to AD 1560, as well as a RIA historic town atlas and these will enable an interrogation of the town's potential in terms of livestock husbandry. The mapping aspect of the project will also be extended to the adjacent uplands since recent archaeological survey and excavation has identified the existence of a previously unrecognised type of monument in the uplands of south Antrim a class of large sub-circular enclosures, with diameters up to about 100m, often with internal houses. Radiocarbon dating of such a site excavated at Slievenacloy, Co. Antrim, indicate its use during the Medieval period, while a parallel site excavated during the 1980s at Tildarg, Co. Antrim, dated to the 12-14th centuries. The identification of these monuments as upland cattle enclosures finds support in the historical sources; Clandeboye was known to be good cattle country with extensive grazing lands capable of feeding thousands of animals. Is it the case that the inhabitants of Carrickfergus were trading with local Gaelic cattle barons for their livestock?The 1990s faunal reports used modern zooarchaeological approaches but earlier assemblages will be re-analysed and all zooarchaeological materials integrated. Samples of the main livestock species will be subject to multi-isotope analysis, sulphur, oxygen and strontium to determine their place of origin. This multi-proxy approach combining historical mapping, landscape survey, use of historical sources, zooarchaeology and multi-isotope analysis has the potential to provide a more nuanced understanding of the human-animal interactions that enabled the English town at Carrickfergus to operate within its Gaelic landscape.