Fish, Church and Social stratification- A Quantitative Analysis of Fish Consumption in Medieval Lund
(2026) ARKM36 20261Department of Archaeology and Ancient History
- Abstract (Swedish)
- Lund has a long history of archaeological research; however, no comprehensive analysis of the fish material has been made. This thesis examines fish consumption in medieval Lund through quantitative analysis of a synthesised database consisting of previously analysed fishbone material as well as material analysed by the author. The aim of the thesis is to investigate possible correlations between social stratification and church connection with fish consumption, as well as temporal trends. A secondary aim is to investigate the possibility of analysing affluence in fish consumption within a single urban environment. The results showed differences according to social stratification, with fish families associated with luxury being more... (More)
- Lund has a long history of archaeological research; however, no comprehensive analysis of the fish material has been made. This thesis examines fish consumption in medieval Lund through quantitative analysis of a synthesised database consisting of previously analysed fishbone material as well as material analysed by the author. The aim of the thesis is to investigate possible correlations between social stratification and church connection with fish consumption, as well as temporal trends. A secondary aim is to investigate the possibility of analysing affluence in fish consumption within a single urban environment. The results showed differences according to social stratification, with fish families associated with luxury being more frequently found in the material belonging to the Clergy juxtaposed with indication a more frequent consumption of the more economical fish product, imported dried cod in the social stratification Townspeople. Furthermore, the results indicated more affluent fish consumption closer to church-owned properties, through a high diversity of families and families associated with luxury in the intervals closer to churches. The analysis of Distance to the Closest Church showed higher affluence near the church, indicated by more freshwater fish, a higher diversity of fish families, and more fish that are linked to luxury, namely herring, pike, and salmon. Analysis of Distance to the cathedral was limited by differing collection methods and n-taxa. However, distribution of cod and herring suggested more economical dried cod consumption further from the Cathedral. The material showed potential for identifying specific affluent fish consumption within Lund. Some temporal trends could be discerned; the period after the catastrophe-ridden 14th century indicated a lessening of affluence in the fish consumption. Differences in n-taxa and collection methods affected the analysis and restricted interpretation; this was particularly relevant in all analyses, but especially in spatial analyses in relation to the Cathedral and in analyses of temporal trends. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9251537
- author
- Mandahl, Tyra LU
- supervisor
- organization
- course
- ARKM36 20261
- year
- 2026
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- keywords
- Ichthyoarchaeology, Zooarchaeology, Middle Ages, Lund, Socioeconomic class
- language
- English
- id
- 9251537
- date added to LUP
- 2026-09-30 12:47:21
- date last changed
- 2026-09-30 12:47:21
@misc{9251537,
abstract = {{Lund has a long history of archaeological research; however, no comprehensive analysis of the fish material has been made. This thesis examines fish consumption in medieval Lund through quantitative analysis of a synthesised database consisting of previously analysed fishbone material as well as material analysed by the author. The aim of the thesis is to investigate possible correlations between social stratification and church connection with fish consumption, as well as temporal trends. A secondary aim is to investigate the possibility of analysing affluence in fish consumption within a single urban environment. The results showed differences according to social stratification, with fish families associated with luxury being more frequently found in the material belonging to the Clergy juxtaposed with indication a more frequent consumption of the more economical fish product, imported dried cod in the social stratification Townspeople. Furthermore, the results indicated more affluent fish consumption closer to church-owned properties, through a high diversity of families and families associated with luxury in the intervals closer to churches. The analysis of Distance to the Closest Church showed higher affluence near the church, indicated by more freshwater fish, a higher diversity of fish families, and more fish that are linked to luxury, namely herring, pike, and salmon. Analysis of Distance to the cathedral was limited by differing collection methods and n-taxa. However, distribution of cod and herring suggested more economical dried cod consumption further from the Cathedral. The material showed potential for identifying specific affluent fish consumption within Lund. Some temporal trends could be discerned; the period after the catastrophe-ridden 14th century indicated a lessening of affluence in the fish consumption. Differences in n-taxa and collection methods affected the analysis and restricted interpretation; this was particularly relevant in all analyses, but especially in spatial analyses in relation to the Cathedral and in analyses of temporal trends.}},
author = {{Mandahl, Tyra}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{Fish, Church and Social stratification- A Quantitative Analysis of Fish Consumption in Medieval Lund}},
year = {{2026}},
}