Remains Found in the Medieval Site of Baia (Suceava County)

Analele Științifice ale Universității „Al. I. Cuza” Iași, s. Biologie animală, Tom LV, 2009

MORPHOMETRIC ANALYSE OF PIG (Sus scrofa domesticus) REMAINS FOUND IN THE MEDIEVAL SITE OF BAIA (SUCEAVA COUNTY)

Roxana MAFTEI1 and Luminița BEJENARU2 1 “Miron Costin” Highschool, Izvoarelor Street, 11, Pașcani, Romania, [email protected] 2 ”Al. I. Cuza” University Iași, Faculty of Biology, Bd. Carol I, 20A, 700505 Iași, Romania, [email protected]

Abstract. The archaeological site of Baia is situated in Suceava County, on the right side of Moldova River. The archaeozoological assemblage revealed by excavations in 1977-1978 comes from a complex of houses and it is represented by a large amount of remains. In this sample, pig remains came on the second place as frequency, after cattle. The great amount of remains allowed us to describe the pig in comparative terms of quantification and measurements. This study contains the statistical analysis of the metrical data of pig remains.

Keywords: Middle Ages, Baia (Suceava), Sus scrofa domesticus, Morphometry.

Rezumat. Analiza morfometrică a resturilor de porc domestic (Sus scrofa domesticus) descoperite in situl medieval de la Baia (județul Suceava). Situl arheologic de la Baia este situat în județul Suceava, pe malul drept al râului Moldova. Eșantionul arheozoologic descoperit cu ocazia săpăturilor din 1977-1978 provine dintr-un complex de locuințe și este reprezentat de numeroase resturi scheletice. Dintre resturile osoase descoperite în așezarea de la Baia, cele identificate ca aparținând porcului domestic, ca frecvență, ocupă locul doi, după bovinele domestice. Numărul mare de resturi a permis realizarea unui studiu privind proportia porcului domestic in dieta locuitorilor de a lungul secolelor XIII-XVII, precum și caracteristicile morfometrice ale acestei specii.

Cuvinte cheie: Evul Mediu, Baia (Suceava), Sus scrofa domesticus, morfometrie.

Introduction The great amount of faunal remains recovered from medieval site of Baia (Suceava County) allows us to draw some conclusions concerning the diet of medieval people from Baia and also to estimate some morphological traits for domestic animals used by those people. Baia is a settlement that had from the very beginning a flourishing development, being for more decades the capital of the incipient Medieval State of Moldavia, but its development lasted until the XVth century when more elements led to its decline. The appearance and the development of this early town were stimulated by the richness of the soil and by the position of the place on an ancient but very important commercial route. But the movement of the capital in other city, the frequent invasions of the Turks and the recurrent fires lead to its decline and transformation in just a plain village (Neamțu et al., 1980; Neamțu et al., 1984).

Material and Methods The studied sample contains animal remains recovered from the excavations made in the medieval town of Baia, in 1977-1978. The animal remains come from a complex of houses. Among these remains those belonging cattle and pigs are well represented. The archaeozoological analysis was achieved in the Laboratory of Animal Morphology, Faculty of Biology, ”Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University of Iași. The study methodology was specific to archaeozoology, mainly consisting of anatomical and taxonomical identifications, encoding and quantification of data, and osteometry (Udrescu et al., 1999). In this approach we used the standard measures provided by van den

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Driesch’s (1976) osteometrical guide. As measuring tools we used the vernier callipers and metrical band. We used many parameters to obtain as many information as we could about the variability and the shapes of pig at that time. The metrical data were stocked in a data base and then processed in Excel program depending on the target objectives. For each sample we used parameters like: minimum, maximum, average, standard deviation and confidence.

Results and Discussion The archaezooological sample of Baia contains a great amount of cattle and pig remains (Maftei & Bejenaru, 2008). The present study has in view the pig remains and all data provided by them.

Table 1. Frequencies of pig throughout different periods of time (NR – number of remains; MNI – minimum number of individuals).

