Health and Disease Among Medieval Urban Animals: The Case Study of Barcelona

During the lifespan of domestic animals, specific pathologies may arise in relation to their intended use. With the aim of increasing knowledge about the uses of animals in past urban contexts, a number of archeozoological studies conducted on faunal samples from medieval and post-medieval sites in Barcelona (north-eastern Iberia) have been reviewed and the pathological cases analyzed. The results show that the most frequent pathologies among large mammals (bovines and equines) are related to their use as working animals, whether as mounts or as draft or pack animals, with all of these animals frequently reaching an advanced age. Dogs present pathologies arising from mistreatment or biomechanical defects in breeds selected according to size and morphology. Animals reared to produce meat, principally suids and, above all, caprines, tend to be the specimens that display the fewest pathological indicators. This is due to the fact that they were slaughtered at a relatively young age and that their origin was not local, as they had been reared outside the city and, although transported alive, they would have been slaughtered for meat consumption in Barcelona, so they failed to develop the pathologies typical of animals that can be considered strictly urban. This evidence demonstrates that the analysis of bone pathologies is a useful means of reconstructing animal use and husbandry practices in urban contexts.