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Dear Julie, I thought you might find this useful. Its from a forthcoming MoLAS report, the bones from a site in 2-12 Gresham Street, London EC2 (GSM97. The sparrowhawks were from deposits dating between AD300 and 410. I mention that both sparrowhawks were female. These are larger than males and would have been more suitable for either hawking or decoy work. 'Of interest... was the recovery of the remains of at least two female sparrowhawks. While it is possible that these may represent the inclusion of local fauna within the occupation deposits, this seems unlikely. It is perhaps too much of a coincidence to have two female birds, each buried within approximately the same area of the site. In addition, these birds represent a unique find in Roman London. One possibility is that they may have been used in hunting. While there is no clear evidence for hawking in Britain before the Anglo-Saxon period (see Parker 1988, 204), there is evidence for this practise occurring in Europe by the late 4th century (Prummel 1987. 335). Comparative evidence for the early use of sparrowhawks for hunting is shown by the recovery of a single sparrowhawk bone alongside a large number of thrush bones from a 3rd century deposit within a well at Great Holts Farm (Murphy et al 2000. 40 and Albarella 2003. 198). It is supposed that the thrushes were caught by the hawk, these included within the natural prey of this small raptor. While the evidence from these two sites could amount to the earliest evidence for hawking in Britain, it is also possible that these hawks may have been used as decoys. This hunting technique is shown in the so-called 'small hunt' mosaic from the Piazza Armerina in Sicily, this dated to the 4th century, which shows two hunters with what appear to be small birds of prey, on the shoulder of one and carried in the hand of the other, driving thrushes into a tree whence they would be captured using lime-rods (Carandini et al 1982, fig 91; Lindner 1973, 30-3).' Refs:- Albarella, U. 2003. Animal bone. In Germany, M. Excavations at Great Holts Farm, Boreham, Essex, 1992-94. East Anglian Archaeology Report No. 105. Carandini, A, Ricci, A and De Vos, M. 1982. Filosofiana: The Villa of Piazza Armerina (Palermo: S.F. Flaccovio) Lindner, K, 1973, Beiträge zu Vogelfang und Falknerei im Altertum, Berlin/New York Murphy, P, Albarella, U, Germany, M and Locker, A, 2000 Production, imports and status: Biological remains from a Late Roman farm at Great Holts Farm, Boreham, Essex, UK, Environmental Archaeology 5, 35-48 Parker, A J, 1988 The birds of Roman Britain, Oxford Journal of Archaeology 7(2), 197-226 Prummel, W, 1997 Evidence for Hawking (Falconry) from Bird and Mammal Bones, International Journal of Osteoarchaeology 7, 333-338 All the best Kevin Kevin Rielly Animal Bone Specialist Museum of London Specialist Services Mortimer Wheeler House 46 Eagle Wharf Road London. N1 7ED Tel: 020 7566 9330 Fax: 020 7490 3995 Email: [log in to unmask] www.molss.org.uk Requiem: the medieval monastic cemetery in Britain - a new book produced for the University of Reading -----Original Message----- From: Curl, Julie [mailto:[log in to unmask]] Sent: 03 March 2006 10:43 To: [log in to unmask] Subject: [ZOOARCH] falconry Dear All, Does anyone know of any references to falconry in the Roman period? I have a Sparrowhawk bone with some cremated human bone from a site in Colchester; I suspect it is a falconers bird buried with him. Any help or ideas appreciated. Best wishes, Julie -- Julie Curl Finds Specialist (Faunal Remains) & Graphics Assistant NAU Archaeology 13-15 Cathedral Street Norwich NR1 1LU Tel: 01603 - 878206 Mobile: 07870 818752 E-mail: [log in to unmask] NAU web site: www.nau.org.uk The information contained in this email is intended only for the person or organization to which it is addressed. If you have received it by mistake, please disregard and notify the sender immediately. Unauthorized disclosure or use of such information may be a breach of legislation or confidentiality and may be legally privileged. Emails sent from and received by Members and employees of Norfolk County Council may be monitored. Unless this email relates to Norfolk County Council business it will be regarded by the Council as personal and will not be authorized by or sent on behalf of the Council. The sender will have sole responsibility for any legal actions or disputes that may arise.