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The Animal Economy of People Living in the Settlement of Tell Rad Shaqrah (Syria) SYRIA

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The Animal Economy of People Living in the Settlement of Tell Rad Shaqrah (Syria) SYRIA The animal economy of people living in the settlement of Tell Rad Shaqrah (Syria) SYRIA THE ANIMAL ECONOMY OF PEOPLE LIVING IN THE SETTLEMENT OF TELL RAD SHAQRAH (SYRIA) Joanna Piątkowska-Małecka,1 Rafał Koliński2 1 Institute of Archaeology, University of Warsaw, 2 Institute of Prehistory, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań Abstract: Animal management in the Early Dynastic and Akkadian periods at the site of Tell Rad Shaqrah in the Khabur River valley in Syria was reconstructed on the grounds of an analysis of osteological remains discovered at the site during excavations in 1991–1995. Of the total number of 4025 bone fragments, 59.2% were identified. In both chronological periods the most important role belonged to domestic animals, dominated by sheep and goat and followed by cattle. Remains of wild animals, mostly gazelle and equids, were also discovered; these were all post-consumption remains. Two young Barbary macaques (magots) were also identified; their bones were found in the storeroom and were identified as not post-consumption. Keywords: Khabur River valley, Early Bronze Age, animal husbandry, hunting, Catarrhini The site of Tell Rad Shaqrah was excavated research (Anastasio, Lebeau, and Sauvage in 1991–1995 by an archaeological mission 2004: Map 33). from the Polish Centre of Mediterranean Tell Rad Shaqrah was inhabited mainly Archaeology of the University of Warsaw in the 3rd millennium BC, in two periods (PCMA). The excavation run by Piotr of the Early Bronze Age: Early Dynastic III Bieliński was part of a salvage project (2500–2300 BC, Early Jezirah III – EJ III) stemming from the construction of a re- and Akkadian (2300–2150 BC, Early servoir on the Khabur River, to the south of Jezirah IV – EJ IV; Bieliński 1992: 82; the town of Al-Hasakah. About 60 archa- 1994: 159; 1996: 162, 168, 170; Koliński eological sites were identified along 1996). Apart from a large number of a 30-km stretch of the river valley exa- artifacts, animal remains were also mined within the frame of the project discovered. The following is a presentation (Monchambert 1984). Rad Shaqrah was of the results of an archaeozoological one of a few sites chosen for archaeological analysis of the remains. 675 PAM 24/1: Research Joanna Piątkowska-Małecka, Rafał Koliński SYRIA MATERIAL AND METHODS The osteological material was recovered to unfavorable deposition conditions, in from seven settlement levels (Levels I– which the bones were deposited as organic VII) and three stratigraphic units of in- waste. termediate character (Levels I–II, II–III, The osteological material was identi- III–IV; Table 1). Part of the material fied zoologically and anatomically by could not be associated with any level Joanna Piątkowska-Małecka with the ex- (L.?), and some remains belonged to a sub- ception of the Early Dynastic remains from surface layer (SUBS) or a layer of mixed room 27 (L.V), which were identified by character (MIX) caused mostly by mod- Alicja Lasota-Moskalewska. Two groups, ern disturbance. These were excluded vertebrates and invertebrates, were distin- from archaeozoological analysis. The rest guished among the identified fragments, was associated with two subperiods of and the former was further separated by the Early Bronze Age: Early Dynastic class into mammals, fish and birds. The (EJ III: L.V, L.VI and L.VII) and remains were grouped as wild and Akkadian (EJ IV: L.I–II, L.II, L.II–III domestic species, equids being separated and L.III). In the case of settlement levels out as it was not always possible to state L.III–IV and L.IV, the chronology was for certain that the form was wild, domes- described as Early Dynastic–Akkadian tic or tamed. Percentages of remains were (EJ III–EJ IV). Very few bone frag- calculated for three chronological periods: ments came from a layer dated to the EJ III, EJ III–IV and EJ IV, and the Ninevite V period (EJ I–II, 2800– domestic and wild mammal shares of 2500 BC) and were excluded from particular species were also determined. a detailed analysis due to the very low The results were then compared with number. respect to chronological periods and on The material was collected by hand, that basis it was evaluated how the per- without sieving the soil. This is the centages differed. reason for the low number of small bones Anatomical distribution was analyzed recorded. for sheep and goat remains from the The assemblage represented mainly three chronological periods and for cattle post-consumption remains, the