Historical Total identified period NR % MNI % mammal remains (centuries) XIII-XIV 6 8.10 2 14.28 74 XIV-XV 176 10.24 7 10 1718 XV 368 8.91 13 12.74 4127 XV-XVII 189 10.58 16 16 1786

As we can see from the table above, along centuries, the percentage held by pig in the diet of the population doesn’t vary greatly, but it shows an increase in the period between the XVth-XVIIth centuies (Table 1). Regarding the age of slaughter and the way in which they exploited pig we noted that between the XIIIth and XVth centuries there are no large variations in the proportions of animals slaughtered before the age of 2-3 years and those slaughtered after this age. Variations occur only in the third period mentioned in table 2, when the proportion of animals slaughtered before the age of 2-3 years increases significantly.

Table 2. Estimation of slaughter age using the degree of the metapodal epiphyseal fusion (Barone, 1976).

Historical period Not epiphyseal fusion Epiphyseal fusion (centuries) (0-2 years) (more than 2 years) XIV-XV 28.57 71.43 XV 28.57 71.43 XV-XVII 33.33 66.67

Using the average ages of slaughter, obtained through the tooth growth, tooth wear and the degree of epiphyseal fusion, this variation is more clearly outlined in particular in the XVth-XVIIth centuries (Table 3).

Table 3. Estimation of slaughter age using the tooth growth and tooth wear.

Historical period less than 2-3 years more than 2-3 years (centuries) XIV-XV 24.41 75.59 XV 25.43 74.56 XV-XVII 40.14 59.86

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In the morphometrical description of the skull we also used the lower and the upper jaws. Some of these had all the teeth and others only the series of molars. We measured especially the length of the cheektooth row and of the molar row but also the length and width of the third molar tooth. In the case of the first two measurements we couldn’t do an elaborated study but the measurements for all pig bones are presented in the table below (Table 4). As we can see, except humerus Bd (breadth of the distal end) values, which is a little higher (37.7 mm is the average value for Moldova), the other values are close to medieval average values for Moldova (length of M3 = 31.7 mm, scapular GLP = 34.2 mm, tibia Bd = 29.5 mm). The average values for Moldova are higher than those of other provinces, showing a selection made by the inhabitants of Moldova as well as those of Baia, in order to obtain the best advantages from the animal husbandry (Bejenaru, 2003; Bejenaru, 2006).

Table 4. Statistical data regarding osteometrical values (mm) (LC = length of the cheektooth row; LM = length of the molar row; LM3 = length of the M3 tooth; BM3 = breadth of the M3 tooth; GLP = greatest length of the processus articularis; LG = length of the glenoide cavity; BG = breadth of the glenoide cavity; SLC = smallest length of the collum scapulae; Bp = breadth of the proximal end; Bd = breadth of the distal end; BFd = breadth of the facies articularis distal.

Anatomical Dimension No. Minimum Maximum Average Standard Confidence elements deviation LM 4 55 67 62.25 - - Maxilla LM3 6 23 33 29.75 5.07 18.93-37.06 BM3 6 15 20.5 18.08 2.01 13.39-22.1 LC 4 90 130 106.75 - - Mandible LM 6 45 67 58.66 7.89 38.69-73.31 LM3 21 28 37 31.18 2.35 30.17-32.18 BM3 21 14 18 15.26 1.04 13.56-18.44 GLP 14 31 39 33.64 2.52 32..32-34.96 Scapula LG 15 23 37 27.15 3.75 25.25-29.05 BG 14 21 28 26.96 2.1 22.86-25.06 SLC 16 20 25 22.84 1.6 22.06-23.62 Humerus Bd 8 37 48 40.06 3.36 34.66-50.33 BFd 8 26 33 29.37 2.43 24.31-34.68 Radius Bp 7 29.5 37 31.71 2.67 27.51-38.98 Tibia Bp 4 26 50 34 - - Bd 8 22 31 28.5 2.95 19.95-33.04

Regarding the variability of the measurements on inferior third molar tooth (M3), we notice the values gathered around the average values of 31.18 mm length (LM3) and 15.25 mm breadth (BM3), except one situated to the upper limit belonging to a more robust pig with 37 mm length (Fig. 1). From the remains of the appendicular skeleton the most often measured bone is the scapula. The measurements we made for this bone (Fig. 2) show some variability around the average values of 33.64 mm length of processus articularis (GLP) and 27.15 mm length of glenoide cavity (LG), which are close to average values from other settlements in Moldavia at those times like 34.6 mm of GLP in Siret or 35 mm of GLP in Vaslui and Barlad (Bejenaru, 2006).

