1,721,011 research outputs found
A Mighty Castle in the Clouds: New Insight on the Life in the Medieval Castle Solotnik from a Zooarchaeological Perspective
Full text linkDuring the High Medieval period Serbian state had no permanent rulers’ and noblemen’s residences, so the court has been moved from place to place. Nevertheless, residences were not often fortified, and in case of danger sovereign and nobility would move to a nearby fortified refuge. Due to the changing geopolitical circumstances during the 14th century, the court moved within the ramparts and it eventually transformed into a castle similar to those of Medieval Europe. Rulers’ and noblemen’s fortifications have usually been built at the higher altitudes and in that way, they were becoming part of the entire system of defense of the state. Since the attention of researchers was focused more on the residences of the rulers, only a few palaces of the nobility are known today, although they were probably numerous. One of them is certainly Solotnik castle located at the Kulina – Solotuša site. It was built on the eastern slopes of Tara mountain (western Serbia), during the 15th century, on a very inaccessible point surrounded by steep cliffs, at 830 m above sea level. A part of the faunal sample has already been published (Mladenović 2017), but the results of the new analyses indicate some different exploitation patterns in regard to the previous data. The purpose of this paper is to present new results of faunal analyses from Kulina – Solotuša site, and to reveal the characteristics of everyday life of inhabitants of one nobleman’s residence from a zooarchaeological perspective
Into the Woods: Wild Animals and Hunting in Medieval Serbian Lands
No full textDuring the Middle Ages (between the 12–15th c. AD) hunting was a privilege and
a necessity. In medieval society, this activity was an obligation of the lower class and the main
form of entertainment for noblemen, but also an opportunity for practicing and staying in shape
during times of peace, which provided rich feasts as well. According to historical records, Serbia
abounded with forests and numerous wild animal species. Therefore, hunting was very important
throughout the Middle Ages and has not lost its significance for centuries. Evidence of hunting
and the presence of some wild animals in Serbia was preserved in different historical records
– written sources, fresco paintings, tombstone representations, etc. In addition, archaeological
finds made from game bones and faunal assemblages from different sites complete the picture
of the importance of wild animals. This paper summarises information gathered from different
historical records, iconographic representations, and the results of zooarchaeological analyses to
provide insight into hunting practices and the crucial role played by wild animals in medieval
Serbia
Lost and Found: Animal Management Throughout the Roman and the Late Antique Periods Within the Settlement(s) Under the Modern City of Čačak (Western Serbia)
Full text linkEven though archaeozoology of the Roman and the Late Antique periods is a young
discipline that has gained momentum in Serbia in recent decades, there is still modest
information originating from the area of Western Serbia. So far, the data from the
archaeological site Jerinin grad – Brangović has been published (Kukić, Mladenović 2014).
However, in the last two years, analyses of archaeofaunal material from the area of
present-day Čačak, which includes three sites/locations – Courtyard of the Gymnasium,
Courtyard of the National Museum, and Courtyard of the Church of the Ascension of the
Holy Virgin – dating back to the Roman and Late Antique periods, have gotten underway.
