Canid Caves: The Fauna of Fishmonger's Swallet (UBSS Proceedings v.29(1))

Abstract: The animals of Fishmonger's Swallet are here recontextualised by integrating existing and new zooarchaeological analysis, as well as new radiocarbon dating of three dogs. This paper highlights this unusual assemblage, which consists mostly of canid (namely dog) remains which have been deposited with human remains and other animal species. The radiocarbon dating dates the dog remains, as well as a single bovine bone, to the late Iron Age. The main domesticate assemblage is a small waste deposit, with cattle, horse, sheep, and pig present. The dog assemblage has a minimum nine individuals which is uncommon within a prehistoric context, particularly in this environment and with the association of human remains. The remains recovered were disarticulated, and there is little evidence of butchery or trauma on the bones. The dogs recovered from the site are a range of sizes and shapes, from small and gracile to large and robust. This variation indicates that the dogs had various functions that may have included pest control, hunting, herding and guarding. Their deposition within the swallet is possibly ritual in nature and could be representative of an association of dogs with death and healing, social roles, or of the strong bond between people and dogs. However, without further analysis that will be conducted after the publication of this paper as part of an ongoing project, this remains one theory of many.