SoA Forums

History => Ancient and Medieval History => Topic started by: Duncan Head on March 31, 2021, 03:27:40 PM

Title: Welsh island rabbits are archaeologists
Post by: Duncan Head on March 31, 2021, 03:27:40 PM
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/mar/25/welsh-rabbits-serve-up-prehistoric-finds-on-tiny-skokholm-island
Title: Re: Welsh island rabbits are archaeologists
Post by: Imperial Dave on March 31, 2021, 03:48:49 PM
 ;D
Title: Re: Welsh island rabbits are archaeologists
Post by: Justin Swanton on March 31, 2021, 04:09:09 PM
Definitely a hare-raising profession...
Title: Re: Welsh island rabbits are archaeologists
Post by: Imperial Dave on March 31, 2021, 04:11:21 PM
how did you dig that one up
Title: Re: Welsh island rabbits are archaeologists
Post by: RichT on March 31, 2021, 05:00:37 PM
Rabbits are excellent archaeologists.* I always check over burrows in the banks of hillforts etc, just in case.

* though of course they are careless about stratigraphy, and their publishing record is lamentable.
Title: Re: Welsh island rabbits are archaeologists
Post by: Justin Swanton on March 31, 2021, 05:03:06 PM
Quote from: Holly on March 31, 2021, 04:11:21 PM
how did you dig that one up

Oh, you just listen to archaeologists rabbit on about their subject.
Title: Re: Welsh island rabbits are archaeologists
Post by: Jim Webster on March 31, 2021, 05:22:39 PM
Quote from: RichT on March 31, 2021, 05:00:37 PM
Rabbits are excellent archaeologists.* I always check over burrows in the banks of hillforts etc, just in case.

* though of course they are careless about stratigraphy, and their publishing record is lamentable.


To be fair, a lot of professional archaeologists aren't a lot better when it comes to publishing!  :-[
Title: Re: Welsh island rabbits are archaeologists
Post by: Erpingham on March 31, 2021, 05:38:43 PM
Quote from: RichT on March 31, 2021, 05:00:37 PM
Rabbits are excellent archaeologists.* I always check over burrows in the banks of hillforts etc, just in case.

* though of course they are careless about stratigraphy, and their publishing record is lamentable.

I was taught at uni to check by rabbit burrows and in mole hills for signs of underlying material .  Number of hills and burrows checked so far over the decades - hundreds.  Number of finds - zero.  :(
Title: Re: Welsh island rabbits are archaeologists
Post by: Imperial Dave on March 31, 2021, 07:56:12 PM
I bet they were hopping mad.....
Title: Re: Welsh island rabbits are archaeologists
Post by: Justin Swanton on March 31, 2021, 08:08:16 PM
Quote from: Holly on March 31, 2021, 07:56:12 PM
I bet they were hopping mad.....

Nah. They warren too concerned.
Title: Re: Welsh island rabbits are archaeologists
Post by: Imperial Dave on March 31, 2021, 08:16:05 PM
I wouldnt buck the trend
Title: Re: Welsh island rabbits are archaeologists
Post by: Justin Swanton on March 31, 2021, 08:29:02 PM
Quote from: Holly on March 31, 2021, 08:16:05 PM
I wouldnt buck the trend

Trend? With them it's all hare today gone tomorrow.
Title: Re: Welsh island rabbits are archaeologists
Post by: Imperial Dave on March 31, 2021, 08:38:07 PM
I bet that gave them kittens
Title: Re: Welsh island rabbits are archaeologists
Post by: Justin Swanton on March 31, 2021, 08:47:30 PM
It did make them jumpy.
Title: Re: Welsh island rabbits are archaeologists
Post by: Imperial Dave on March 31, 2021, 08:58:53 PM
Quote from: Justin Swanton on March 31, 2021, 08:47:30 PM
It did make them jumpy.

doe n't say that!
Title: Re: Welsh island rabbits are archaeologists
Post by: Duncan Head on March 31, 2021, 08:59:23 PM
It might be time to paws this thread.
Title: Re: Welsh island rabbits are archaeologists
Post by: Imperial Dave on March 31, 2021, 09:00:49 PM
and high tail it out of here?
Title: Re: Welsh island rabbits are archaeologists
Post by: Justin Swanton on April 01, 2021, 06:07:02 AM
This is too much fun. The carrot and the stick won't work on us!
Title: Re: Welsh island rabbits are archaeologists
Post by: Imperial Dave on April 01, 2021, 11:08:40 AM
lettuce just remind ourselves of the story
Title: Re: Welsh island rabbits are archaeologists
Post by: Justin Swanton on April 01, 2021, 11:24:07 AM
Indeed. This is rabbitly descending into farce. Back to the topic. Hop to it!
Title: Re: Welsh island rabbits are archaeologists
Post by: Erpingham on April 01, 2021, 11:58:45 AM
Yes, we've definitely gone down the rabbit hole on this one.
Title: Re: Welsh island rabbits are archaeologists
Post by: Justin Swanton on April 01, 2021, 12:24:30 PM
That's the trouble with bad puns: they tend to breed like...umm...well...yes...
Title: Re: Welsh island rabbits are archaeologists
Post by: Imperial Dave on April 01, 2021, 01:15:37 PM
and run and run and run
Title: Re: Welsh island rabbits are archaeologists
Post by: Justin Swanton on April 01, 2021, 03:28:23 PM
In any case I've no doubt forum members are lapin it up.
Title: Re: Welsh island rabbits are archaeologists
Post by: Erpingham on April 01, 2021, 03:59:31 PM
Because it is Easter, and the stokholm rabbits actually got there by medieval commercial bunny farming, can I suggest you get out your SoA memory sticks and look up a game about warreners published in an early 1980s Slingshot?  Justin will wince at what a mess it is (something went really wrong at the printers and no-one caught it) but also the strange cod-medieval poems it generated. :)
Title: Re: Welsh island rabbits are archaeologists
Post by: Justin Swanton on April 01, 2021, 04:29:37 PM
Quote from: Erpingham on April 01, 2021, 03:59:31 PM
Because it is Easter, and the stokholm rabbits actually got there by medieval commercial bunny farming, can I suggest you get out your SoA memory sticks and look up a game about warreners published in an early 1980s Slingshot?  Justin will wince at what a mess it is (something went really wrong at the printers and no-one caught it) but also the strange cod-medieval poems it generated. :)

Coneycatcher in Slingshot 130, March 1987. Not really a mess, just that bit of duplication of text at the beginning. I like the cartoons.
Title: Re: Welsh island rabbits are archaeologists
Post by: Jim Webster on April 01, 2021, 05:14:28 PM
I'm just going to leave you all to stew
Title: Re: Welsh island rabbits are archaeologists
Post by: Imperial Dave on April 01, 2021, 10:00:32 PM
Bugs the hell out of me....