Dear Zooarchers,
Following Julie Hamilton's original query and my reply on Zooarch, Tony Legge
and I have had some correspondence on the subject, which I thought might be of
general interest. I am therefore forwarding it below - obviously with Tony's
permission. It would be interesting to hear if others have further comments to
make.
Cheers,
Umberto
Date: Sat, 30 Jun 2007 09:30:09 +0100
From: Anthony Legge <[log in to unmask]>
To: Umberto Albarella <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: [ZOOARCH] pigs and woodlands
Dear Umberto,
I don't think that pigs ever depended wholly upon woodland under
domestication! In my pig research days, we did some experiments on pig
selection of habitat. They could choose woodland or pasture. They were quite
happy in woodland for a few days until they had eaten all of the carrion and
elm tree bark, then they much preferred to go into pastures and eat the
turf. The domesday pigs as a measure of woodland are, in my view, suspect.
Oliver Rackham held the view that these were hypothetical pigs, used as a
crude area measure. Certainly manorial courts are full of records of fines
for allowing pigs to damage trees, which were too valuable to expose to such
risk! I followed these experiments when I had left science and become an
archaeology student, but sadly the project was curtailed.
best,
Tony
Date: Sun, 1 Jul 2007 11:17:14 +0100
From: Umberto Albarella <[log in to unmask]>
To: Anthony Legge <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: pigs and woodlands
Dear Tony,
There are certainly no doubts that the pigs mentioned in the Domesday are
hypothetical. They represent a unit of measure of woodland size, rather than
actual pigs kept on the estates. In the Little Domesday the number of real pigs
is also provided and these are generally fewer than what the woodland could
sustain but occasionaly more, which just proves that pigs could also live
outside the forest. However, to measure woodland in terms of pigs seems to me a
strong enough indication of the close association between woodland and pigs.
And pannage (the taxation system that allowed pigs to pasture in woodland at a
charge) is so vastly documented in historical sources that I cannot see how
it can be denied.
I would however agree with you that pigs should not be regarded as woodland
'specialists'. They are quite adaptable animals and can live in all sorts of
environments. It would be interesting to know in which season your experiment
was carried out. The dependence of pigs on woodland (in terms of husbandry
strategies rather than in terms of the pigs' needs) is highly seasonal. Pigs
would feed in the forest in autumn and early winter when the products of the
forest - such as acorns, beechmast and chestnuts - are ripe. In other seasons
there is no special reason why pigs should pasture in the forest, as I have
abundantly seen in the course of my ethnograhic work in Corsica and
Sardinia.
Cheers,
Umberto
Date: Sun, 1 Jul 2007 11:29:50 +0100
From: Anthony Legge <[log in to unmask]>
To: Umberto Albarella <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: pigs and woodlands
Dear Umberto,
Thanks. I agree with your remarks. Historically, I think that the pannage
was important to fatten up the pig for the autumn kill. Our experiments were
summer as I recall, but 50 years ago, so I cannot say just when. The pigs
were not very big (a few months) and they stayed out for a couple of months,
then went off for bacon. I do recall that their 'cutting grade' was the same
as those kept indoors. The pigs de-barked all of the small elm trees, and
the experiment had to stop for this reason. So it was just before elm
disease became widespread. Myxamatosis was also prevalent and the pigs liked
this as they could catch the diseased rabbits. They then moved into the
meadow, going into the wood only to sleep. They ate all of the turf, rolling
it up into clumps to eat.I have seen that in Australia too, but the pigs
there have a shocking rate of tooth wear. Mandibular M1 is obliterated
before M3 is in full wear!. In New Guinea, the pidgin name for the pig is
'him fella little tractor' Why not get a student to do the ethnography of
the free range pigs in the New Forest? I think that there are still a number
of people who use this ancient right.
Best,
Tony
--
Umberto Albarella
Department of Archaeology
University of Sheffield
Northgate House
West Street
Sheffield S1 4ET
United Kingdom
Telephone: (+) 44 (0) 114 22 22 943
Fax: (+) 44 (0) 114 27 22 563
http://www.shef.ac.uk/archaeology/staff/albarella.html
For Archaeologists for Global Justice (AGJ) see:
http://www.shef.ac.uk/archaeology/global-justice.html
"There is no way to peace. Peace IS the way".
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