The Animals Of Poulton: Zooarchaeological Analysis of a North West Romano-British Settlement

This dataset contains the primary archaeological data and publication tables of an MSc dissertation which assesses the Roman-period faunal assemblage from a rural settlement in Poulton, Cheshire, England (The Poulton Research Project: https://www.poultonresearchproject.co.uk/). The dissertation compares the analysis of the Poulton assemblage with published faunal assemblages recovered from the legionary fortress Deva in the Romanized context, supported by a literature review illustrating the historical and environmental background of the area. The concept of 'Romanization' has been long discussed in British archaeology and history as a socially dynamic mechanism where the Roman Empire established an exchange of cultural identities with the native inhabitants of conquered regions. The author would contend that Poulton does not follow the general trends of a Romanized settlement with connections to a military urban centre, but may instead represent a transitional settlement as part of a north west regional identity that does not follow the typical status-based socioeconomic faunal record recognized in southern regions of England. The author proposes that further investigation in under-represented rural sites is necessary in order to understand the scope of how zooarchaeological analysis can determine variability in Romanized culture. Submitted by R. Guildford to the University of Exeter as a dissertation towards the degree of MSc in Bioarchaeology - Zooarchaeology. Original submission: January 2018. Updated and submitted to Historic Environment Record - Cheshire Archaeology: May 2020.