Livestock Subsistence Strategies in the Middle and Late Bronze Age Lesser Poland

ABSTRACT

Polish archaeological studies of the last century concerning the development of the settlement network and economic changes in the Lusatian culture (1350–450 BC) in areas of southern Poland prompted the theory that in the initial phase of this culture in Lesser Poland, the economic strategies were the same as in the Upper Silesia, the area from which the settlers came. The cultivation of the native economic model was possible because the Lusatian population migrating from Silesia in the south-east to Lesser Poland settled in environmentally similar areas (loess). This theory was built on the basis of general environmental observations and analyses of the historical ceramic material. To check the validity of the aforementioned thesis, I have analysed a number of faunal materials obtained from three large Lusatian settlements located in loess areas near Krakow. Osteological material was subjected to a comprehensive analysis taking into account the species composition, in terms of anatomy as well as age, gender and animal morphology. The results obtained showed that in addition to environmental pressure, cultural considerations and breeding traditions also had a determinative influence on the choice of the economic pattern.

KEYWORDS:

• Animal husbandry
• Bronze Age
• Lusatian culture

Acknowledgments

Part of the research, including animal bone material form site no 1 in Witów, Commune Koszyce, was created as a result of a research project 2013/11/B/HS3/04404 financed by the National Science Center, headed by Prof Jan Chochorowski from the Institute of Archeology of the Jagiellonian University in Krakow.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 When analysing the obtained numerical data, one should keep in mind that the high percentages of dog remains are the result of the accumulation of bones (fragments of limbs) of this species in feature 314. The same applies to sheep bone remains, the vast majority of which were deposited in feature 261 and belonged to the front part of the body of one individual. Due to the unclear nature of these deposits, it was decided to exclude them from the analysis.

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Notes on contributors

Ulana Gocman

Ulana Gocman is an archaeologist specializing in zooarcheology. I have completed my MA and PhD studies at the Department of Archaeology of the Faculty of History at the Jagiellonian University. During my MA programme, I have completed a one-year zooarcheology fellowship at the Department of Bioarchaeology of the University of Warsaw. I am an independent researcher passionate about prehistoric animal husbandry and farming.