An oak barrel filled with beef bones was discovered in the aft part of the Dauphine. It is an excellent example of how meat was stored and prepared during the period in question. In his study of the barrel, Philippe Migaud, an archaeozoologist, revealed that all of the bones belonged to a single animal that had been packed in the barrel "with feet hoofs nor heads", as stipulated in the 1689 Edict of Louis XIV Concerning Naval Armies and Marine Arsenals.
Was this the result of a seagoing butchering operation, rather that one carried out on land? We know that it was common for live animals to be brought aboard and placed in stockyards below decks. From time to time, when need arose, or when foldder ran short or an animal was injured or debilitated, slaughtering took place on board. The quarters then had to be saled and placed in barrels. This is a tempting solution, but it must be put into perspective. Two other barrels were discovered nearby, both filled with beef bones with similar markings and butchered in the same manner, leading us to believe the animals were dressed on land. Only an accumulation of archaeological data will allow us to fourmulate definitive ideas of butchery practices, both on land and aboard ship, since the archives are mostly silent on this issue about this subject.
