Insular Husbandry Practises in the Late and Post-Mdieval Periods - Marion Devigne - ARP 2022

Insular Husbandry Practises in the Late and Post-Medieval Periods:
a Zooarchaeological and Ethnographic Study of the Isle of Gunna, Inner Hebrides
This multidisciplinary research project combines historical sources with the analysis of
faunal remains excavated in Gunna, Inner Hebrides, to study the relationship between
people and animals in the Western Isles of Scotland in the late and post-medieval
periods.
This project explores the traditional lifeways in the Western Isles of Scotland, and more
particularly the relationship between people and animals in the late and post-medieval
periods (1500-1800). Few studies have focused on the analysis of faunal remains in the
Inner and Outer Hebrides due to the limited number of archaeological sites excavated
and animal bone assemblages recovered. In 1998, excavations on the small island of
Gunna revealed several structures, associated material culture, as well as a very well-
preserved assemblage of animal bones. However, it had never been fully recorded
and analysed. Examining the domestic and wild animals excavated in Gunna is a unique
opportunity to explore insular husbandry and farming practises during the late and
post-medieval periods in this region of Scotland. Therefore, this project aims to tell a
story of the traditional lifeways in the Hebrides, in particular, farming, fishing, fowling,
and hunting. The project was divided into two parts: first, the osteological analysis
of more than 600 animal bones at the Department of Archaeology, University of
Aberdeen where the species, measurements, butchery marks, or other bone alterations
were recorded in a database. Secondly, the archaeological record was combined with
a study of contemporary historic and ethnographic sources, which includes personal
and administrative accounts, historical maps, and photographs, ranging from the 16th to
the 20th century. This approach aimed to question whether the archaeological record
echoed historical sources. Through this multidisciplinary research, a more precise
chronology of the site is proposed along with new information about dietary practises,
animal exploitation strategies, and the settlement's economy. The presentation
would introduce the current results of the research and touch upon future work. This
research will be presented by Marion Devigne, a fourth-year undergraduate student
in Archaeology and History at the University of Aberdeen. She has been awarded a
Carnegie Trust Undergraduate Vacation Scholarship to conduct this research project in
2021. This project was supervised by Dr Edouard Masson-Maclean, a research fellow at
the University of Aberdeen. His research interests include archaeozoology, fieldwork
practices and recording, Arctic archaeology, and animal husbandry in early medieval
Scotland.
Presentation by Marion Devigne
University of Aberdeen