OYSTERS_README

*** Dataset on the zooarchaeological records of oyster shells in Estonian archaeological collections ***

Authors: Lõugas, Lembi; Russow, Erki
Archaeological Research Collection, Tallinn University
Corresponding author: Lembi Lõugas
Contact information: lembi.lougas@tlu.ee

*** General Introduction ***

This dataset contains data collected during the analyses of archaeological seafood remains. The dataset consists of 4 tables and 3 catalogues with photographs. 
It is being made public both to act as supplementary data for publication and the research project PRG29.
Data in this dataset were collected at the Tallinn University during the period of 2021-2022.
Publication: Lõugas, L., Jürjo, I., Russow, E., European Flat Oyster (Ostrea edulis, L.) in the eastern Baltic as evidence of long distance trade in the medieval and early modern times. Heritage, 2022, pp.

*** Purpose of the data collection ***

The purpose of the data collection was to obtain precise information on the oyster shell finds excavated from the Estonian archaeological sites, through which the trade and consumption habits of the nobility in medieval and modern age Estonia can be assessed.
This dataset was created in the frame of following project:
PRG29, 2018-2022, "Foreign vs. local in Medieval and Modern Age foodways in the eastern Baltic: tracing the changing food consumption through provenance analyses", supported by the Estonian Research Council.

*** Description of the data in this dataset ***

The data included in this data set has been organised per specimen.

The dataset consists of four files: 
'OYSTERS_README.txt' - this file
'Tallinn_AI_collection.xlsx' – a table file that contains data of identified oyster shells found from Tallinn, Estonia; AI indicates the collection stored in the Archaeological Research Collection, Tallinn University
'Tartu_TM_collection.xlsx' – a table file that contains data of identified oyster shells found from Tartu, Estonia; TM indicates the collection stored in Tartu City History Museum
'Parnu_PaMu_collection.xlsx' – a table file that contains data of identified oyster shells found from Pärnu, Estonia; PäMu indicates the collection stored in Pärnu Museum

and three catalogues with pictures:
'AI_oysters_photos' - in this catalogue, name of the file indicates "Specimen ID" number, which can be found in the relevant table 
'TM_oysters_photos' - in this catalogue, name of the file indicates "Specimen ID" number, which can be found in the relevant table
'PaMu_oysters_photos' - in this catalogue, name of the file indicates "Specimen ID" number, which can be found in the relevant table


***xlsx tables - data description***

Site (year of excavation) - name of the archaeological site (in the cities, usually today's address of the site is used) and a year of the excavation (in brackets) 
Specimen ID - a number made up of the acronyme, the main number and the subnumber(s) of the collection
Type - mainly "oyster shell", but a few other types of shellfish are also included
NISP - number of identified specimens
Description - a brief description of the breakage, damage, traces of epibionts, colour and other features 
Side - right (D) and left (S) side of the valve were identified where possible
Shape - shape of the shell: regular, irregular, round, broad, elongate
L (mm) - shell length: greatest distance between the margins of the shell, i.e. from the anterior to posterior margin
H (mm) - shell hight: maximum distance between the hinge and the opposite edge of the shell, i.e. from dorsal to ventral margin (in mm)
Photos: 
A-interior - marked with an X when the photo was taken from the interior side; A is used in the name of the photo file indicating the interior side of the shell
B-exterior - marked with an X when the photo was taken from the exterior side; B is used in the name of the photo file indicating the exterior side of the shell
AB-extra - marked with an X when an extra photo was taken of some detail of the shell
Date - according to the findings of the context, an estimated date in centuries was added 
Context - a description of the context and the accompaning findings (in Estonian)