Ireland’s fallow deer: their historical, archaeological and biomolecular records

Beglane, Fiona; Baker, Karis; Carden, Ruth; Hoelzel, A. Rus; Lamb, Angela L.; Fhionnghaile, Rita Mhig; Miller, Holly; Sykes, Naomi

Abstract

The Anglo-Normans first introduced fallow deer (Dama dama) to Ireland in the thirteenth century, however no biomolecular research has previously been undertaken to examine the timing, circumstances and impact of the arrival of this species. This study combines historical, zooarchaeological, genetic and iso-topic data from both medieval and post-medieval samples to address this lack of research. The paper identifies a peak in the presence of fallow deer in Ireland between the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, with a corresponding peak in documentary evidence for their presence in the thirteenth century. The deer are predominantly male, and from castle sites, supporting the historical evidence for their link with elite hunting. The English origin of the source populations shows correspondence between the documentary evidence, suggesting a western bias—and genetic evidence—with a similarity to southern and western England. Furthermore a stable isotope study identifies two possible first-generation imports, one dating from the medieval period and one from the post-medieval period.

Citation

Beglane, F., Baker, K., Carden, R., Hoelzel, A. R., Lamb, A. L., Fhionnghaile, R. M., …Sykes, N. (2018). Ireland’s fallow deer: their historical, archaeological and biomolecular records. Proceedings- Royal Irish Academy Section C Archaeology Celtic Studies History Linguistics and Literature, 118C, 1-25. https://doi.org/10.3318/priac.2018.118.01

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jan 23, 2018
• Publication Date: May 31, 2018
• Deposit Date: Jul 24, 2018
• Publicly Available Date: Jul 24, 2018
• Journal: Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy: Archaeology, Culture, History, Literature
• Electronic ISSN: 0035-8991
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 118C
• Pages: 1-25
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.3318/priac.2018.118.01
• Keywords: Deer, Historical archaeology, Bones, Haplotypes, Zooarchaeology, Isotopes, Irish history, Castles, Fallowing
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/936132
• Publisher URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.3318/priac.2018.118.01