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Animal Bones from an Industrial Quarter at Malbork, Poland: Towards an Ecology of a Castle Built in Prussia by the Teutonic Order

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Animal Bones from an Industrial Quarter at Malbork, Poland: Towards an Ecology of a Castle Built in Prussia by the Teutonic Order Animal Bones from an Industrial Quarter at Malbork, Poland: Towards an Ecology of a Castle Built in Prussia by the Teutonic Order Aleks Pluskowski (Department of Archaeology, University of Reading) Mark Maltby (School of Conservation Sciences, University of Bournemouth) and Krish Seetah (Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge) Introduction The castle at Malbork began to be constructed by the Teutonic Order as the fortified monastery of Marienburg from the 1270s; between 1309 and 1457 it was the headquarters of the Order in Prussia. During this time the castle expanded significantly and became sub-divided into three sectors, covering an area of around 20 hectares. Subsequent phases of Polish, Prussian and German occupation modified and restored various elements of the structure. From 1945 its restoration was supervised by Polish conservators and in 1997 it was added to the UNESCO list of world heritage sites. Today, the castle is preserved as the most important example of the Teutonic Order’s distinctive architecture in Eastern Europe, and remains a major focus of historical, archaeological, architectural and art-historical research, as well as a showcase for the evolution of modern approaches to conservation and restoration. The maintenance of a castle the size of Malbork – the largest fortified brick structure in the world – required significant and complex provisioning networks. Written sources from the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries illustrate the sheer diversity of animal management and animal-related products which were processed for and within the castle.1 However, the long-term impact of the castle’s construction and expansion on the animal resources of its hinterland is also a question with a fundamental archaeological perspective. Excavations within the bounds of the castle are carefully managed by the archaeology department of the castle museum, and are both rescue- and research-led. Since 2001, Dr. Maria Dąbrowska,2 in collaboration with Dr. Zbigniew Sawicki and the castle museum, has directed annual excavations in the outer bailey, exploring its complex sequence of changing occupation from the early medieval period through to the nineteenth century. In the last decade, excavators have recognized the potential value of recoveringProofs environmental data from archaeological contexts within the castle, and retained all hand-collected animal bones (although no sieving was carried 1 See Erich Joachim, Das Marienburger Tresslerbuch der Jahre 1399–1409, 2nd ed. (Bremerhaven, 1973). 2 Institute of Archaeology and Ethnology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw. 191 crusades 2009_journal5.indd 191 07/07/2009 16:35:17 192 AlEkS PlUSkOWSki, MArk MAltBy AND kriSH SEEtAH Proofs Fig. 1 Excavations in Malbork where animal bones have been recovered 1 = Location of the trench opened across the moat separating the middle and low castles 2 = location of excavations in the low castle area carried out between 2001 and 2003 crusades 2009_journal5.indd 192 07/07/2009 16:35:18 ANiMAl BONES FrOM AN iNDUStriAl QUArtEr At MAlBOrk 193 out) as well as a number of soil samples for future palaeoenvironmental analysis. In 2005 and 2006, analysis of this faunal assemblage began with the aim of evaluating the potential for exploring the ‘biological signature’ of the site. This paper represents the findings of that evaluation. Despite the modest size of the dataset, this forms an important foundation for exploring the ‘ecological role’ of the Teutonic Order – and other crusading institutions – in the Baltic. In anticipation of future excavations, it is hoped that Malbork will become a case study of international significance for understanding the environmental impact of discrete, highly organized, colonizing groups within the context of endemic warfare and religious conversion.3 Methods of Analysis To date, faunal remains have been recovered from three sets of excavations within the castle at Malbork (see Fig. 1). Firstly, 41 fragments have been stored in the castle museum from excavations conducted by German archaeologists in the 1930s. they have no contextual information and have not been included in this report. Secondly, 84 fragments were recovered from a trench opened across the moat separating the middle and low castles (Fig. 1.1). thirdly, 5,040 bones were recovered from excavations in the low castle area between 2001 and 2003 (Fig. 1.2). the total assemblage consisted of 5,125 animal bone fragments from 233 contexts, of which 2,856 (56 per cent) were identified to species or species group (table 1). the largest sample (2,964 fragments) was obtained from early post-medieval deposits. Assemblages from other periods totalled fewer than 700 fragments. the