Investigating Bones: Diet, Health, Environment in the Baltic Region

 &nbsp

Zooarcheologija Lietuvoje

In recent years Lithuanian archaeologists have become greatly more aware of and interested in the information provided by faunal remains. Its potential has begun to draw the attention of researchers from nature sciences, while the archaeologists working in the field collect faunal remains uncovered during excavations and hand them over for storage increasingly more often. These faunal remains continue to be stored in the repository at Vilnius University. The project carried out in 2018–2020 with the funds provided by the Research Council of Lithuania gave an opportunity to record and make public the information about the zooarchaeological finds stored in the repository of Vilnius University, which are accessible for researchers and students from various scientific fields. The aims of this article are to present the Lithuanian collection of faunal remains kept at Vilnius University, to review the history of zooarchaeological research as well as the studies carried out in the last few years and to discuss the associated problems that continue to emerge.Pastaraisiais metais Lietuvoje gerokai išaugo archeologų supratimas bei susidomėjimas faunos liekanų teikiama informacija, jos potencialu pradėjo domėtis ir gamtos mokslų atstovai, o lauko darbus vykdantys archeologai vis dažniau surenka ir tyrimams pristato kasinėjimų metu rastas faunos liekanas, kurios toliau yra saugomos Vilniaus universitete įkurtoje saugykloje. 2018–2020 m. vykdytas Lietuvos mokslo tarybos finansuotas projektas atvėrė galimybę inventorinti ir paviešinti informaciją, kokia zooarcheologinė medžiaga saugoma Vilniaus universiteto saugykloje ir yra prieinama įvairių sričių tyrėjams bei studentams. Šio straipsnio tikslas ir yra pristatyti Vilniaus universitete saugomą Lietuvos faunos liekanų kolekciją, apžvelgti zooarcheologinių tyrimų istoriją, pastaraisiais metai vykdomus tyrimus ir aptarti vis dar kylančias problemas

EL TRABAJO DE HUESO Y CUERNA EN EL PERIODO TARDO MEDIEVAL Y MODERNO TEMPRANO EN EL COMPLEJO DEL CASTILLO DE VILNA

Much bone and antler working debris was found from the territory of the Vilnius Castle complex. The bone working debris is rather standardised; most common are sawn off epiphyses of metapodials. Cattle bones prevail among the working waste, metatarsals being much more numerous than metacarpals. Antler working waste is not as standardised as the bone working waste. All parts of antlers are represented in the waste, including both elk antlers and red deer antlers. Shed antlers as well as antlers of hunted animals were used. Presumably the craftsmen working in the Vilnius castles were not specialised in bone or antler working, but used several materials and were rather specialised in the types of products they made.Se han encontrado numerosos restos de hueso trabajado y asta en el territorio del complejo del castillo de Vilna. Los desechos de trabajo hueso son bastante estandarizados, los más comunes son las epífisis de metapodios. Los huesos de ganado prevalecen entre los desechos procedentes de la manufactura, siendo los metatarsos son mucho más numerosos que los metacarpianos. El debris del trabajo del asta no está tan estandarizado como los desechos de trabajo del hueso. Todas las partes de las astas están representadas entre los desechos, tanto de astas de alce como de astas de ciervo rojo. Se usaron desmogues y cornamentas de animales cazados. Es de suponer que los artesanos que trabajaban en los castillos de Vilnius no estaban especializados en el trabajo del hueso o el asta, sino que usaban varios materiales y estaban más bien especializados en el tipo de productos manufacturados

ANIMAL BREEDING AND BUTCHERING: A GLIMPSE FROM OLD KLAIPĖDA

Archaeological excavations in one of the Old Town areas around Kurpių Street have provided new and valuable information for research related to urban development in the 16th and 17th centuries. Previously accomplished complex research into archaeological, historical, palaeobotanical and zooarchaeological material enabled us to go deeper into both the constructional development of the area and the daily life of the citizens. This article presents up-to-date results from research into zooarchaeological material from one of the plot on Kurpių Street from the mid-16th century to the second half of the 17th century. On the basis of this data and published historical sources, an analysis is made of some unexplored aspects relating to features of animal breeding and butchering among the local population in the 16th and 17th centuries. It also includes an evaluation of animal osteometric data. The results are compared with data from other Lithuanian records. The insights presented add to our slender knowledge about the nutrition of locals at that time and their daily life. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15181/ab.v16i0.41 Key words: Klaipėda, 16th and 17th centuries, zooarchaeology, animal, osteometry, breeding, butchering, nutrition

Carbon, nitrogen and sulphur isotope data of archaeological fish and mammal bone collagen from Lithuania

Until relatively recently, stable sulphur isotope analysis of bone collagen was seldom undertaken in bioarchaeological research. With increasing frequency, its application has proven useful in reconstructing palaeodiets and palaeoecologies, as well as identifying potential migration and mobility patterns. Here, sulphur (δ34S) isotope analysis, together with carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N), was performed on six fish and 34 mammal bone collagen samples from 14 prehistoric sites in Lithuania dating from the Late Mesolithic (ca. 7000–5000 cal BC) to the Late Bronze Age (ca. 1100–500 cal BC). We present the first δ34S data from Lithuania, including coupled δ13C and δ15N data, offering a crucial dataset for future research to explore spatial and temporal variability in the region and beyond

Animal Bones, Bone Artefacts and Bone Working at Late Bronze Age Fortified Settlements in North-Eastern Lithuania: Sokiškiai, Mineikiškės and Garniai I

