4,939 research outputs found
Caprine mortality profiles from prehistoric cave‐sites of the northern Adriatic: Livestock strategies or natural death?
No full textThis paper poses a question on the interpretation of caprine “kill‐off patterns” in some prehistoric sites of the Caput Adriae (northern Adriatic region, Mediterranean area). In particular, caprine kill‐off data from layers 2 (Late Neolithic‐Copper Age) and 2a (Middle Neolithic) of Grotta dell'Edera (Trieste Karst, north‐eastern Italy) are presented here and compared with those from two neighbouring sites. Distribution of age classes of domestic animals (in particular Caprinae) is generally discussed in terms of exploitation strategies adopted by past communities to obtain different products (e.g., milk, meat, and wool). Nevertheless, emphasis is rarely given to the possible meaning of the presence of foetal individuals and to their relation with neonatal ones. In this sense, it needs to be considered that causes of abortion (e.g., infections or ewe malnutrition) often can also lead to lamb mortality. The presence of a high proportion of neonatal (0–2 months old) and foetal sheep/goat individuals in the sites analysed raises an issue about the possible meaning of the mortality profiles: exploitation of dairy products or just premature death of ill individuals? This issue is important not only to better interpret subsistence strategies of past human communities but also to explore animal disease through time
Animal remains from the multi-layered site of Elvas-Kreuzwiese p. f. 574 (South Tyrol, Italy)
No full textThe site of Elvas-Kreuzwiese p. f. 574 is located near Brixen-Bressanone (BZ) on the Natz-
Schabs plateau at about 600 m a.s.l. Excavations carried out at the beginning of this century
attested the presence of Late Bronze Age, Iron Age and Roman Age materials. Almost 10,000
animal remains from all chronological phases are presented in this paper. Faunal composition is
quite similar through all phases: caprines are the most common taxa, cattle is quite abundant and
domestic pig is rare. The site stratigraphy allows to detect changes in cattle body size through
time: an increase in body size can be observed at the boundary between the Iron Age and the
Roman Imperial Age. However, the presence of small individuals could indicate that local forms,
probably directly derived from Late Iron Age populations, were not completely replaced during
the Roman period. Data indicates an autonomous subsistence economy during the Bronze Age,
whilst the site looks to be part of a more complex society during the Roman period
Der Tierknochenfundkomplex von Gnadendorf (VB Mistelbach, Niederösterreich)
No full textFaunal remains from the Linear Pottery site of Gnadendorf (Austria) are analysed in this paper. Although
most of them are ascribed to the Notenkopfkeramik, some remains are assigned to the Stichbandkeramik
and to the Urnenfelderkultur. Regarding the first and earliest remains, an overwhelming majority of domestic
animals is obvious (about 90 % of the identified specimens), cattle being apparently slightly more
abundant than others. Caprines are more abundant than other Notenkopfkeramik assemblages of this region.
This relative abundance of small grazers is difficult to interpret and may indicate a conservative
pattern of subsistence economy, unless the observed situation does not reflect casual factors such as a nonrepresentative
sample. Stichbandkeramik remains come from three different stratigraphical units, two of
them mixed with Neolithic and Bronze Age remains. In spite of this and of a poor sample, their faunal
composition differs widely from that of the other two phases, being rich in wild animal remains. This characteristic
is found also in the Stichbandkeramik site of Frauenhofen, whose zooarchaeological remains,
partially already published, have been revised on this occasion. On the basis of these data and of data from
other sites of comparable age, it would appear that during this period in the Austrian Danubian region
hunting activities were greatly increased to eke out husbandry and farming
3D digital microscopy and taphonomy: two examples from Palaeolithic sites (Grotta dei Santi – Grosseto and Grotta Paglicci - Foggia)
