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Abstract
Previously observed specialization in sheep/goat kill-off patterns from Romanian Eneolithic sites raises the question of a limited duration of the slaughtering period. In order to provide reliable month of death distribution for sheep/goats, the approach developed here takes into account uncertainties regarding the age-at-death and the month of birth, based on classic archaeozoological techniques. We show that sheep slaughtering rarely occurred from late spring to early autumn or from summer to mid-fall, both at Hârşova tell and Borduşani-Popină. Conversely, it is very likely that fishing activities took place primarily from spring to early autumn. This points to the existence of seasonal and complementary food supply strategies at both sites. Several possible explanations for these seasonal strategies are discussed. We also highlight the homogeneity in the management of domestic herds between the two sites, raising the question of a certain standardization in pastoral practices on a larger scale.
La spécialisation antérieurement constatée dans les profils d'abattage des chèvres/moutons sur les sites énéolithiques roumains soulève la question d'une durée limitée de la période d'abattage. Afin de fournir une distribution fiable du mois de la mise à mort pour les chèvres/moutons, l'approche présentée ici prend en compte les incertitudes concernant l’âge au moment de la mort et le mois de naissance, en se basant sur des techniques archéozoologiques classiques. Nous montrons qu'aussi bien au tell de Hârşova qu’à Borduşani-Popină, l'abattage des moutons eut rarement lieu entre la fin du printemps et le début de l'automne, ou entre l’été et le milieu de l'automne. Inversement, il est très probable que les activités de pêche ont principalement eu lieu du printemps jusqu'au début de l'automne. Ceci révèle l'existence de stratégies d'approvisionnement alimentaire saisonnières et complémentaires sur les deux sites. Plusieurs explications possibles à ces stratégies saisonnières sont examinées. Nous soulignons également l'homogénéité de la gestion des troupeaux domestiques sur les deux sites, soulevant ainsi la question d'une certaine standardisation des pratiques pastorales à plus grande échelle. Translation by Isabelle Gerges.
Die bereits früher beobachtete Spezialisierung beim Schlachten von Schafen und Ziegen in rumänischen Fundplätzen des Äneolithikums wirft die Frage nach einer begrenzten Dauer dieser Schlachtereignisse auf. Um verlässliche Daten bei der Ermittlung des Monats des Todes zu erzielen, berücksichtigt der hier angewendete Forschungsansatz Ungewissheiten bei der Ansprache des Sterbealters sowie des Geburtsmonats auf der Basis klassischer Methoden der Archäozoologie. Es wird gezeigt, dass im Tell von Hârşova wie auch in Borduşani-Popină das Schlachten von Schafen kaum zwischen spätem Frühjahr und Frühherbst bzw. zwischen Sommer und Mittelherbst erfolgte. Im Gegensatz dazu ist es sehr wahrscheinlich, dass Fischfang vorwiegend zwischen Frühling und Frühherbst durchgeführt wurde. Dies deutet auf die Existenz von jahreszeitlichen und einander ergänzenden Nahrungsversorgungsstrategien auf beiden Fundplätzen hin. Es werden weiterhin verschiedene mögliche Erklärungen für diese jahreszeitlichen Strategien diskutiert. Wir betonen zudem die Homogenität im Management der Haustierherden beider Plätze, was die Frage nach einem gewissen Grad an Standardisierung in der Weidewirtschaft in größerem Maße aufwirft. Translation by Heiner Schwarzberg.
Acknowledgements
Stéphanie Bréhard was funded by a post-doctoral fellowship from the Fyssen foundation. This work was supported by a grant from the Romanian National Authority for Scientific Research, CNCS-UEFISCDI (PN-II-ID-PCE-2011-3-0982), and by an ERC Starting Grant SIANHE (GA 202881; dir. M. Balasse). We thank G. Obein for the natural logarithm function he proposed to calculate regressions of dP4 crown height on age.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Stéphanie Bréhard
Stéphanie Bréhard is a postdoctoral researcher in zooarchaeology at the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris. Her research interests are herding practices, settlement function, and land use. She works on western and south-eastern European societies and her research focuses on Neolithic and Eneolithic periods.
Address: CNRS – Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, UMR 7209, CP 56, 55 rue Buffon, F-75005 Paris, France. [email: [email protected]]
Valentin Radu
Valentin Radu is a zooarchaeologist at the National Museum of Romanian History, Bucharest. He specializes in ichthyology and malacology. His research interests are the food strategies of the prehistoric communities based on aquatic resources, palaeoenvironmental and palaeoclimatic reconstructions, and palaeoecological and biogeographic studies. He works on different chronological periods in Romania, France, Iran, Russia, and Armenia.
Address: National History Museum of Romania, CNCP, Calea Victoriei nr. 12, 030026, sector 3, Bucharest, Romania. [email: [email protected]]
Alexis Martin
Alexis Martin is an engineer at the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris. He works on automation of data analysis processes, creation of computer-based simulations, and development of scientific databases.
Address: Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, UMR 7208, 43 rue Cuvier, F-75005 Paris, France. [email: [email protected]]
Pauline Hanot
Pauline Hanot graduated from the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (Paris) with a master's degree. She studies fauna from rescue archaeology operations, conducted on French historic sites (Centre de Recherche Archéologique de la Vallée de l'Oise, Compiègne). She has a specific research interest in equid morphology.
Address: Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, UMR 7209, CP 56, 55 rue Buffon, F-75005 Paris, France. [email: [email protected]]
Dragomir Popovici
Dragomir Nicolae Popovici is an archaeologist at the National History Museum of Romania, Bucharest. The Chalcolithic is his main area of interest, and he has directed several excavations from this period.
Address: National History Museum of Romania, CNCP, Calea Victoriei nr. 12, 030026, sector 3, Bucharest, Romania. [email: [email protected]]
Adrian Bălăşescu
Adrian Bălăşescu is a zooarchaeologist at the National Museum of Romanian History, Bucharest. He has participated in various research teams on numerous archaeological excavations (in Romania, France, and Armenia), being responsible mainly for the zooarchaeological investigation. His background is in Balkan prehistory and he also has research interests in Armenian Neolithic and Chalcolithic zooarchaeology.
Address: National History Museum of Romania, CNCP, Calea Victoriei nr. 12, 030026, sector 3, Bucharest, Romania. [email: [email protected]]