Some aspects of the palaeoecology of commensals

As well as the economically important mammals, many other vertebrate specie s live in and around human settlements. Some of these commensals (e.g. Mus domesticus, Passer domesticus,) have a long history of association with peo ple. The zooarchaeological record is sparse because systematic sieving is r equired to retrieve the bones of such small species. However, it is also po ssible to investigate this aspect of the palaeoecology of human settlement by using studies of the behavioural ecology of modern species. The relation ship between people and their commensals, both indigenous and invading, is placed in the overall context of landscape change in Britain.