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Animals in the Urban Landscape in the Wake of the Middle Ages
A case study from Vac, Hungary. It is the author's ocntention that during the late Middle Ages, the contribution of animals to urban development intensified in Hungary since animal hubandry and trading became a major form of accumulating wealth. Through his archaeozoological survey of data he aims to provide illumination of aspects of urban lifeways in the city of Vac which may not be clear from previous examinations that have focused on other cultural data.
180 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 1995
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February 19, 2013
László Bartosiewicz does a magnificent job in this volume of exploring Mediaeval and Early Modern Vác through a thoroughly integrated approach to the zooarchaeology. He begins with a brief introduction to the ecology of the city, before Zsuzsa Miklós runs through a similarly brief rendering of its history and an account of the excavations which produced the material studied here.
These introductions, though short, are crucial to the understanding of the rest of the volume which couches economic, social and ecological interpretations within a wide-ranging discussion exploring not only the development of Vác but its relevance to broader themes in the history and archaeology of Hungary and of Urban Europe. Not only are extensive historical documents and iconography brought into the discussion but useful comparisons are made with (especially British, for obvious reasons) Mediaeval urban zooarchaeological studies elsewhere. This discussion can occasionally seem too broad, as if the author is rather too keen to leave no stone unturned, but the wildest interpretations are usually reined back.
Towards the end of the book, Ferenc Gyulai examines the archaeobotanical assemblage from the same sites, a somewhat unexpected bonus considering the book's title. Although efforts are made to tie this strand of evidence in, in the conclusion, it does feel like something of an isolated passage which is a big shame considering the nature of the discussion which precedes it. Nevertheless, this book is an excellent example of urban zooarchaeology done well.
These introductions, though short, are crucial to the understanding of the rest of the volume which couches economic, social and ecological interpretations within a wide-ranging discussion exploring not only the development of Vác but its relevance to broader themes in the history and archaeology of Hungary and of Urban Europe. Not only are extensive historical documents and iconography brought into the discussion but useful comparisons are made with (especially British, for obvious reasons) Mediaeval urban zooarchaeological studies elsewhere. This discussion can occasionally seem too broad, as if the author is rather too keen to leave no stone unturned, but the wildest interpretations are usually reined back.
Towards the end of the book, Ferenc Gyulai examines the archaeobotanical assemblage from the same sites, a somewhat unexpected bonus considering the book's title. Although efforts are made to tie this strand of evidence in, in the conclusion, it does feel like something of an isolated passage which is a big shame considering the nature of the discussion which precedes it. Nevertheless, this book is an excellent example of urban zooarchaeology done well.
Displaying 1 of 1 review