Gyvūnų kaulai ir kauliniai dirbiniai iš vikingų laikotarpio Tornimäe gyvenvietės Saremos saloje

Archaeological investigations in Tornimäe in the eastern part of the island Saaremaa took place in 1963, 1968 and 2004. Artefacts found during the excavations are mainly dated to the Viking Age. Most of the finds are pottery shards, some metal artefacts were found, and also animal bones. The majority of mammal bones are bones of domestic animals. Nearly half of these are caprine bones, bones of cattle, pig and horse are less numerous. Wild game bones are few, only seals were hunted more often. Bird and fish bones are also represented. Only a few bone artefacts were among the finds, more fragments of bone items were found among the animal bones during the identification of osteological material. The bone artefacts found in Tornimäe are rather simple items which do not require special skills from the bone worker and could have been made by the users of these artefacts. The uses of bone artefacts are well suited with the location of the site at the seashore. Archeologiniai tyrinėjimai Tornimäe gyvenvietėje, esančioje rytinėje Saremos salos dalyje, vyko 1963, 1968 ir 2004 m. Didžioji dalis kasinėjimų metu aptiktų radinių yra datuojami vikingų laikotarpiu. Tarp radinių daugiausia buvo keramikos fragmentų, aptikta keletas metalinių bei kaulinių dirbinių, taip pat nemažai gyvūnų kaulų. Dauguma žinduolių kaulų buvo naminių gyvulių, beveik pusė kaulų buvo avių / ožkų, o galvijų, kiaulių ir arklių kaulų aptikta mažiau. Laukinių sausumos gyvūnų kaulų fragmentų vos keletas, dažniau medžioti tiktai ruoniai, be to, aptikta ir paukščių bei žuvų kaulų. Didžioji dalis kaulinių dirbinių rasta atliekant osteologinės medžiagos tyrimus. Jie gana paprasti, nereikalaujantys specialių kauladirbio įgūdžių ir greičiausiai yra pasigaminti pačių jų naudotojų, o dirbinių pobūdis ir paskirtis atspindi pajūryje įsikūrusios gyvenvietės specifiką bei poreikius

Three Thousand Years of Continuity in the Maternal Lineages of Ancient Sheep (Ovis aries) in Estonia

lthough sheep (Ovis aries) have been one of the most exploited domestic animals in Estonia since the Late Bronze Age, relatively little is known about their genetic history. Here, we explore temporal changes in Estonian sheep populations and their mitochondrial genetic diversity over the last 3000 years. We target a 558 base pair fragment of the mitochondrial hypervariable region in 115 ancient sheep from 71 sites in Estonia (c. 1200 BC – AD 1900s), 19 ancient samples from Latvia, Russia, Poland and Greece (6800 BC – AD 1700), as well as 44 samples of modern Kihnu native sheep breed. Our analyses revealed: (1) 49 mitochondrial haplotypes, associated with sheep haplogroups A and B; (2) high haplotype diversity in Estonian ancient sheep; (3) continuity in mtDNA haplotypes through time; (4) possible population expansion during the first centuries of the Middle Ages (associated with the establishment of the new power regime related to 13th century crusades); (5) significant difference in genetic diversity between ancient populations and modern native sheep, in agreement with the beginning of large-scale breeding in the 19th century and population decline in local sheep. Overall, our results suggest that in spite of the observed fluctuations in ancient sheep populations, and changes in the natural and historical conditions, the utilisation of local sheep has been constant in the territory of Estonia, displaying matrilineal continuity from the Middle Bronze Age through the Modern Period, and into modern native sheep

Žalvario amžiaus kauliniai dirbiniai iš Narkūnų, Nevieriškės ir Kerelių įtvirtintų gyvenviečių. Žaliava ir gamybos technologija