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3 15

BM 14

10 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38

LM3

Figure 1. Size dispersion for M3 tooth (in mm).

LG the average value 25

15 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 GLP

Figura 2. Size dispersion for scapula (in mm).

38 36 34 32

d 30 the average value BF 28 26 24 22 20 25 27 29 31 33 35 37 39 41 43 45 47 49 51 Bd

Figura 3. Size dispersion for humerus (in mm).

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For the distal extremity of humerus (breadth of the distal end – Bd, and breadth of the facies articularis distal – BFd) we have two values that overcross the limits of wild boar/pig separation belonging clearly to the wild boar. The other values are situated in the confidence interval showing little variability (Fig. 3). Analyzing the different values measured on skeletal remains belonging to the appendicular skeleton we can see that the values are slightly higher than those found in other medieval settlements on the territory of Romania (Bejenaru, 2006). The front part of the skeleton, in particular, shows higher values compared to the average for the period in question, while the posterior values are slightly lower. These higher values suggest a robustness of the appendicular skeleton and a possible cross-breeding with the wild boar, knowing that in the period in question the herds of pigs were often not enclosed so it was pretty easy to achieve this cross-breeding. This hypothesis is supported by comparing these data with the quite high values found in the case of dental measurements.

Table 5. Estimation of pig size (withers height).

Anatomic element Greatest length (in mm) Withers height (in mm) Metacarpus III 75 775.30 Metacarpus III 73.5 759.22 Metacarpus III 74 764.58 Metacarpus III 72 743.14 Metacarpus IV 73 739.29 Metacarpus IV 73.5 744.55 Metacarpus IV 88 897.24 Metacarpus IV 78 791.94 Tibia 190 755.80 Metatarsus IV 94 827.16 Metatarsus IV 93.5 822.74 Metatarsus IV 85 747.60 Calcaneus 76 742.68 Calcaneus 75 733.25 Calcaneus 80 773.20 Calcaneus 73 707.82 Average value for estimated withers heights 770.34

Estimation of the withers heights has been made on the basis of the metapodals and other pieces of bones such as tibia and calcaneus (Table 5). The values found correspond to the normal range, little higher than the values calculated for other medieval settlements. Slightly higher size values of pig raised in this settlement are supported by the values obtained for the extremity breadths of appendicular bones which indicate a certain robustness of the race of pigs raised by the inhabitants of the settlement.

Conclusions The statistical analysis that we made shows a great variability of the pig at the time. If we consider all the parameters analyzed, we can state that the domestic pig from Baia presents a certain degree of variability and a certain robustness which certifies the concern of people in selecting the best specimens. The average values are slightly higher than those estimated for the medieval pig in other medieval sites.

References Barone, R., 1976. Anatomie comparée des mammifères domestiques. TI, Ed. Vigot Freves, Paris. Bejenaru, L., 2003. Arheozoologia spațiului românesc medieval. Editura Universității “Al. I. Cuza” Iași. Bejenaru, L., 2006. Arheozoologia Moldovei medievale. Editura Universității “Al. I. Cuza” Iași.

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Driesch, A. von den, 1976. A guide to the measurement of animal bones from archaeozoological sites, Peabody Museum, Bulletin I, Harvard University. Maftei, R., Bejenaru, L., 2008. Archaeozoological view on the medieval economy in the settlement of Baia (Suceava County). Analele Științifice ale Universității “Al. I. Cuza” din Iași, s. Biologie animală, LIV: 307-311. Neamțu, E., Neamțu, V., Cheptea, S., 1980. Orașul medieval Baia în secolele XIV-XVII, I, Editura Junimea, Iași. Neamțu, E., Neamțu, V., Cheptea, S., 1984. Orașul medieval Baia în secolele XIV-XVII, II, Editura Junimea, Iași. Udrescu, M., Bejenaru, L., Hrișcu, C., 1999. Introducere în arheozoologie, Editura Corson, Iași.

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