Daugnoras Girininkas Butchery in the Early Bronze Age (Kretuonas 1C Settlement Data)
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BUTCHERY IN THE EARLY BRONZE AGE (BY KRETUONAS 1C SETTLEMENT DATA) LINAS DAUGNORA, ALGIRDAS GIRININKAS ButcherY in Age (by Kretuonas 1C the Earlysettlement data) Bronze Abstract Analysis of the osteological and archaeological material discovered at the Early Bronze Age settlement of Kretuonas 1C sug- gests that the settlement’s hunted game and reared animals were slaughtered within the settlement, not far from the dwellings. We analyse the butchering technology of the Early Bronze Age based on Kretuonas 1C’s osteological material. The tools used LINAS DAUGNORA, ALGIRDAS GIRININKAS, for butchering and the macroscopic analysis of the slaughtered artiodactyls’ axial skeleton and long bones enabled an assess- ment of split bone in the butchering area, as well as of chop and cut marks acquired during the butchering process. Key words: butchering technology, Kretuonas 1C, Early Bronze Age, East Lithuania. Introduction in the mixed forests, and, starting the end of the Neo- lithic – from animal husbandry as well, as indicated Human food sources, the development of diet, butch- by the fields-pastures surrounding the settlements and ery, the peculiarities of food preparation and its conser- the osteological material found within the settlements vation still are little researched themes in East Baltic (Daugnora, Girininkas 2004, Girininkas 2008 pp.15- prehistory. The peculiarities of diet in prehistoric East 32). The determination of the natural environment Baltic settlements and cemeteries have been researched enables a rather detailed reconstruction of human diet via stable isotope data by G. Eriksson (Eriksson 2006, from both foraging and farming at Kretuonas 1C dur- pp.183-215) (human data from the Zvejnieki burial ing the Early Bronze Age. ground, faunal data from the Zvejnieki I and II habita- The various postglacial sediments that formed around tion sites (in Latvja)); I. Antanaitis, N. Ogrinc (2000, pp. Lake Kretuonas later conditioned the heterogeneous 3-12); I. Antanaitis-Jacobs, M. Richards, L. Daugnora, formation of the soil. In the larger part of the basin R. Jankauskas, N. Ogrinc (2009, pp.12-30) (Kretuonas where morainic clayey loam hills dominate, turfy-ash- 1B, Plinkaigalis, Gyvakarai, Kirsna, Turlojiškė burial en grey weakly podsolized soils had already formed in grounds; Lithuania); L. Lõugas, K. Lidén, D. E. Nel- the Neolithic. In the southwestern part of the lake and son (1996, pp. 399-420) (Narva, Tamula, Kudruküla, basin where sandy parent material dominates, there Naakamäe, Loona burial grounds, Estonia). These hu- are ashen grey- ilainiai soils. The depressions con- man data suggest that the people’s physical environ- tain marshy, ashen-grey-marshy soils (Garunk tis et ment and particular locations of food resources were al 1974, pp.18-19; Seibutis 1974, pp.41-51). Different very important factors in their diet. vegetation grew in the corresponding, different soils The aim of this article is to evaluate the methods of and different species of animals propagated. Dry pine butchery used by the Early Bronze Age people of the forests were widespread in the basin’s western part, Kretuonas 1C settlement by means of macroscopic which transformed into deciduous trees-hazel, birch, analysis of the skeletal material. and alder covering the low-lying marshland-around Lake Kretuonas in the southwest. Juniper groves grew in the basin’s eastern part, especially on the morainic Man and the environment around Lake hills, while pine forests grew inbetween them in the Kretuonas in the Early Bronze Age sandy tracts (Girininkas 2008, pp. 22-23). Multidisciplinary research data (zooarchaeological, The Early Bronze Age is associated with the Late Sub- archaeological, palynological) illustrate that envi- boreal. Birch and pine forests spread around Lake Kre- ronmental conditions around Lake Kretuonas in East tuonas and peat formation continued in the bog zone Lithuania in the Stone and Bronze Ages (Figs. 1A, B) although it became drier, while alder dominated and were sufficiently good for habitation; the people could spruce groves increased in the depressions of the lake subsist from the resources in their environment – the basin. The linden and elm groves that flourished in fish in Lake Kretuonas and other water bodies in its ba- the Neolithic yielded the drier soils to birch and pine sin, the heterogeneous vegetation and fauna that lived groves, while oak groves changed little. The largest 46 CA 12 CA LTI BA A OLOGI AE H C R A Fig. 1. A Location of Kretuonas 1C settlement in Lithuania, B Location of the settlement around Lake Kretuonas. amount of grass pollen of the entire prehistoric period The settlement was established on the eastern shore of in the Kretuonas basin is observed in the sediments Lake Kretuonas right next to the mouth of the Žaugėda of this period (Kabailienė, Grigienė 1997, pp. 