Rodents: food or pests in Neolithic Orkney

• Published in: Royal Society Open Science
• Main Authors: Andrzej A. Romaniuk, Alexandra N. Shepherd, David V. Clarke, Alison J. Sheridan, Sheena Fraser, László Bartosiewicz, Jeremy S. Herman
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: The Royal Society 2016
• Subjects: rodentia; microtus arvalis; archaeology; animal osteology; human subsistence; Science; Q; Skara; Microtus arvalis
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.160514; https://doaj.org/article/b1555600f0664ad088d806c013ce330c

Rodents have important effects on contemporary human societies, sometimes providing a source of food but more often as agricultural pests, or as vectors and reservoirs of disease. Skeletal remains of rodents are commonly found in archaeological assemblages from around the world, highlighting their p...