Format: Paper presentations with discussion
Convenors:
Talia Green, Jem Archaeology Pty Ltd, Melbourne, Australia, talia@jemarchaeology.com.au
Marc Cheeseman, The University of Queensland, Australia, m.cheeseman@uq.edu.au
Eric Tourigny, Newcastle University, UK, Eric.Tourigny@newcastle.ac.uk
This session will focus on the application of zooarchaeological methods in historical archaeology and how these applications contribute to our understanding of the recorded past. Human/animal relationships are complex and vary significantly in accordance with cultural traditions and, as such, the study of faunal remains in the archaeological record is an integral component of forming a better understanding of the role of animals in past societies and the relationship between animals, humans and the environment. The analysis of faunal remains can provide valuable contributions to our understanding of the impacts of colonialism, and how these impacts are reflected in human societies and the wider landscape; including the diet of humans and animals, the influence of Indigenous resources on the diet of colonists, impact of settlers on Indigenous people, socioeconomic status, resource availability, animal/human companionship, the use and demand for animal by-products, the importance of animals in cultural contexts, the use of animals in farming, agriculture and transport, the influence of the natural and adapted environment on livestock diaspora, and the role of animals in human adaptation to new environments. This session also invites papers considering zooarchaeology applications in Indigenous contexts within the historical period.
Papers:
Socio-economic Position and Diet: Determining Dietary Patterns of Populations in Colonial-era Sydney from Sheep (Ovis aries) Butchery Patterns
Talia Green, Senior Archaeologist/Heritage Advisor, Jem Archaeology Pty Ltd, Melbourne, Australia
Melanie Filios, University of New England, Australia
This study analysed the skeletal element profiles and butchery patterns of an assemblage of Ovis aries (sheep) bone recovered from an historic well in order to reconstruct the dietary patterns of a population in colonial-era Sydney. These findings ultimately informed the specific sheep products being utilised for food and associated socio-economic position of the focus population.
This analysis indicates that mutton, rather than lamb, was a dietary staple of those in and around the study area in colonial times, and that low-quality mutton cuts were favoured over the higher quality and more expensive alternatives. It was determined that these products formed the basis of low-quality, one pot meals such as stews, soups, pies, shanks and hot pots, and some medium quality dishes such as roasts and stews. Occasionally, higher quality mutton cuts were also eaten. This research identified that resource availability in the vicinity of the study area was good, but access was dependent on income and indirectly, socioeconomic position.
The age at death and unusual nature of the study assemblage indicates that the assemblage is representative of domestic, commercial and communal eating environments, and that animals within this assemblage were likely utilised for by-products such as wool and glue.
A Comparative Zooarchaeological Analysis of Chinese and European Migrant Food Choice in 19th Century Queensland, Australia
Marc Cheeseman, The University of Queensland, Australia
Zooarchaeological evidence (faunal remains) from post-European settlement archaeological sites in Queensland, Australia, has received relatively little study. Further, most publications that discuss faunal remains from Australian historical sites more broadly are preoccupied with Anglo-Australian contexts and typically overlook considerations of how sociocultural identity interacts with food choice, favouring instead economic interpretations of food choice and consumption.
This presentation will compare zooarchaeological evidence from Chinese and European settlement contexts at two Late 19th/Early 20th century sites in Queensland: Frog’s Hollow, an urban context in Brisbane’s modern CBD, and Ravenswood, a gold mining town in North Queensland. Through an exploration of human-animal relationships in 19th century southern China, colonial Australia, and Britain, it will be argued that despite both European and Chinese settlers adapting their food practices to this ‘new’ environment (i.e. ‘localisation’), both groups were actively seeking and consuming culturally significant and ‘familiar’ foods. Furthermore, while dietary choices regarding meat and marine resources reflect many aspects of their personal and cultural histories, local social and business relationships are also evident in the faunal evidence.
Breaking Barriers in Zooarchaeology: Evaluating a Simplified Zooarchaeological Method for Australian Faunal Remains
Zachary Carter, GHD, Australia
This paper evaluates the application of a simplified zooarchaeological cataloguing method, designed to improve access to the Australian faunal record, through its implementation on faunal remains from a historic archaeological site in Triabunna, Tasmania. A core component of this evaluation is a direct comparison between the data generated by the simplified method—using taxonomic class, assumed size classification, element group, and standardised measurements—and that produced by traditional zooarchaeological cataloguing. The Triabunna assemblage allows for a practical assessment of the simplified method’s strengths and limitations, demonstrating its capacity for efficient data collection by non-specialists while acknowledging its reduced taxonomic resolution. This study provides a detailed comparison, offering insights into the method’s potential for wider application and its role in broadening engagement with Australian zooarchaeological materials.
Power in Food on the Maritime Frontier: A Zooarchaeology of Enslaved Pearl Divers on Barrow Island, Western Australia
Tom Dooley, The University of Queensland, Australia
The use of Aboriginal divers on the pearling luggers of late 19th century northwest Australia attracted allegations of slavery, coercion, and physical mistreatment. In this presentation, I discuss the findings of zooarchaeological analyses of an offshore pearling camp at Bandicoot Bay, Barrow Island, allowing a rare glimpse into the experiences of these divers. Evidence of multiple procurement, processing, consumption, and discard activities, together with evidence of Kimberley point production, identify a significant presence of interregional Aboriginal men at site. These men contributed to the processing and procurement of food resources despite adequate rations of food being their only guaranteed form of payment. In occupation of this island camp, colonial pearlers contained their labour force under conditions of geographical incarceration and effected the need to survive by their own labour. Equally, the faunal remains may reflect an opportunity seized by the divers to re-engage with knowledge, expertise, and traditional practices concerning the procurement and preparation of food. At Bandicoot Bay, food helped negotiate a labour relationship that was the culmination of a colony-wide project of disempowerment, offering rare insight into an apparatus of effective slavery on the remote maritime frontier.