44-52). rivulet. It was a pile dwelling site, on the sand bar of This fact is undoubtedly associated with the increased the flooded rivulet and lake. Birch groves grew around plots of cultivated land and pastures. Zooarchaeologi- the settlement, pine groves – in the higher places, al- cal data also confirm this. At Kretuonas 1C, which is der, hazel, and much oak – alongside the lake, with the the most distinctive Early Bronze Age site in the area, addition of fir trees on the slopes of the morainic hills. the amount of domesticated animal bone increased up Abundant ash groves (Fraxinus excelsior L.) grew on to 18% (MNI) (Daugnora, Girininkas 2004, pp.155, the first terrace; they flourished in hewed out, burnt 165) and the amount of pollen of cultivated cereals in- out, and abandoned plots. Meadows with fences could creased (Girininkas 2008, pp. 22-23). The inhabitants be found east of the settlement, with a hoed up field still had populated the lakeshores where Neolithic ha- nearby. An agrarian type of landscape extended around bitation sites also are found. This is very clear from the the settlement. This is confirmed by zooarchaeological topography of Kretuonas 1C and other Early Bronze (Daugnora, Girininkas 2004, pp.233-250) and paly- Age settlements. nological data (Kabailienė, Grigienė 1997, pp.44-52). 47 At that time approximately one-fifth of meat products dated to the Early Bronze Age - 2000-1700/1650 BC were obtained from the animals reared by the settlers. (Table 1). Cultured cereal plant pollen is found in the sediments Analysis of the identified bones from the “slaughter- of the settlement’s cultural layer. In addition to grow- house” showed that single teeth dominated (28.33% ing cereal grains and raising animals, the people in- of the identifed bones) because the majority of skulls tensively hunted and fished. A five meter long creel and large part of the mandibles (11.74%) were split in was found right next to the settlement in the channel separating the body from the ramus mandibula (Fig. 3) of a rivulet, while the largest amount of hunted game (Daugnora, Girininkas 1996, p.89) and removing the was comprised of elk, red deer, and furbearing animals ButcherY in Age (by Kretuonas 1C the Earlysettlement data) Bronze canine teeth that were used to make amulet pendants which were needed for trade in order to get metal prod- (Daugnora ir Girininkas 1995, p.88, Fig. 3). Single ucts, amber. chop marks were observed on the joints of the ana- In living here approximately 300 years, the people of lysed bones, either at the surface or where the muscles LINAS DAUGNORA, ALGIRDAS GIRININKAS, the Early Bronze Age Kretuonas 1C settlement left a had been attached (Plate I:2), but healthy long bones or rather impressive cultural layer, already very similar to skulls virtually were not found in the butchery locus; the agrarian type of settlements of Central Europe; it what dominated there were rib and skull fragments, was from 5-10 cm to 120 cm thick with many and vari- wrist and heel bones, metacarpal/ metarsal bones, ous artefacts (Girininkas 1988, 1990, 1992; Daugnora, phalanges, and sesamoid bones. The large amount Girininkas 2004, pp.233-250). Large rubbish heaps of proximal and distal parts of long bones and frag- were found near the settlement in which were found ments of these bones show some butchering and bone many broken pottery sherds, along with items made splitting methods that traditionally were used by Me- from bone, horn, stone, wood, and flint. solithic and Neolithic hunters (Daugnora, Girininkas, 2004, pp.114-115; 139; Daugnora, Girininkas, 1996, According to the archaeological research data of Kret- pp.29-30). Also found were antlers, which in most in- uonas 1C, it can be said that this was a settlement base stances still had parts of the frontal bone (os frontale) near which there were animal enclosures and winter attached. dwellings for the animals that protected them from wild beasts and other hostile tribes. With its surround- Analysis of the axial skeleton shows that the elk’s first ing fields, enclosures, metal recasting and fishing loci, and second neck vertebrae were chopped though (Figs. we can call this settlement a large and unified economic 4-5). This not only means that the neck was separated unit. Research conducted in the surrounding areas sug- from the head, but also that this area was separated into gests that an entire line of economic products existed the left and right sides. Many rib bodies (corpus cos- not in the settlement itself, but rather in this tribal com- tae), without their heads (caput costae) were found in munity’s controlled territory. Thus the Kretuonas 1C the butchering area. On the exterior posterior surface community can be considered a local territorial com- below the procesus/facies articularis caudalis of an munity with a strictly defined and owned territory for excavated horse’s cervical vertebra, two long cuts were the acquisition of raw material and land suitable for found (Plate I:1).