The first archaeological and taphonomic evidence for rabbit Fur production in medieval Barcelona (Spain)

Abstract

In the Middle Ages, Barcelona was an important centre for leather and fur production. A large number of tanneries involved in the transformation of animal hides and skins located on the outskirts of the city have been documented. Despite this, the importance of these activities has hardly been considered from the perspective of the archaeofaunal remains. This scarcity of data is even greater when it comes to the preparation of the fur of small animals such as rabbits. In this paper we present the zooarchaeological and taphonomic study of a sample of rabbit remains recovered from El Born archaeological site. Specifically, the sample comes from a 13th-century context excavated in an area called the Casa Riera. In the period under study, this area was just outside the limit of the urbanised zone, and it was connected with important watercourses. The context studied was very rich in faunal remains, mostly rabbits and caprines. The analysis of the rabbit bones indicates that these animals were clearly used for fur production. Our results have enabled us to characterise this type of assemblage taphonomically. Besides, on the basis of the results, some of the steps in animal carcass processing and of tanning practices can be illustrated. Finally, our data are contrasted with the background provided by documentary evidence.

Keywords

• Zooarchaeology
• Taphonomy
• Tannery
• Oryctolagus cuninculus
• Medieval archaeology
• Artisan activity