This paper aims to provide an insight into animal management within the same landscape
at three different locations through time by comparing taxa ratios, body part profiles, age
and sex data, pathological changes, as well as butchery mark patterns between various
sites/locations to reveal plausible diachronic and contextual differences in the strategies
of animal exploitation.4th ICAZ Roman Period Working Group Meeting, 9–12th April, Belgrade, Serbi
An Insight into Animal Exploitation at the Roman Frontiers Throughout the Late Antiquity: A Case Study of Čortanovci, Mihaljevačka šuma – Prosjanice Site (Northern Serbia)
Full text linkArchaeological site Prosjanice, in the Mihaljevačka šuma near the village of Čortanovci in
Srem (Northern Serbia), is located on the right Danube bank, under the last slopes of
Fruška gora mountain. At this position, remains of the Roman military border fortress,
settlement, and necropolis were discovered. The fortress was built at the end of the
3rd/beginning of the 4th century AD and it was destroyed at the beginning of the Great
Migrations period, in the second half of the 4th century in particular. Archaeological
excavations of the southern part of the fortress, part of the cemetery, and one structure in
the vicinity were carried out on several occasions during the second half of the 20th
century. During 2018, two rescue campaigns were focused, among other contexts, on the
remains of settlement and necropolis coeval with the fortress. The focus of research on the
Roman Limes in Serbia primarily revolves around the fortifications, with considerably less
published information concerning the surrounding areas and settlements associated with
these fortifications. In Čortanovci during the 4th century, both the settlement and its
cemetery were situated near the fortification. The settlement was inhabited by soldiers and
their families, supported by the discovery of graves of women and children in the
necropolis, along with other portable finds within the settlement. The significance of this
paper is reflected in the fact that it represents preliminary results of the first
archaeozoological analyses of the Roman settlement at Čortanovci, Mihaljevačka šuma –
Prosjanice site, which provide an insight into animal exploitation strategies of the Roman
soldiers and their families during the Late Antiquity.4th ICAZ Roman Period Working Group Meeting, 9–12th April, Belgrade, Serbi
An Insight into Animal Exploitation at the Roman Frontiers Throughout the Late Antiquity: A Case Study of Čortanovci, Mihaljevačka šuma – Prosjanice Site (Northern Serbia)
Full text linkArchaeological site Prosjanice, in the Mihaljevačka šuma near the village of Čortanovci in Srem (Northern Serbia), is located on the right Danube bank, under the last slopes of Fruška gora mountain. At this position, remains of the Roman military border fortress, settlement, and necropolis were discovered. The fortress was built at the end of the 3rd/beginning of the 4th century AD and it was destroyed at the beginning of the Great Migrations period, in the second half of the 4th century in particular. Archaeological excavations of the southern part of the fortress, part of the cemetery, and one structure in the vicinity were carried out on several occasions during the second half of the 20th century. During 2018, two rescue campaigns were focused, among other contexts, on the remains of settlement and necropolis coeval with the fortress. The focus of research on the Roman Limes in Serbia primarily revolves around the fortifications, with considerably less published information concerning the surrounding areas and settlements associated with these fortifications. In Čortanovci during the 4th century, both the settlement and its cemetery were situated near the fortification. The settlement was inhabited by soldiers and their families, supported by the discovery of graves of women and children in the necropolis, along with other portable finds within the settlement. The significance of this paper is reflected in the fact that it represents preliminary results of the first archaeozoological analyses of the Roman settlement at Čortanovci, Mihaljevačka šuma – Prosjanice site, which provide an insight into animal exploitation strategies of the Roman soldiers and their families during the Late Antiquity
Lost and Found: Animal Management Throughout the Roman and the Late Antique Periods Within the Settlement(s) Under the Modern City of Čačak (Western Serbia)
Full text linkEven though archaeozoology of the Roman and the Late Antique periods is a young discipline that has gained momentum in Serbia in recent decades, there is still modest information originating from the area of Western Serbia. So far, the data from the archaeological site Jerinin grad – Brangović has been published (Kukić, Mladenović 2014). However, in the last two years, analyses of archaeofaunal material from the area of present-day Čačak, which includes three sites/locations – Courtyard of the Gymnasium, Courtyard of the National Museum, and Courtyard of the Church of the Ascension of the Holy Virgin – dating back to the Roman and Late Antique periods, have gotten underway. This paper aims to provide an insight into animal management within the same landscape at three different locations through time by comparing taxa ratios, body part profiles, age and sex data, pathological changes, as well as butchery mark patterns between various sites/locations to reveal plausible diachronic and contextual differences in the strategies of animal exploitation
Management and supply of wild beasts for Roman amphitheatre games: archaeozoological and genetic evidence from Viminacium
