Researchers study cat bones used for leather trade in the Middle Ages
Researchers from the Seminar on Prehistoric Studies of the University of Barcelona (SERP-UB) Lluís Lloveras and Jordi Nadal have published a research article of their study and dating with carbon-14 on the remains of cats from the Middle Ages in Christian areas of the Iberian Peninsula. The research analyses a series of almost 900 cat bones in the site of El Bordellet (Vilafranca del Penedès) and it reaches the conclusion that these animals were skinned to use their fur, although there is a chance they were probably also used for Pagan rituals. In Northern Europe, researchers have found and studied many archaeological sites with these characteristics, but in our environment this case is a new thing.
Researchers from the Seminar on Prehistoric Studies of the University of Barcelona (SERP-UB) Lluís Lloveras and Jordi Nadal have published a research article of their study and dating with carbon-14 on the remains of cats from the Middle Ages in Christian areas of the Iberian Peninsula. The research analyses a series of almost 900 cat bones in the site of El Bordellet (Vilafranca del Penedès) and it reaches the conclusion that these animals were skinned to use their fur, although there is a chance they were probably also used for Pagan rituals. In Northern Europe, researchers have found and studied many archaeological sites with these characteristics, but in our environment this case is a new thing.
The studied remains belong to a total of nine young cats (aged between 9 and 20 months), that lived 1000 years ago approximately. The remains were found in one of the silos in the medieval site, which was used to store grain, and once the silos were abandoned they were used to throw waste in. In particular, it is usual to find bone remains of different species there -they were used to eat meat. So far, there is only one similar study on cat bones from the same period of time in Muslim areas in the Iberian Peninsula.
“The study of fauna remains from archaeological sites is a long tradition in some countries, but it is not that common in the Iberian Peninsula, except for the archaeological sites where it is a more general activity”, says Lloveras. This lack of studies can explain the difference between sites with the studied animal remains between Northern and Southern Europe. Lloveras and Nadal claim that “the study of fauna bone remains allows us to answer questions other registers cannot, such as ceramics or stone or metal tools, and give information on the kind of nutrition and farming, for example”.
The marks and stretches seen in the cats allowed the researchers reconstructing the way in which animals were skinned. Trade with cat skin, used to make clothes such as coats, was quite common in the Middle Ages. The skin from domestic cats and wildlife cats was used, but the latter was more expensive.
In the archaeological site of El Bordellet, the remains were found with a horse head, a goat horn and remains of a henʼs egg. These elements are usually associated with Pagan rituals. According to Nadal “this should not shock us, since traditional societies like the rural world in Medieval Spain had religion as a partner in any action, either Christian or Pagan. Lots of Christian ceremonies had pre-Christian roots that joined the liturgy (known as “religious syncretism”), while other Pagan ceremonies were seen as religious outcast behaviours and witchcraft, and western traditions began to disappear”.
Lluís Lloveras and Jordi Nadal are archaeozoologist and researchers in SERPT, a research group led by Josep Maria Fullola.
Reference:
Lloveras, Ll., Thomas, R., Garcia, A., Florensa, F., Segura, S., Medina, e., Orri, E. y Nadal, J.: "Evidence of cat (Felis catus) fur exploitation in medieval Iberia”, International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, accepted manuscript online: 24 May 2017. DOI: 10.1002/oa.2600