Historic England: The Sheep Project
Resource used: Skeleton Preparation facility
At the Zooarchaeology Laboratory of Historic England we are involved in the study of a large collection (n=356) of skeletons of unimproved Shetland sheep of unknown age, sex, and life histories. The sheep project or 'Medieval Wool project' aims to study the effect of castration, early breeding in ewes and nutrition on bone size and shape, and skeletal and dental development/maturation to assist in the interpretation of past husbandry systems from zooarchaeological assemblages.