Full text linkWild beast spectacles (venationes) in Roman amphitheatres required a complex network of organization – from wildlife capturing and transport to their maintenance, displays in the arena, and processing their corpses after death. Numerous depictions in ancient texts and iconography are related to venationes and they give some insight into the supply and management of wildlife used in amphitheatre games. However, these are considered to be highly exaggerated, and they are usually not concerned with the vast majority of provincial amphitheatres, but only to spectacles held in just a few urban centres (e.g. Rome). Archaeozoological data from areas of several Roman provincial amphitheatres have given additional insights into the usage of wild beasts in arena shows throughout the Empire. One of the largest amphitheatre faunal collections originates from the military amphitheatre of Viminacium – the post of the 7th Claudia Legion, and capital of the province of Moesia Superior. Previous studies on wildlife remains from Viminacium amphitheatre indicated the usage of locally available beasts (brown bears, wild boars and red deer), as well as exotics (big cats). This paper will discuss the supply and management of those beasts through the combination of archaeozoological and genetic evidence. More precisely it will examine their origin via genetic evidence, as well as the way of their use in the arena by examination of skeletal trauma.4th ICAZ Roman Period Working Group Meeting, 9–12th April, Belgrade, Serbi
Management and supply of wild beasts for Roman amphitheatre games: archaeozoological and genetic evidence from Viminacium
No full textWild beast spectacles (venationes) in Roman amphitheatres required a complex network of organization – from wildlife capturing and transport to their maintenance, displays in the arena, and processing their corpses after death. Numerous depictions in ancient texts and iconography are related to venationes and they give some insight into the supply and management of wildlife used in amphitheatre games. However, these are considered to be highly exaggerated, and they are usually not concerned with the vast majority of provincial amphitheatres, but only to spectacles held in just a few urban centres (e.g. Rome). Archaeozoological data from areas of several Roman provincial amphitheatres have given additional insights into the usage of wild beasts in arena shows throughout the Empire. One of the largest amphitheatre faunal collections originates from the military amphitheatre of Viminacium – the post of the 7th Claudia Legion, and capital of the province of Moesia Superior. Previous studies on wildlife remains from Viminacium amphitheatre indicated the usage of locally available beasts (brown bears, wild boars and red deer), as well as exotics (big cats). This paper will discuss the supply and management of those beasts through the combination of archaeozoological and genetic evidence. More precisely it will examine their origin via genetic evidence, as well as the way of their use in the arena by examination of skeletal trauma.4th ICAZ Roman Period Working Group Meeting, 9–12th April, Belgrade, Serbi
Human and carnivore activity during the Early Upper Palaeolithic in the Central Balkans: A case study of Orlovača cave, Serbia
No full textRecent research on the Early Upper Palaeolithic in the Balkan peninsula has been significant, as it has provided new information about cultural and demographic changes during this period and the role of the Danubian Corridor in the spread of modern humans towards central Europe. One of the recently discovered sites is Orlovača cave, located in village Panjevac in the Resava river valley in eastern Serbia. The site yielded archaeological remains from the Middle and Upper Palaeolithic. This study focuses on the vertebrate remains from the Aurignacian occupation levels. Faunal remains consist of a wide range of species, including four species of ungulates (Bison priscus, Cervus elaphus, Capra ibex, Equus sp.) and seven species of carnivores (Ursus spelaeus, Crocuta spelaea, Panthera spelaea, Canis lupus, Mustela nivalis, Mustela erminea, Vulpes vulpes) among which Ursus spelaeus is the most represented. Taphonomic analysis shows traces of human modifications and butchery, which points to human activity at this site, as well as, traces of carnivore activity evidenced by gnawed and digested bone fragments. This indicates that the faunal remains have been accumulated by both carnivore and human groups. The aim of this analysis is to understand to what degree humans and carnivores were respectively responsible for accumulating the bones in these occupation levels. The results indicate that Orlovača cave was mostly occupied by carnivores and that the cave was a temporary camp for human groups, as suggested by previous research
Exploitation of beasts of burden in the territory of present-day Serbia during the Late Antique and the Early Byzantine periods: a zooarchaeological perspective
Full text linkThis paper discusses the exploitation of equids and camels throughout the Late Antique and the Early Byzantine periods in the territory of present-day Serbia. During the Roman times, horses, donkeys, mules, and camels were used to carry loads in long/short distances either for army needs or in caravan trade, and the usage of those animals in the region is evidenced by archaeofaunal data. By bringing together zooarchaeological data on equids and camels, this paper aims to provide an insight into their exploitation strategies in different settlement types from the 4th
century to the beginning of the 7th century AD in the territory of present-day Serbia. The comparisons of the relative distributions of their remains, their body-part profiles, age and sex data, pathological changes, as well as butchery marks between different archaeological sites, site types, and periods, will be used to explore plausible diachronic and contextual differences in the strategies of exploitation of indicated animals
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