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Although cattle were introduced to Ireland during the Neolithic period (specifically, by at least 3800-3700 BC), archaeological and documentary evidence indicate that early medieval communities in Ireland put increased value on cattle husbandry, so much so that it became the main driver of the economy at the time. New research, collating isotopic analysis of cattle remains from across Ireland and spanning the last 6,000 years, has illuminated this shift in greater detail, showing how husbandry practices changed over time and finding that an increased focus on cattle husbandry most likely began in the Iron Age, when cattle started more frequently to be given prime pasture on which to graze.
An international team of researchers analysed 450 samples of cattle bones and teeth from 50 archaeological sites across Ireland, representing the Neolithic to the post-medieval period. They then combined these results with data from 23 previously published samples. In order to determine any changes in husbandry practices, they focused on changes in δ13C values, as these would reflect any differences in the ‘canopy effect’ – indicating whether the cattle in question were likely to have grazed in closed woodland areas (where δ13C values would be lower) or in open pastureland (where δ13C values would be higher).
This graph shows the shifts in δ13C by time period.
The results showed that there was a wide range of δ13C values found in the Neolithic and early Bronze Age cattle, with a relatively even distribution. This suggests that a mix of open and closed grazing environments were employed during this time. There was then a negative shift in δ13C values during the middle to late Bronze Age, indicating that, while cattle were probably still grazed on pastureland, there was a greater emphasis on woodland grazing at that time. The team are unable fully to explain this change in practice, but it could be due to a growing cattle population for which the available open pasture areas were insufficient, or could be due to the regeneration of woodlands during this time.
The most significant change in δ13C values, however, was noted among the Iron Age samples, showing a shift towards open grazing. This trend then intensified during the early medieval period, corroborating documentary evidence, which indicates that open pastureland was preferred, as it led to better-quality cattle. By the later medieval and post-medieval periods, while the majority of samples showed a continuity in values with the early medieval period, 10 per cent of cattle had lower δ13C values, which suggests that some were being kept in closed canopy woodland, and that the strict preference for pastureland seen during the early medieval period was no longer dominant.
This increased use of pastureland during the Iron Age and early medieval period was probably due to the importance of cattle husbandry at that time, and is supported by the archaeological landscape in which settlements were largely based around ring-forts: likely designed to protect animals and which were often located close to good pastureland. From the 8th century AD onwards, however, there was an increase in the construction of raised raths (circular platforms) and unenclosed settlements, which were more suitable for arable farming – this suggests that there was an increased investment in agriculture, specifically in mills and the processing of grain, which could be more easily stored and transported compared to meat and dairy products. This change would have allowed Irish communities to participate in wider trade networks more readily, and probably reflects a change in emphasis from a cattle-based economy to a silver-based one.
The full results of this research were recently published in Antiquity: https:// doi.org/10.15184/aqy.2023.163.
Text: Kathryn Krakowka / Photo: Guiry et al. (2023) Antiquity
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