Ye Pleasant Mount: 1989 1990 Excavations - Open site which ...

Vertebrate faunal remains were identified using standard zooarchaeological
analysis techniques, and a comparative skeletal collection. Eighteenth- and
twentieth-century meat marketing and butchering manuals (Bradley 1755;
Gerrard 1949; Aldrich 1922) and zoological and zooarchaeological references
(Schmid 1972; Gilbert 1980; Gilbert et a!' 1981) were also consulted. One
eighteenth-century English reference, The British Housewife, (Bradley 1755) was
particularly useful since it describes the cuts of meat found in the contemporary
English market, and methods of preparation of meat cuts for the English table.
Since the eighteenth-century terminology used by Bradley and the twentiethcentury
descriptions of butchering in Gerrard (1949) for the London and Home
Counties region of England corresponded so closely, these descriptions were
adhered to whenever pertinent in describing beefcuts. Bradley's (1755) book is not
considered the final word on eighteenth-century meat butchering and
preparation; however, given the difficulty of locating eighteenth-century
butchering and meat preparation manuals, this reference presented the most
practical approach. Seventeenth- and eighteenth-century cookbooks were
consulted for references to food preparation techniques (Hooker 1984; Hess 1981;
Robertson 1766; Bradley 1755).
The minimum number of individuals (MNI) is calculated for each species, genus,
and family, (where appropriate) from the sample proveniences. MNI is
calculated using paired left; and right elements (White 1953), and where possible,
comparative age, sex, and size of animals. The MNI for species in this sample is
probably lower than it should be because the carcasses and bones were cut,
chopped, or broken into numerous portions prior to, or after, preparation and
disposal. MNI is calculated separately for Levels 1 and 2, Levels 3, 4, and 5, and
eight features, in three test Units (7, 21, and 22). MNI is also calculated for the
entire faunal sample as a unit. Problems related to MNI calculation have been
discussed by Grayson (1973), and include a small sample size, the method by
which analytical units are determined, and the fact that MNI emphasizes the
number of small species over large ones.
Biomass is calculated using a program developed by Irvy Quitmyer and Stephen
Hale of the Florida State Museum in Gainesville, Florida (Hale et a!' 1985).
Although there are acknowledged problems with this formula (Grayson 1981;
Miller 1984), it is the most time efficient method available for calculating relative
quantities of meat provided by particular animals, and is used only as an
indicator of the relative importance of different species in the represented diet. A
small sample size and a formula that emphasizes the representation of large
species over small ones are biases that must be considered.
Modifications of bone such as burning, bone pathologies, rodent and carnivore
gnawing, and cut marks were recorded. Two types of cuts were identified in this
assemblage. These consist of (1) hack marks made by an axlcleaver, and (2)
superficial knife cuts or scratches. No sawed cuts were identified. Axlcleaver
cuts made deep, "chopped out" marks on bone or actually broke the bone, while
superficial knife cuts made shallow, smooth incisions.
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