iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Archaeobears

@archaeobears.bsky.social

Follow for info on human-bear interactions, from the ice ages to the present day. Home to #BoxOfficeBears news. #archaeology #history

Posts Replies Media

Archaeobears @archaeobears.bsky.social · 06/04/2025

If you like #Shakespeare and / or #Wrestling, then you don’t want to miss #BARDCORE. A Midsummer’s Night Dream like you’ve never seen it before! 10th May, at Lakeside Theatre, #Nottingham 🎭 Book tickets here: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/bardcore-m...

A poster showing a donkey in a Lucha Libre mask, with the text ‘1623 and Wrestling Resurgence present BARDCORE Midsummer Mayhem. Saturday 10th May. For all ages. Tickets on sale now. Bardcore wrestling. The Shakespeare wrestling show.’

135 5

Archaeobears @archaeobears.bsky.social · 17/02/2025

8) the faunal composition from the playhouse sites was very different to that of the baiting arenas. They had more domestic food animals and fewer dogs and horses.

Photo of the reconstructed Shakespeare’s Globe on Bankside. It is octagonal and has a timber frame with white painted panels and a grassy Thatched roof.

150 5

Archaeobears @archaeobears.bsky.social · 17/02/2025

7) we know from archival work and the archaeological remains that these excavations uncovered the sites of @roseplayhouse.bsky.social and @shakespearesglobe.bsky.social plus 4 different baiting arenas - Payne’s Standings, Bear Garden 3a, The Hope and Davies dating c.1540-1680

Map of Bankside showing the areas studied (those with site codes). Four baiting arenas plus the Rose and Globe are visible. Source: Wright et al (2025)/ Museum of London Archaeology

151 5

Archaeobears @archaeobears.bsky.social · 17/02/2025

6) the horse bones had been gnawed by carnivores, and so had the bear and dog bones. Conclusion: after death the animals were fed to one another. Stable isotope data (C and N) confirmed that dogs and bears had very similar diets.

Stable isotope samples in test tubes loaded into a centrifuge. This is a top-down photo showing they all have BOB (Box Office Bear) numbers on top.

130 3

Archaeobears @archaeobears.bsky.social · 17/02/2025

5) large numbers of horse bones were found at the sites. They had extensive age-related pathologies and very worn teeth. Most likely knackered horses imported to Bankside (Southwark) as dog and bear food.

Street sign saying ‘bear gardens SE1, London borough of Southwark’

141 4

Archaeobears @archaeobears.bsky.social · 17/02/2025

3) the bears were all over 4 years of age, suggesting cubs were not used in baiting (or at least did not die until they were older). If they were not being baited - where were they? Maybe dancing or on stage?

Photograph of an adult brown bear from above.

130 3

Archaeobears @archaeobears.bsky.social · 17/02/2025

We examined animal bones from multiple sites in Southwark, London using a variety of techniques including zooarchaeology - species, age, size, injuries and stable isotopes - diet. We found that: 1) the dogs were largely 2-3 years of age, with no evidence of puppies (but few sites were sieved).

Photograph of a dog cranium from Southwark.

141 4

Archaeobears @archaeobears.bsky.social · 17/02/2025

Our @ukri.org AHRC-funded project draws together archaeological and archival info to learn more about the #earlymodern ‘sport’ of bear baiting where dogs were set on bears for human entertainment. 🏺🧪

Woodcut image of six dogs attacking a bear that’s tethered to a stake by a rope around its neck. The bear is on all fours. Four of the dogs have collars.

162 6

Archaeobears @archaeobears.bsky.social · 21/11/2024

All prepped and ready to speak to the Southwell Community Archaeology Group about the long history of bears in Britain. Includes #archaeology #history #bears #bones and #BoxOfficeBears

Photo of the opening slide of a talk. It says ‘bears and humans: a complex relationship’ by Hannah O’Regan, University of Nottingham. There’s also a photo of a bear cranium on it.

1279 27

Archaeobears @archaeobears.bsky.social · 24/10/2024

We’re delighted with the booklet based on Clerkinworks’ #LGBTQ+ creative writing workshops. The stories are tender, powerful and engaging, and all based around the methods and results of the #BoxOfficeBears project. Get in touch if you’d be interested in hosting workshops in your area.

A shiny printed booklet called ‘your inner mythic bear. LGBTQIA+ creative writing workshops’. There’s a lovely line drawing of a bear carrying a large fish in its mouth on the cover.

031 3