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多年历史的城镇。它的崛起始于公元1177年，当时盎格鲁-诺曼冒险家约翰·德·库西开始建造一座大型城堡，作为他入侵战略的一部分。在整个盎格鲁-诺曼时期，它是一个主要的军事前哨，一个城市定居点和一个教会中心。到了14世纪中叶，阿尔斯特伯爵领地开始衰落，盎格鲁-诺曼殖民地被迫与卡里克弗格斯签订了契约，其腹地现在由盖尔人的克兰德博伊·奥尼尔（credeboye O' neill）控制。然而，卡里克弗格斯继续发挥作用，并通过海上通道与爱尔兰东海岸的其他盎格鲁-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。虽然偶尔受到奥尼尔的攻击，但它仍然是一个主要的贸易中心，经历了都铎九年战争（1594-1603）和随后的阿尔斯特种植园（1610），直到18世纪初被贝尔法斯特黯然失色。在过去的50年里，考古学家对卡里克弗格斯进行了大量的挖掘。总的来说，这些工作提供了大量关于城镇城堡、防御、工艺和贸易活动的信息。从英格兰和欧洲大陆进口的陶器证明了17世纪港口的活力。在各种挖掘过程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，而食用狗的证据可能证明了边境城镇生活的困难。然而，尽管有丰富的动物考古证据，还没有人对该镇中世纪的畜牧业经济进行综合研究。市民们吃的肉是怎么来的？内陆地区的恶劣环境是否意味着他们必须自给自足，维持自己的畜群，尽管有时那里的面积严重缩小？或者，是否与居住在城镇周围奥尼尔土地上的盖尔人有一定程度的合作？中世纪的卡里克弗格斯的重要性意味着这个城镇已经被很好地绘制了地图，它拥有阿尔斯特省最早的地图，可以追溯到公元1560年，以及RIA历史城镇地图集，这些将使人们能够对该镇在畜牧业方面的潜力进行调查。该项目的测绘方面也将扩展到邻近的高地，因为最近的考古调查和挖掘已经确定了在安特里姆南部高地存在一种以前未被认识的纪念碑类型，这是一类大型的亚圆形围墙，直径高达100米，通常有内部房屋。在安特里姆郡Slievenacloy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20世纪80年代在安特里姆郡Tildarg出土的一个平行遗址可以追溯到12-14世纪。历史资料证实，这些古迹是高地牧场；克利德博耶以盛产牛而闻名，拥有广阔的牧场，能养活成千上万头牲畜。卡里克弗格斯的居民是否与当地的盖尔牧牛大亨进行牲畜交易？20世纪90年代的动物报告使用了现代动物考古学方法，但早期的组合将被重新分析，并整合所有动物考古学材料。将对主要家畜品种的样本进行多同位素分析、硫、氧和锶，以确定它们的原产地。这种多代理方法结合了历史制图、景观调查、历史资料的使用、动物考古学和多同位素分析，有可能为人类与动物的相互作用提供更细致的理解，这种相互作用使卡里克弗格斯的英国小镇能够在盖尔景观中运作。

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.