Ebook: Animal Bones from Excavations in Colchester, 1971-85

With a contribution by Don Brotwell.

In 1974, Dr Graham Webster boldly stated in his book, 'Practical Archaeology': 'It is sad to note that in Britain, animal archaeology is still much in its infancy. There are very few workers in this field and little is available for research funds. The best work has been done in other countries like Holland, Poland and Russia'. His remark is a reasonably accurate appraisal of the situation prior to 1970. However, the emergence and growth of rescue archaeology in Britain during the 1970s led to the unearthing of huge deposits of animal bone, particularly from urban sites, for example at Colchester, Exeter, Lincoln, Southampton, Winchester and York. The interpretation of these remains caused the discipline of British zooarchaeology, that is the study of animal remains from archaeological sites, to evolve along new lines, since the immense quantity of material demanded more improved and refined methods of analysis that were essentially costeffective.