majority of bones made available for analysis were identified and recorded by the authors during September 2005 at Malbork Castle. A few bones were subsequently sent to England to confirm provisional identification against reference material and Sheila Hamilton-Dyer assisted in the identification of some of the bird and fish bones. All animal bones from the various excavations were recorded onto a database which forms part of the site archive. the assemblages have been divided into various phases based on spot-dating of the ceramic assemblage and coin finds.t hese periods are as follows: • Early medieval: these cover various cultural phases between the ninth and thirteenth centuries. • Medieval: fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. this includes the period of occupation by the Teutonic Order. • Early post-medieval:Proofs sixteenth to eighteenth centuries. • Modern: nineteenth century onwards. • Mixed: contexts where ceramics are from a variety of periods. 3 Aleks Pluskowski, “the ecology of medieval crusading: reflections on a new research agenda,” in preparation, to be submitted to Medieval Archaeology. crusades 2009_journal5.indd 193 07/07/2009 16:35:18 194 AlEkS PlUSkOWSki, MArk MAltBy AND kriSH SEEtAH Table 1 Animal bones from Malbork Castle Period EM Med EPM Modern Mixed Unphased Total Cattle 14 111 618 106 166 76 1091 Sheep/Goat 56 102 237 47 46 37 525 Pig 20 114 429 58 59 45 725 Horse 3 35 78 13 31 13 173 Dog 4 13 5 6 3 31 Cat 8 6 1 15 Red Deer 1 5 1 7 Roe Deer 2 2 6 1 3 1 15 Hare 12 1 2 1 16 Polecat 3 3 Otter 1 1 Domestic Fowl 6 65 14 6 1 92 Mallard 1 12 4 2 1 20 Other Duck 1 2 1 4 Goose 1 5 74 17 7 2 106 Capercaillie 7 2 9 Turkey 1 1 Partridge 1 1 Pigeon 1 1 Eagle 1 1 Corvid 9 1 10 Cod 1 1 Sturgeon 1 1 2 Pike 2 2 Cyprinid 1 1 1 1 4 Total Identified 97 383 1586 278 330 182 2856 Unid. Large Mammal 16 136 929 122 196 95 1494 Unid. Medium Mammal 38 64 264 48 38 27 479 Unid. Small Mammal 1 1 Unid. Mammal 8 29 116 12 10 14 189 Unid. Bird 1 11 67 13 9 4 105 Unid Fish 1 1 Total Undentified 63 240 1378 195 253 140 2269 Total Proofs160 623 2964 473 583 322 5125 Note: Counts are of numbers of individual specimens (NiSP) EM = early medieval; Med = late medieval: EPM = early postmedieval; Modern = post-1800 crusades 2009_journal5.indd 194 07/07/2009 16:35:18 ANiMAl BONES FrOM AN iNDUStriAl QUArtEr At MAlBOrk 195 These subdivisions are fairly crude but are adequate for an assessment of the potential value of the faunal data. Context The majority of animal bones included in this report were recovered from excavations in the northern part of the forecastle (predzamcza), used by the Teutonic Order from the mid-fourteenth century (see Fig. 2). Since no twentieth-century buildings had been constructed in this area, it was particularly suitable for a detailed programme of archaeological research which began in 1997.4 Written sources from the late- fourteenth and fifteenth centuries indicate this part of the castle was used for the storage of building materials, such as bricks, stones and roof tiles; there are also imprecise references to stables. During the wars of the seventeenth and subsequent centuries the buildings were destroyed.5 The aim of the programme of excavations, entitled “Zaplecze rzemieślniczo-gospodarcze na Przedzamczu Północnym Zamku Malborskiego” (“the back of the industrial site in the northern forecastle of Malbork Castle”) was to clarify the use of this specific area of the castle, especially the post- Teutonic phases which are most represented in the archaeology. Period Representation Early Medieval Only 97 identified fragments were recovered, which limits any detailed analysis of species representation, particularly as the material includes bones associated with different cultural groups occupying the site over several hundred years. In a sample of 95 mammal fragments, sheep/goat (59 per cent) are the most common, followed by pig (21 per cent), cattle (15 per cent) and horse (3 per cent). Although the sample is very small, there is a significantly larger percentage of sheep/goat in this assemblage compared with those from later periods. Their counts are swollen slightly by the inclusion of five vertebrae from a neonatal animal and the presence of substantial numbers of lamb bones in some layers in trench 33. Although more than a single individual was represented and there is no record that any of them were articulated, it is possible that many of these belonged to one animal. Roe deer (Capreolus capreolusProofs) (2 per cent) is the only wild mammal species identified, 4 See Maria Dąbrowska, “Malbork – zamek, woj. Pomorskie. Opracowanie wyników badań archeologiczno-architektonicznych prowadzonych na Przedzamczu Północnym w V–Viii 2001 roku,” unpublished report (2001); Maria Dąbrowska, “Malbork – zamek. Sprawozdanie z badań archeologiczno- architektonicznych przeprowadzonych na tereniePrzedzamcza Północnym wlipcu i sierpnia 2003 roku,” unpublished report (2003). 5 Ibid. crusades 2009_journal5.indd 195 07/07/2009 16:35:18 196 AlEkS PlUSkOWSki, MArk MAltBy AND kriSH SEEtAH Proofs Fig.
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