Introducing RATTUS

When we think about the animals which have had the greatest impact on human societies, it’s most often domestic species that come to mind. Dogs were the first domesticated animal and therefore have the longest association with humans. Horses transformed travel, traction and warfare. Herds of domestic sheep and cattle were a rich resource, providing meat, wool, and milk. Flocks of chickens have also been associated with gods, used as sporting animals, and now form a staple part of the global diet.

 

Yet, alongside domestic species, creatures such as rats, mice, pigeons and foxes have lived alongside us for hundreds or even thousands of years, taking advantage of the food and shelter that human settlements provide and often causing problems by consuming and contaminating food or spreading disease. Known as commensal or anthro-dependent animals, the success of these creatures relies on their ability to thrive in human-modified landscapes and ecosystems – and to spread to new areas by piggybacking on human trade and movement. Just like the domesticates listed above, their lifeways are intrinsically linked with ours – and they may provide clues to changing human economies.

Our project looks in detail at black rats (Rattus rattus) and brown rats (Rattus norvegicus) —  two of the most significant and widespread of these commensal species. Over five years we will track the spread of rats across Europe and try to untangle the relationship between rats and humans over the past c.2500 years. We aim to address key broad questions:  

·      When and how did each species reach Europe in the first place, and can this be linked to patterns of human movement and trade connections?

·      What human factors were most important in allowing past rat populations to thrive? Can we turn this around and use the fortunes of rats to track the ebbs and flows of human economic history?

·      Based on archaeological evidence, how likely is the traditional, rat-based model for the spread of plague during the Black Death and other historical pandemics?

 

To answer these questions, we’ve assembled a team of specialists from multiple disciplines including zooarchaeology, archaeogenetics, palaeoproteomics, stable isotope analysis, radiocarbon dating, history and ecology. We’ll soon feature a “day-in-the-life-of” series here on the RATTUS blog to introduce you to our team members and share more details on their work and its contributions to the wider RATTUS project. In the meantime, you can view our “Introducing RATTUS” poster which we presented at the European Association for Archaeologists conference in Belfast last September. The poster shows the different aspects of each of the methodological approaches of the project and ultimately what we hope we will learn from the results of each technique.

 

The RATTUS project was selected by the European Research Council (ERC), and is funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). Whilst the core team is based at the University of York, we are working with collaborators all over Europe – and occasionally beyond! If you are interested in collaborating with us or just want to follow us for more ratty content, you can find us on social media @archaeorattus or email our project inbox via rattus-project@york.ac.uk