This research was begun by me (Aleks Pluskowski) in October 2003, funded by Clare College, Cambridge and affiliated to the Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge. The aim is to explore the diversity of human responses to animals and their environment across medieval Europe, focusing on England and France but extending to Scandinavia, the Mediterranean, central and eastern Europe. Once completed, this project will provide an interdisciplinary overview punctuated with comparative case studies exploring topics such as:

• Patterns in the exploitation of fauna by different social groups in varying environmental contexts.
• Ecological and conceptual roles of predator and prey.
• Wildlife value systems.
• Conceptualised boundaries between and within species.