No full textL’Unità di Ricerca di Ecologia Preistorica dell’Università di Siena sta portando avanti un ampio studio volto alla realizzazione di nuove metodologie di analisi tafonomiche, condotte attraverso l’utilizzo della microscopia digitale 3D. Le modificazioni sulle superfici ossee (scores, punctures, cut marks, alterazioni chimiche) possono essere infatti analizzate da un punto di vista morfometrico permettendo l’individuazione di caratteri diagnostici che possono essere elaborati statisticamente, evitando l’esclusivo utilizzo di osservazioni soggettive. In questo contributo vengono presentati alcuni dati riguardanti strie di macellazione ottenute in prove sperimentali, strie provocate da carnivori moderni e tracce rilevate su resti di macromammiferi provenienti da due siti paleolitici: la Grotta dei Santi (Grosseto) e Grotta Paglicci (Foggia). Lo scopo è quello di mettere a confronto tracce lasciate da diversi agenti e capire, testando il metodo su campioni archeologici, verso quale direzione possa essere sviluppato questo tipo di ricerca in modo da favorire in futuro una migliore interpretazione di alcune evidenze tafonomiche.The Research Unit of Prehistoric Ecology of the University of Siena is testing the potentiality of a digital microscope that captures 3D images of the bone surface. The aim of this research is to develop new methods for understanding the origin of different bone modifications (e.g. scores, punctures, cut marks, chemical corrosion) using morphometry. It allows to find diagnostic criteria that can be processed through statistics, avoiding the exclusive use of subjective observations. In this paper different bone modifications have been analysed: cut marks produced during butchery experiments, modern tooth marks and striae located on macromammal remains coming from two Palaeolithic sites: Grotta dei Santi (Grosseto) and Grotta Paglicci (Foggia). The aim is to compare bone modifications of different origin and to test the method on archaeological samples, in order to understand how this can be employed to better interpret the taphonomic evidences in future works
Archäozoologische Untersuchungen an zwei Fundstätten der Aunjetitz-Kultur Niederösterreichs: Die Ziegelwerke von Stillfried und Schleinbach (Grabungen 1916-1939)
No full textFaunal remains from the sites of Stillfried-Ziegelei and Schleinbach-Ziegelei are analysed in this paper.
Both samples are ascribed to Aunjetitz (Unětice) culture dwelling places, and are characterised by an
overwhelming majority of domestic animals (cattle, caprines and pig). Cattle are strongly more abundant
than others (more of 80% of bones weight) and are represented by a lot of male and old individuals. Some
horn cores show a flat surface on the nuchal side, probably caused by the pressure of a yoke. According
to this, it is possible that cattle were used for work and transport, but it is necessary to carry out further
archaeological research to investigate this question. Local economy was also based on the breeding of
caprines and pigs. Sizes of domestic animals are typical for Austrian Bronze Age breeds. Particularly
cattle dimensions are between those of Neolithic and Iron Age populations
Equus ferus e Equus hydruntinus nella serie epigravettiana di Grotta Paglicci (Rignano Garganico – Foggia)
No full textLa caccia agli equidi ha rappresentato un’importante fonte di sostentamento a Grotta Paglicci (Rignano Garganico, Foggia) nel corso dell’Epigravettiano. Il cavallo risulta in alcuni casi la specie più abbondante, come nel livello 10e, attribuito alle fasi finali dell’Epigravettino antico, dove è presente tra gli ungulati con oltre il 50% dei resti. Questo equide viene sostituito dall’idruntino in occasione di oscillazioni climatiche più temperate. Questa alternanza risulta ben evidente soprattutto a partire dal taglio c del livello 6 (17386±288 cal. 2σ BP, Epigravettiano finale) fino al tetto della sequenza (13313±191 cal. 2σ BP). La presenza dei resti di idruntino non raggiunge però percentuali elevate (al massimo 29 % nel taglio b dello strato 4, datato 13816±276 cal. 2σ BP). Nei livelli in cui è stato possibile eseguire un confronto, dati preliminari mostrano per il cavallo una maggiore quantità di denti definitivi emergenti e di denti decidui rispetto all’idruntino. Nel taglio a3 del livello 16 riferito all’Epigravettiano antico (19843±208 cal. 2σ BP) ad esempio, il 27,8% dei denti isolati e delle mandibole di cavallo è riferibile a soggetti giovani e subadulti, mentre per l’idruntino le stesse due classi di età non superano il 6,6%. Ciò farebbe supporre una diversa modalità di sfruttamento delle due specie.During the Epigravettian, horse (Equus ferus) and Equus hydruntinus represented important resources for the human subsistence at Grotta Paglicci (Rignano Garganico, Foggia). Horse is sometimes the most abundant species, such as for istance in level 10e (final stage of the Early Epigravettian) where its remains represent the 50% of NISP among ungulates. This species was replaced by