ABSTRACT

Medieval historical sources suggest that cetacean exploitation was, for large parts of Europe, restricted to the social elite. This appears to have also been the case for the Netherlands and Flanders. It remains unclear, however, how frequently active hunting was undertaken, and which species were targeted. Zooarchaeological cetacean remains are often recovered from Medieval (AD 400-1600) sites in the Netherlands and Flanders, however the majority of these specimens have not been identified to the species level, leaving a substantial gap in our knowledge of past cetacean exploitation. By applying ZooMS, as well as morphological and osteometric analyses, these zooarchaeological specimens were identified to the species level. This analysis revealed that the North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis), sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus), and grey whale (Eschrichtius robustus) were frequently exploited. Active whaling appears to have been undertaken as well, especially in Flanders and in Frisia (the northern part of the Netherlands). Zooarchaeological cetacean remains appear to be present with relative frequency at high-status sites such as castles, as well as ecclesiastical sites, confirming the historical evidence that the social elite indeed did have a taste for cetacean meat. However, cetacean products were also available outside of elite and ecclesiastical contexts.

摘要

中世纪的历史资料表明，在欧洲大部分地区，鲸类动物的剥削仅限于社会精英。荷兰和法兰德斯似乎也是如此。然而，目前尚不清楚进行主动狩猎的频率以及针对哪些物种。动物考古鲸类遗骸通常是从荷兰和佛兰德斯的中世纪（公元 400-1600 年）遗址中发现的，但是这些标本中的大多数尚未被确定为物种水平，这在我们对过去鲸类动物开发的知识上留下了很大的空白。通过应用 ZooMS 以及形态学和骨计量学分析，这些动物考古标本被鉴定到物种水平。该分析表明，北大西洋露脊鲸（Eubalaena glacialis)、抹香鲸 ( Physeter macrocephalus ) 和灰鲸 ( Eschrichtius robustus ) 经常被利用。似乎也进行了积极的捕鲸活动，尤其是在佛兰德斯和弗里西亚（荷兰北部）。动物考古鲸类遗骸似乎相对频繁地出现在城堡等地位较高的地点以及教会场所，这证实了社会精英确实对鲸类肉有品味的历史证据。然而，鲸类产品也可以在精英和教会环境之外获得。