ABSTRACT
The importance of animals in medieval society cannot be overstated — they inhabited the landscape and minds of the population who utilized them for food, as economic commodities, raw materials and as symbols. Interpretations beyond ‘what people ate’ are provided by cull patterns, constructed from bone development and dental ageing data, which can indicate how animals were used prior to their slaughter. Age and size data can be particularly informative about inter-site relationships as well as providing an understanding of how animals were viewed and used to construct identity in the past. In zooarchaeology animal body part patterns are usually examined to determine whether a site was self-sufficient, as would be indicated by the equal presence of all anatomical elements, or if it was importing/exporting particular parts of the carcass. Animal bone assemblages from Late Anglo-Saxon sites suggest a change in the treatment and consumption of venison.