only and equids from Early Dynastic layers. exception being the bones of two young Bone fragments of animals of particular Catarrhini or macaques discovered in species or families were assigned to body a store room (No. 27). The assemblage part as defined by consumption value, consisted of 4025 fragments of bones and either low quality (head, distal parts of shells of molluscs. Of these, 2384 pieces limbs and phalanges) or high quality (59.2%) were identified zoologically and (thorax and proximal parts of limbs) parts anatomically. Despite the high percentage of the carcass. In each group, percent- of identified remains, the material was very ages were calculated and the results were fragmented. The condition of the bones compared with model anatomical dis- was due to activities related to prepara- tributions based on counting bones in tion of the meat for consumption, but also animal skeletons of particular species, 676 PAM 24/1: Research The animal economy of people living in the settlement of Tell Rad Shaqrah (Syria) SYRIA Table 1. Animal remains by settlement levels *osteological material identified by A. Lasota-Moskalewska; abbreviations: L – level, SUBS – subsurface layer, MIX – mixed layer, EJ III – Early Dynastic period, EJ IV – Akkadian period Level L.? SUBS MIX L.? L.? L.V L.V* L.VI L.VII L.III–IV L.IV L.? L.II–III L.II L.II–III L.III Chronology ? ? ? EJ I EJ III EJ III EJ III EJ III EJ III EJ III–IV EJ III–IV EJ IV EJ IV EJ IV EJ IV EJ IV Cattle 37 8 15 64 50 82 8 27 4 36 Pig 2 1 3 3 2 Sheep 7 1 10 20 1 1 10 4 Goat 1 2 5 5 5 4 1 2 6 Sheep/goat 76 21 2 4 58 355 37 371 5 105 45 21 25 187 Sheep/goat/ gazelle 15 Dog 0 1 22 1 Deer 1 6 3 677 Roe deer 6 1 Gazelle 14 3 20 25 10 5 17 6 6 41 Hare 1 1 1 Hyena 6 Carnivorae 8 5 2 Equidae 43 5 38 97 18 4 6 4 26 Onager 32 Barbary macaque 60 (magot) Micromam- 17 2 mal (rodent) 13 Bird 13 2 1 2 Fish 4 2 1 Mollusk 16 4 1 1 2 Snail 1 1 2 Indentified 224 21 14 6 119 569 226 567 5 25 145 85 22 41 1 314 Unidentified 133 12 10 7 139 414 364 10 113 112 30 22 275 PAM 24/1: Research Joanna Piątkowska-Małecka, Rafał Koliński SYRIA ruminants and horse in this case (Lasota- sheep, goat and dog). Breadth measure- Moskalewska 2008: 236). ments for cattle used a 100-point scale Age was estimated on the basis of (Lasota-Moskalewska 1984). The point epiphyseal fusion (Kolda 1936) and the scale was also used for fragments of goat state of the dentition. Remains of juvenile horncores (Lasota-Moskalewska, Kobryń, animals killed before they reached mor- and Świeżyński 1991). In addition, phological maturity were distinguished withers height was calculated for sheep and the share of juvenile individuals was and goat, using Manfred Teichert’s calculated for sheep and goat from two coefficients (after von den Driesch and chronological periods and for cattle and Boessneck 1974) for the former species equids from the Early Dynastic period. and Zdzisława Schramm’s (1967) for the Sex was estimated on the basis of sexual latter. Ludwig Kiesewalter’s coefficients dimorphism marked in the skeleton. (after von den Driesch and Boessneck It was possible only in the case of goat 1974) were used to calculate withers remains from the Early Dynastic as- height of equids. In the case of dog remains, semblage, which was sufficiently well Florián Koudelka’s coefficients were used preserved. The shape of the horncore (after von den Driesch and Boessneck was used as a diagnostic feature (Lasota- 1974). Moskalewska 2008: 166). Marks on bone surfaces were described, Measurements were taken of bones both the ones reflecting meat prepara- preserved complete and of their frag- tion for consumption and the ones which ments suitable for measuring, using the formed after the bones were discarded as unified von den Driesch method (1976). post-consumption waste, when they were Estimates were made of the morphology left on the surface of the ground or were of equids and domestic animals (cattle, covered with soil. RESULTS The site of Rad Shaqrah yielded BONE REMAINS FROM THE 5541 bone remains and 28 fragments EARLY DYNASTIC PERIOD (EJ III) of bivalve and snail shells. Some of them Layers dated to the Early Dynastic period (414 pieces) were discovered on the sur- yielded 2403 fragments of animal remains, face, in the mixed or of unidentified chro- 1486 were identified, which accounts for nology layers. These were excluded from 61.8%. There were only five fragments of further analysis, and so were the 13 frag- bivalve shell; the other remains belonged ments from the layer dated to the to vertebrates, mainly mammals, with very Ninevite V period, identified as belonging few unidentified birds (15 fragments) and to sheep or goat. The other fragments from fish (7 fragments).
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