Dear Marloes, Please find enclosed below an extract from the following, which might be of interest for you: Albarella U., Beech M. & Mulville J. 1997 . The Saxon, medieval and post-medieval mammal and bird bones excavated 1989-1991 from Castle Mall, Norwich (Norfolk). London: English Heritage AML report 72/97 [pp.26-7] "The difference between medieval and post-medieval cattle becomes striking when the horncores are considered. Horncores from period 6 are much larger than those from any other periods, whereas no change seems to occur between Saxon, early and mid medieval specimens (fig.27A and 27B). Interestingly, the post-medieval horncores also have a very different shape, with a relatively much smaller base (fig.27C). This is obviously the "structural" consequence of having much longer horns, but it still seems that these horncores were more "long" than "massive". We thus have short horned cattle in late Saxon and medieval times and longer horned cattle in the late 16th-18th century (period 6). This is consistent with the historical evidence that short horned cattle were widely distributed in the 12th and 13th century and could still be found until the 16th century (Armitage 1980). Long horned cattle first appeared in the late 14th-early 15th century (Armitage 1980) but became common only by the 16th century (Markham 1614, Trow-Smith 1957). On the basis of historical and archaeological evidence Armitage (1980) defines three main types of long horned cattle: - long-horned: late medieval-early Tudor; animals of large size; "massive" horn-cores with large base. - longhorn: 17th-early 18th century; animals of small size; unimproved form of the modern "Longhorn" - Longhorn: established in late 18th-early 19th century; improved breed; relatively small base. On the basis of its rather large size, the shape of its horncores and its chronology it seems that the period 6 cattle represent a form roughly intermediate between the long-horned and the longhorn types". Armitage P. 1980. A preliminary description of British cattle from the late twelfth to the early sixteenth century. The Ark VII (12) 405-413 Markham, G. 1614. Cheape and good husbandry for the well-ordering of all beasts, and fowles, and for the generall cure of their diseases. London, Roger Jackson Trow-Smith, R. 1957. A history of British livestock husbandry to 1700. London, Routledge and Kegan Paul Cheers, Umberto -- 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".