Manure: valued by farmers, undervalued by zooarchaeologists

Manure is a crucially important animal product in many mixed and sustainable agricultural production systems but, despite this, it is frequently overlooked by zooarchaeologists who instead tend to focus on more widely recognised contributions of domestic livestock to human subsistence. The case is made here for the consideration of this secondary product in zooarchaeological palaeoeconomic interpretations through the presentation of an ethnographic case-study from work carried out in Ethiopia in 2008. Discussion then focuses on a review of the ways in which manuring practices may be identified in the archaeological record and the importance of full integration of research through the collaboration of different specialists involved in a research project.