E. hydruntinus during more temperate climatic oscillations. This phenomenon can be appreciated for istance from level “c” of layer 6 (17386±288 cal. 2σ BP, Final Epigravettian) to the top of the sequence (13313±191 cal. 2σ BP). E. hydruntinus remains are never very abundant (the maximum, 29%, is reached in level “b” of layer 4, 13816±276 cal. 2σ BP). When a comparison was possible, preliminary data show that deciduous teeth, or erupting permanent theet, are more abundant among horse remains than E. hydruntinus ones. It was observed for istance in level A3 of layer 16 (Early Epigravettian, 19843±208 cal. 2σ BP), where the 27,8% of horse isolated teeth and jaws belong to juvenile and subadult individuals, whilst only the 6,6% of the same kind of specimens of E. hydruntinus can be attributed to these age classes. This fact could be related to different exploitation strategies of the two species
MicroCT imaging of long bones: archaeozoology and domestication from a digital perspective
No full textX-ray microCT imaging offers the possibility to
study interior structure of animal remains detecting agerelated changes of bone microstructure. In the present paper
we analyse patterns in the development of diaphyseal
structure in canids. In particular, the first metacarpal of
present-day and archaeological red fox (Vulpes vulpes) and
wolf (Canis lupus) individuals have been analysed. Variables
describing bone structure were measured by inferring bone
development through observation of cross-sections. Results
show how bone structure changes through life and how this
approach allows to separate young individuals from older
ones. This is important both from a zooarchaeological
perspective, since microCT imaging is a non-invasive tool to
estimate the age at death of animal remains, and to
discriminate taxa characterized by a close morphology but
different adult body size
Grotta dell’Edera (Carso Triestino): dati preliminari sui macromammiferi dei livelli sauveterriani
No full textEin spätbronzezeitlicher Tierknochenfundkomplex aus der Kupferbergbausiedlung Brixlegg-Mariahilfbergl (Tirol)
No full textLate Bronze Age (Urnenfelderzeit) faunal remains from Brixlegg (Tyrol, Austria) are analysed
in this paper. The characteristics of the assemblage (faunal composition, age-at-death, relative abundance of different bones) reflect the peculiar economy of a mining settlement. Animal husbandry
was only partly carried out at the site itself. The great amount of pig remains, the lack of
young individuals and the paucity of metapodials, phalanges, skulls and mandible remains, can
be interpreted as a result of the import of carcasses for the meat supply from places outside the
settlement. Hunting was of scarce economic relevance.
In this period the cattle population shows a considerably smaller body size than that of the Early
and Middle Bronze Age from Brixlegg and other earlier sites in the region. Thus it resembled
closely the cattle of the following Iron Age. The outstandingly tall Early Bronze Age dog breed
from Brixlegg is still present during the Late Bronze Age
Lo sfruttamento degli ungulati a Grotta Paglicci durante l’Epigravettiano Antico: il caso del livello 16a3-3
No full textDuring last years a zooarchaeological analysis was carried out on the Epigravettian faunal remains from Grotta Paglicci
(FG, southern Italy) by the University of Siena. In this paper study of layer 16a3-3 (Early Epigravettian) is presented.
Layer 16 dates back to a time span from about 16970±150 to 16690±150 BP. The large size of the sample from cut a3-3
(ungulate NISP = 876) allowed us to carry out a complete zooarchaeological and taphonomic study supported by a solid
statistical background. Faunal composition is characterised by a predominance of ungulate remains. The most frequent
species are wild horse (41,7 % of remains), auroch (31,3 %) and ibex (10,4 %), thus testifying the presence of steppe or
forest steppe environments. Limb bones bear impact demages and fresh-bone fractures. The low value of FFI (Fracture
Freshness Index) observed on diaphyseal fragments indicates their breaking for extracting marrow. Axial elements of
large-sized species (wild horse and auroch) are very scanty when compared with the higher frequency of the same parts
from small-sized ungulates (caprines, wild boar and roe deer). This pattern proofs that larger carcasses were butchered
directly at the killing sites and that only selected parts were transported into the cave. Mortality profiles testify that more
vulnerable individuals or groups of individuals were mainly preied upon
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