The article discusses artefacts made of osseous materials found in the Late Bronze Age fortified settlement sites in north-eastern Lithuania. Earlier, Bronze Age bone items from three Lithuanian sites – Narkūnai, Nevieriškė and Ke­reliai – have been analysed more thoroughly. Of sites discussed here, Sokiškiai has been archaeologically investigated in the beginning of the 1980-ies. In recent years, research has been carried out on the fortified settlements of Mineikiškės and Garniai I. 14C AMS dates have been used to date new sites as well as to specify the dates of previously studied settlements. During this research, approximately half a hundred bone, antler and tooth objects were examined, and the material used to make them was determined, if possible up to the species and skeletal part. Among the materials used, bone predominated, antler was used less, and teeth were used in only a few cases. An overview is given of the common types of bone objects, the processing techniques used to make them and the uses of the objects. The majority of tools are chisels and scrapers, and awls and points, many of which could have been used as leather working tools. The third major group of finds is bone pins, which testify to the clothing fashion that needed pins for attachment. Comparing the finds of Late Bronze Age fortified settlements in Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Byelorussia, greater similarity can be observed in certain types of bone artefacts in south-eastern Latvia, north-western Byelorussia, and north-eastern Lithuania

Plates

Plate

Diet, cuisine and consumption practices of the first farmers in the south-eastern Baltic

With the arrival of the Early Neolithic Globular Amphora and Corded Ware cultures into the south-eastern Baltic, ca. 2900/2800-2400 cal BC, a new type of economy was introduced, animal husbandry. However, the degree to which this transformed the subsistence economy is unknown. Here, we conducted organic residue analyses of 64 ceramic vessels to identify their contents. The vessels were sampled from 10 Lithuanian archaeological sites dating across the Subneolithic-Neolithic transition to the Early Bronze Age (ca. 2900/2800-1300 cal BC). Our results demonstrate that regardless of location or vessel type, many ceramics were used to process aquatic resources. Against our expectations, this association continued even after marked economic change concurrent with the migration of pastoralists from central and south-eastern Europe, as evidenced by recent aDNA analysis of human remains. Moreover, we observed dairy fats in pottery from all cultures of the Early Neolithic (i.e. Rzucewo, Globular Amphora and Corded Ware cultures) but unlike other regions of Europe, it seems that these were incorporated into indigenous culinary practices. Furthermore, some vessels were used to process plant foods, and others may have been used for the production and/or storage of birch bark tar. However, evidence for domesticated plant processing, for example millet, was absent. We show that organic residue analysis of pottery provides a different picture of past consumption patterns compared to the stable isotope analysis of human remains from isolated burials where a clear dietary shift is evident

Garnys : an underwater riverine site with delayed Neolithisation in the southeastern Baltic

This paper presents the first results of both dryland and underwater investigations at the multi-period Garnys riverine site situated on the Žeimena River in eastern Lithuania. There, during 2017–2020 a professional diver and amateur archaeologist collected hundreds of Mesolithic-Neolithic archaeological finds made of wood, bone, antler, stone, and ceramic from the riverbed and on its bank. Moreover, in eroded places of the riverbed, the wooden remains of several fish weirs were observed. In 2021 professional archaeologists continued the research, including field investigations followed by various laboratory analyses. These included AMS 14C dating of 16 various ecofacts, artefacts and wooden constructions, wood and animal taxa determinations, and the results of traceological analysis of the flint and osseous artefacts. Our research demonstrates that the site was intensively used for hunting, gathering and fishing during the Mesolithic and subsequent Subneolithic and Neolithic. Intriguingly, there was no evidence for agriculture, while the numerous Neolithic ceramics largely follow the Subneolithic traditions. The Garnys site is therefore unique and a clear example for delayed Neolithisation in a forested and lacustrine area in the eastern Baltic region. During the Metal Ages, the site had been used exclusively for stationary fishing

Osteological analysis and age determination of cattle bones from Vilnius lower castle territory according to the teeth structure

The aim of this work was to make osteological analysis of animal bones of the 14th–the middle of the 17th centuries found in the territory of Vilnius Lower castle, describe their sex composition, height and age structure. Having evaluated and compared the age assessment methods according to the number of incremental lines and tooth height, to use them to determine the age of the cattle excavated in the territory of Vilnius Lower castle. The tasks of the research: 1. To determine the number of cattle bones, individuals and measures of the bones and their change in the 14th–15th and in the 16th–the middle of the 17th c. in the territory of Vilnius Lower castle; 2. To determine the sex of the cattle of the 14th–15th and of the 16th–the middle of the 17th c; 3. To determine the height of the cattle of the 14th–15th and of the 16th–the middle of the 17th c; 4. To evaluate the accuracy of the cattle age determination methods according to the number of incremental lines and tooth height; 5. To determine the age of the cattle slaughtered in the 14th–15th and in the 16th–the middle of the 17th c. according to the number of incremental lines. A great amount – 9477 specimens of animal bones of the 14th–the middle of the 17th c. including 4011 of them belonging to cattle, was examined. Not only the analysis of animal species was performed but also sex, height, and age of cattle, additionally, all the information was accumulated in the computer database. The scope of the analysis allowed for the first time to evaluate the development of cattle in the 14th–the middle of the 17th c., nature of cattle breeding, the importance of various species of animals in the human nutrition, to compare the cattle breed in Lithuania with the material from other regions, to determine the measurement intervals and indices of metacarpal bones specific to cattle of different sexes found in Vilnius