New data about the consumption of fish from the Alsace Region, France

Aurélia Borvon (1, 2)

1 ArScAn - Archéologies et Sciences de l'Antiquité
2 Archéologies environnementales

This study provides an overview of 11 archaeological sites that yielded fish bone remains from the Roman period through medieval to modern contexts. It brings new knowledge about the consumption of fish for the Alsace region. Although the numbers of remains vary greatly, some diachronic comparisons are possible. The majority of the species represented in the assemblages from the inland sites sampled were freshwater fishes, together with a few migratory fishes. Most individuals were small‐sized fishes, which may explain the type of structure analysed, for instance, latrines. Two wels catfish vertebrae indicate the presence of this species in France. European marine fishes such as cod and flatfish are very rare, and the importation of marine fish began more recently. However, some herring bones found in the Roman and early medieval period make a straightforward interpretation more difficult.

Mots clés: Alsace; Bronze Age; consumption; fish remains; France; Medieval period; Modern period; Roman period

Domaines: Archéologie et Préhistoire

Aurélia Borvon. New data about the consumption of fish from the Alsace Region, France. International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, 2019, 29 (3), pp.407-419. ⟨10.1002/oa.2769⟩. ⟨hal-02336766⟩