Ireland’s fallow deer: their historical, archaeological and biomolecular records
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...
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| Format: | Article |
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Royal Irish Academy
2018
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| Online Access: | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/53095/ |
| _version_ | 1848798876190900224 |
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| author | Beglane, Fiona Baker, Karis Carden, Ruth Hoelzel, A. Rus Lamb, Angela L. Fhionnghaile, Rita Mhig Miller, Holly Sykes, Naomi |
| author_facet | Beglane, Fiona Baker, Karis Carden, Ruth Hoelzel, A. Rus Lamb, Angela L. Fhionnghaile, Rita Mhig Miller, Holly Sykes, Naomi |
| author_sort | Beglane, Fiona |
| building | Nottingham Research Data Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | 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. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T20:26:44Z |
| format | Article |
| id | nottingham-53095 |
| institution | University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T20:26:44Z |
| publishDate | 2018 |
| publisher | Royal Irish Academy |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | nottingham-530952020-05-04T19:39:21Z https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/53095/ 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 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. Royal Irish Academy 2018-06-03 Article PeerReviewed Beglane, Fiona, Baker, Karis, Carden, Ruth, Hoelzel, A. Rus, Lamb, Angela L., Fhionnghaile, Rita Mhig, Miller, Holly and Sykes, Naomi (2018) Ireland’s fallow deer: their historical, archaeological and biomolecular records. Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy: Archaeology, Culture, History, Literature, 118C . pp. 1-25. ISSN 0035-8991 Deer Historical archaeology Bones Haplotypes Zooarchaeology Isotopes Irish history Castles Fallowing https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.3318/priac.2018.118.01 doi:10.3318/priac.2018.118.01 doi:10.3318/priac.2018.118.01 |
| spellingShingle | Deer Historical archaeology Bones Haplotypes Zooarchaeology Isotopes Irish history Castles Fallowing Beglane, Fiona Baker, Karis Carden, Ruth Hoelzel, A. Rus Lamb, Angela L. Fhionnghaile, Rita Mhig Miller, Holly Sykes, Naomi Ireland’s fallow deer: their historical, archaeological and biomolecular records |
| title | Ireland’s fallow deer: their historical, archaeological and biomolecular records |
| title_full | Ireland’s fallow deer: their historical, archaeological and biomolecular records |
| title_fullStr | Ireland’s fallow deer: their historical, archaeological and biomolecular records |
| title_full_unstemmed | Ireland’s fallow deer: their historical, archaeological and biomolecular records |
| title_short | Ireland’s fallow deer: their historical, archaeological and biomolecular records |
| title_sort | ireland’s fallow deer: their historical, archaeological and biomolecular records |
| topic | Deer Historical archaeology Bones Haplotypes Zooarchaeology Isotopes Irish history Castles Fallowing |
| url | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/53095/ https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/53095/ https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/53095/ |