Hasard, taphonomie ou redevance ? Le cas du porc médiéval

Animal tributes to seignorial or religious authorities are often described in carolingian texts. Can archaeological studies of medieval sites also provide this information? The present work is based on studies of pig remains. Pork was a common food for the medieval population. It could be preserved easily, by drying, salting or smoking, and it was thus a common ingredient of the daily vegetable or cereal soup. Three examples from sites south of Paris, all with abundant animal remains, were chose because of their social status: a) the fortified village of Varzy (Nièvre), 8^th to 12^th century; b) the carolingian farm of Ravannes (Seine-et-Marne), 10^th century, community probably with hunting rights; c) the carolingian villa of Saint-Germain-les-Corbeil (Essonne), dependence of the abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés, Paris.