Bone and antler artefacts constitute a remarkable part of the archaeological record of the East Lithuanian fortified settlements discussed in this paper, thus indicating the importance of bone and antler as raw materials in the Bronze Age society. Artefacts used in a variety of fields were made from bone and antler. In antler working, as well as in the production of certain bone artefacts, we may assume the existence of a certain degree of organisation and specialisation. Although, in general, bone artefacts from East Lithuanian fortified settlements are quite similar to those from other sites in the Baltic countries, certain regional differences can be observed. The reason in some cases may be the differences of occupations (e.g., the quantity of ploughshares or hoes), in other cases it may lie in cultural choices and habits of a certain society, in the way and material an artefact used for a certain purpose had to be made (e.g., awls from metapodials of sheep/goat and spearheads from tibiae). The occurrence of artefacts imitating foreign bronze objects may refer to the distribution of the ideologies and symbolic meanings connected with them on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, as well as the existence of a social group or rank whose requirements these artefacts met

Petits et grands bovidés des villes médiévales d'Estonie

Cet article s\u27appuie sur les ossements collectés lors des fouilles de deux villes médiévales estoniennes, Parnu et Tartu. L\u27objectif de ce travail est de donner un aperçu des bovidés de l\u27Estonie médiévale. Les bovins estoniens du Moyen Âge appartenaient au type Bos taurus longifrons. Leur hauteur au garrot variait de 97,5 à 120 cm. L\u27indice diaphysaire des métacarpiens de Parnu variait entre 12,4 et 15,7 pour les vaches, entre 18,1 et 21 pour les taureaux et entre 13,6 et 20,1 pour les boeufs. Le matériel ostéo-archéologique de Tartu n\u27a pas livré de canons antérieurs de taureau ; l\u27indice diaphysaire variait entre 13,6 et 15 pour les vaches et entre 13 et 16,5 pour les boeufs. Les crânes complets de mouton sont rares ; la plupart des brebis étaient dépourvues de cornes. La hauteur au garrot des moutons médiévaux estoniens variait entre 51,6 et 68,9 cm. Sur la base de l\u27indice diaphysaire des métacarpiens, les groupes sexuels ont pu être distingués comme suit : 8,8 à 11,4 pour les femelles, 10,9 à 12,3 pour les mâles et 10,2 à 11,6 pour les castrats.The present paper is compiled on the basis of the material collected during the excavations in two Estonian Mediaeval towns - in Parnu and in Tartu. The purpose of the work is to give a review of the bovids in the Mediaeval Estonia. The Estonian cattle in the Middle Ages belonged to Bos taurus longifrons type. The withers height of Estonian Mediaeval stock ranged from 97.5 to 120.0 cm. The diaphysial index of the metacarpus from Parnu varied as follows: 12.4-15.7 (cows), 18.1-21.0 (bulls), 13.6-20.1 (oxen). Osteological material from Tartu did not contain the anterior cannon-bones of bulls; the diaphysial index was 13.6-15.0 for cows and 13. 0-16.5 for oxen. Complete skulls of sheep were found rarely and most of the ewes were hornless. The withers height of Estonian Mediaeval sheep ranged from 51.6 to 68.9 cm. According to the diaphysial index of the metacarpal bones the sexual groups could be separated as follows: female 8.8-11.4, male 10.9-12.3, castrated 10.2-11.6.</p

Dataset of the archaeozoological (AZ) and -botanical (AB) records obtained from the Haapsalu Castle excavations in 2017

Andmekogu sisaldab ühe arheoloogilise objekti (Haapsalu linnuse vahitorni šaht) kaevamistelt kogutud loomaluude ja taimsete jäänuste uurimuse jooksul saadud andmeid ja koosneb tabelist ning uurimistulemuste aruandest, mis kirjeldab metoodikaid ja sisaldab andmete koondeid. Andmed selles andmekogus koguti Tallinna ja Tartu ülikoolides 2019. aastal.This dataset includes data on the animal bones and macrofossils gathered during the excavations of the Haapsalu Castle in 2017. The dataset consists of one table and a text file (report). Text file consits of methodological descriptsion and summaries of obtained data. Data were obtained in Tallinn and Tartu universities

