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.