Walking on eggshells: a study of egg use in Anglo-Scandinavian York based on eggshell identification using ZooMS

Journal article

Eggshell is a potentially common archaeological resource, but it tends to be ignored. The recent development of ZooMS (zooarchaeology by mass spectrometry) as a rapid and robust system for taxonomic identification of preserved eggshell fragments has facilitated new insights into patterns of egg use in the past. This paper presents a case study of egg use at two sites in Anglo-Scandinavian York (Hungate and Coppergate). The results described below suggest that the relative prevalence of goose eggshell may become a useful indicator of status, consistent with other characteristics of the two sites, and also demonstrate an apparent lack of exploitation of eggs of wild birds in York during the Anglo-Scandinavian period. These results highlight the interpretative potential of eggshell, which can now begin to be more fully explored.

Authors: Stewart, J; Allen, R; Jones, A; Kendall, T; Penkman, K

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Wiley
• Journal: International Journal of Osteoarchaeology
• Volume: 24
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 247–255
• Publication date: 2013-12-18
• Acceptance date: 2013-11-04
• DOI: 10.1002/oa.2362
• ISSN: 1047-482X
• Keywords: SBTMR