Dataset on the archaeozoological record of the Asva Late Bronze Age site, Saaremaa Island, Estonia

Data collection is not complete and will be updated.The purpose of the data collection was to obtain precise information on the animal remains excavated from the Asva site in different years, through which the consumption habits of the inhabitants of the Asva settlement at the Late Bronze Age can be assessed. All data are inserted into the Estonian archaeology database ArhIS and are visible by the ARHEST dataset (https://andmekogud.arheoloogia.ee). This dataset was created in the frame of following projects: The exchange program of scientific visits between the Esonian and Polish Academy of Sciences; TF5519 (carried out in Tallinn University); UMO-2019/35/B/HS3/01441 (carried out in the Institute of Systematics and Evolution of Animals, Polish Academy of Sciences); Core Infrastructures (TT) in Estonia TT14 "Natural History Archives and Information Network"

Dataset on zooarchaeological records of Estonian medieval and early modern mammal remains

This dataset contains data collected during the analyses of archaeological mammal remains from 37 medieval and early modern sites in Estonia. The dataset consists of four tables: 1) information on archaeological sites, 2) identifications, 3) cattle metacarpal morphometrics, 4) stable isotope data. It is being made public both to act as supplementary data for the research project PRG29 and for the publication Rannamäe, E. & Aguraiuja-Lätti, Ü. 2023. Zooarchaeology of livestock and game in medieval and early modern Estonia. Estonian Journal of Archaeology, 27, 3S, 50–82, https://doi.org/10.3176/arch.2023.3S.03

Late Iron Age Whaling in Scandinavia

The use of marine mammal bone as a raw material in the manufacturing of gaming pieces in the Scandinavian late Iron Age has been observed and discussed in recent years. New empirical studies have created a chronology as well as a typology showing how the design of the gaming pieces is tightly connected to different choices of raw material; from antler in the Roman and Migration periods, to whale bone in the sixth century, and walrus in the tenth century. Macroscopic examination can, however, rarely go beyond determining that the material is ‘cetacean bone’. The following article presents the taxonomic identifications of 68 samples of whale bone gaming pieces, determined using Zooarchaeology by mass spectrometry analysis. The results demonstrate the consistent use of bones from Balaenidae sp. most probably the North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis). This paper presents strong evidence for active, large-scale hunting of whales in Scandinavia, starting in the sixth century. The manufacture of gaming pieces was probably not the driver for the hunt, but merely a by-product that has survived in the archaeological record. Of greater importance were probably baleen, meat, and blubber that could be rendered into oil. This oil might have been an additional trading product in the far-reaching trade networks that were developing during the period. This study supports previous studies suggesting that Iron Age and medieval trade and resource exploitation had a much more severe influence on ecosystems than previously expected. It adds additional insights into anthropogenic impact on mammal populations in prehistory.Viking phenomenon projec

Three-dimensional network of Estonian ancient sheep from three micro-regions through three time periods.

<p>A three-dimensional statistical parsimony network was calculated using TempNet based on 559 bp mitochondrial D-loop haplotypes of Estonian sheep from three micro-regions: (a) Viljandi-Karksi, (b) Tartu-Lohkva and (c) Saaremaa Island dating to the Bronze/Iron Age (blue), Middle Ages (red), and Early Modern / Modern Period (green). The size of the given node is proportional to the number of samples represented in a haplotype, with the smallest node representing a single individual; number of samples greater than one is indicated in the parentheses. Branch length is not proportional to the mutational distance; mutational distances greater than 1 are indicated with black dots. Colourless nodes denote haplotypes absent within the time period.</p

Genetic differentiation estimates between four temporal cohorts of Estonian ancient and modern Kihnu native sheep.

<p>Genetic differentiation estimates between four temporal cohorts of Estonian ancient and modern Kihnu native sheep.</p