Potted history of chickens

Date: 11 May 2012

Ancient chicken bones studied as part of Bournemouth University’s Chicken Coop research project.

The picture shows ancient chicken bones, discovered by a researcher at Bournemouth University and studied under a new international collaborative project examining chickens’ social and cultural role over the centuries.

The project is being directed by Dr Mark Maltby of Bournemouth University and Dr Naomi Sykes from the University of Nottingham. Mark explains: “Chickens in Britain go way back to possibly as long ago as 500BC. My colleague in the School of Applied Sciences, Dr Ellen Hambleton, identified these bones belonged to a hen that had been placed in a pot buried in an enclosure ditch at West Deeping in Lincolnshire, probably in the 1st Century BC or early 1st Century AD. Chickens would have been regarded as rare and exotic creatures recently introduced from continental Europe. This bird has clearly been given special treatment, perhaps offered as a sacrifice.”

Derived from the wild jungle fowl of South East Asia, the domestic chicken has spread globally through human-assisted transportation and is known to have become increasingly important in the diet in Roman times in towns like Dorchester. But the species’ natural and cultural history in the West covers far more interesting aspects than food and Dr Maltby says a detailed analysis is long overdue.

The project is bringing together researchers from many academic institutions in Britain and abroad including the Universities of Bournemouth, Nottingham, Roehampton, Reading, the Roman-Germanic Central Museum, Mainz and the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences. Their research expertise ranges from archaeology, osteoarchaeology and biology, through to social anthropology, art history and theology.

Dr Maltby said: “Whilst examining the archaeological history and spread of these fascinating creatures, the Chicken Coop project will also look at their exploitation for feathers, cock-fighting, religion, medicine and even voodoo magic. We’re also examining the material culture of chickens. Perhaps next year we’ll have a photograph of Britain’s first egg cup!”

Already several students from Nottingham and Bournemouth are undertaking research into various aspects of the history of chickens and their relationship with humans. Ultimately the Chicken Coop project aims to examine the social and cultural impact of this important but under-studied species, providing a hub for people researching chickens and developing grant opportunities to answer questions with wide-reaching impacts.

Chickens form a significant part of many peoples’ everyday lives. For many this may simply involve purchasing eggs and meat from supermarket shelves or from fast food outlets. However, others depend partly or wholly on chickens for their livelihood. Increasing numbers of households are keeping small numbers of chickens for their produce and as pets. Debates continue to rage about sustainability and ethical considerations of how chickens are exploited. To contribute to these debates, this project will be using archaeological and modern anthropological studies to improve our knowledge of chicken breeding, husbandry, killing and consumption worldwide.

More information can be found on the project website or via the co-directors, Mark Maltby and Naomi Sykes.