ABMAP
Encyclopedia
ABMAP, also known as the Animal Bone Metrical Archive Project, consists of a collection of metric data on the main domestic animals recorded at the University of Southampton
, together with the data from some other sources, in particular the Museum of London Archaeology Service
(MoLAS). Whilst the data is primarily from England
, it is applicable to a wider geographical area. Stored in a neutral archival format, it is freely available for teaching, learning and research.
funded a project at the University of Southampton to collect and synthesize metrical data recorded over the past twenty years. The main aim was to assemble the data and ensure that it was kept in a format in which it would be maintained and made accessible.
and sheep, but also of pig
, horse
, dog
, goat
, domestic fowl, and goose
. The data set
is organized by species
, anatomical element, period, and site
type.
University of Southampton
The University of Southampton is a British public university located in the city of Southampton, England, a member of the Russell Group. The origins of the university can be dated back to the founding of the Hartley Institution in 1862 by Henry Robertson Hartley. In 1902, the Institution developed...
, together with the data from some other sources, in particular the Museum of London Archaeology Service
Museum of London Archaeology Service
Museum of London Archaeology is a Registered Archaeological Organisation with the Institute of Field Archaeologists and is a self-financing part of the Museum of London Group, providing a wide range of professional archaeological services to clients in London, SE England, the UK and...
(MoLAS). Whilst the data is primarily from England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, it is applicable to a wider geographical area. Stored in a neutral archival format, it is freely available for teaching, learning and research.
History of the Project
In the 1990s English HeritageEnglish Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
funded a project at the University of Southampton to collect and synthesize metrical data recorded over the past twenty years. The main aim was to assemble the data and ensure that it was kept in a format in which it would be maintained and made accessible.
The Database
The project aimed to collect measurements of the main domestic species found on archaeological sites in England. The database included approximately 25,000 bones, predominantly of cattleCattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
and sheep, but also of pig
Pig
A pig is any of the animals in the genus Sus, within the Suidae family of even-toed ungulates. Pigs include the domestic pig, its ancestor the wild boar, and several other wild relatives...
, horse
Horse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
, dog
Dog
The domestic dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in...
, goat
Goat
The domestic goat is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the Bovidae family and is closely related to the sheep as both are in the goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae. There are over three hundred distinct breeds of...
, domestic fowl, and goose
Goose
The word goose is the English name for a group of waterfowl, belonging to the family Anatidae. This family also includes swans, most of which are larger than true geese, and ducks, which are smaller....
. The data set
Data set
A data set is a collection of data, usually presented in tabular form. Each column represents a particular variable. Each row corresponds to a given member of the data set in question. Its values for each of the variables, such as height and weight of an object or values of random numbers. Each...
is organized by species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
, anatomical element, period, and site
Site
A site is the location of an event, structure, object, or other thing, whether actual, virtual, abandoned , extant, or planned.*For a building site, see construction.*For a site on the World Wide Web, see website....
type.