Arrggghhh Braaaaiiiins: The Zooarchaeology of a Mid-19th Century Privy in New Orleans’ Historic French Quarter
Author(s): Helen V. Bouzon; J. Ryan Kennedy
Year: 2018
Summary
In this paper we present analysis of faunal remains recovered from a mid-19th century privy at 936 St. Peter Street, an archaeological site in New Orleans’ historic French Quarter. Although the faunal assemblage includes domestic trash related to meals eaten by the site occupants, it is dominated by a tremendous number of caprine cranial elements. These cranial bones show a consistent butchery pattern indicating that site occupants were harvesting caprine brains in large numbers, presumably for use in animal hide tanning. The 936 St. Peter Street faunal assemblage thus provides an unusual opportunity to examine a household-level craft industry in early New Orleans. We discuss the data from the site in relation to hide production, and we highlight New Orleans’ importance in the local, regional, and international trade of animal hides.
Cite this Record
Arrggghhh Braaaaiiiins: The Zooarchaeology of a Mid-19th Century Privy in New Orleans’ Historic French Quarter. Helen V. Bouzon, J. Ryan Kennedy. Presented at Society for Historical Archaeology, New Orleans, Louisiana. 2018 ( tDAR id: 441417)
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Keywords
General
Craft Production
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Urban Archaeology
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Zooarchaeology
Geographic Keywords
North America
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United States of America
Temporal Keywords
Nineteenth Century
Spatial Coverage
min long: -129.199; min lat: 24.495 ; max long: -66.973; max lat: 49.359 ;
Individual & Institutional Roles
Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology
Record Identifiers
PaperId(s): 475