Janus Pannonius Múzeum Évkönyve 30-31 (1985-1986) (Pécs, 1987)

Régészet - Vörös István: The animal remains from the Roman imperial period of Kővágószőlős

THE ANIMAL REMAINS FROM THE ROMAN IMPERIAL PERIOD OF KŐVÁGÓSZŐLŐS ISTVÁN VÖRÖS The rescue excavations in 1975 led by G. Kárpáti and B. Maráz (Janus Pannonius Museum, Pécs) at Kővágószőlős, in the territory of the Mecsek Metal Mining Company, brought to light the pits of a Late Bronze Age settlement, the ruins of the subsequently excavated Roman villa, and the pit-dwellings and storage-pits of the 4—5th century Late Roman settlement intersecting the walls of the villa. {Kárpáti— Maráz, 1976). During ditching in 1976 in Kővágószőlős—Kece valley two Late Avar Period graves were disturbed, one of them contained the skeletal remains of two horses {Kárpáti, 1977). The Roman villa and the burial vault at Kővágószőlős were excavated by Alice Sz. Burger between 1977—1982. For the description and documentation of the finds cf. Alice Sz. Burger's previous study. Both the rescue excavators and those working on shedule have set a good example in collecting the animal remains by rooms, settlement features and settlement layers. The animal bones are reposited in the Archaeozoological Collection of the Hungarian National Museum (inv.nos. 81.2.1. —236.). It was primarily the large number of the bones (2811 pieces) and their qualitative composition that justified their publication, but it must also be borne in mind that the only comparable Hungarian publication {Bökönyi, 1955) treats only a small number of selected bones (72 pieces) brought to light at Tác-Gorsium Villa I (later Palota) between 1934—1939. Considerations of space, however, do not permit the unabridged publication of the analyses. After due delibration we decided on publishing an accurate description of the animal bones, mindful of their source value. It is to be hoped that the present work may lay the foundations for further scientific analyses and comparisons. This paper treats the animal bones recovered from the Kővágószőlős sites (the Roman villa and its environs, the Roman burial vault and its environs, the Late Roman settlement) with a view to certain stratigraphical and zoological considerations. With the exception of the partial skeletal remains of dogs and cats, the majority of the animal bones were kitchen refuse piled up at a secondary site. Species represented at the site: Cattle—Bos taurus L. Small ruminant: Sheep—

Ovis aries L.; Goat—Capra hircus L. Pig—

Sus scrofa domestica Gray Horse—Equus caballus L. Ass—Asinus asinus L. Dog—Canis familiáris L. Cat—

Felis domestica Briss. Red deer—Cervus elaphus L. Roe deer—Capreolus capreolus L. Wild boar — Sus scrofa ferus (attila Thomas) Fox—Vulpes vulpes L. Beaver—Castor fiber L. Brown hare—Lepus europaeus Pall. /. Roman Villa I/A. The villa itself- 2-4th century A.D. The Roman villa and its environs, excavated at Kővágószőlős between 1977—1982, yielded 2168 pieces of animal bones (Table 1.). 1408 pieces were recovered from the 1020 square metre area of the villa buildings; 186 pieces from the 150 square metre area of the adjoining buildings in the SW and SE, and 574 pieces were found in the so-called settlement layers extending over an approximately 700 square metre are E and N of the villa (Table 2.). In the villa, the animal bones were found in the flagged courtyard, on the ground level of the corridors and the rooms, and in the 30—60 cm thick infilling covering them. The specimens yielded by the crumbled hypocausts in the E wing must have fallen down from the upper (ground) level. The animal bones are classified according to the structure of the villa; these parts are the peristyle: the central courtyard and the circular corridor (the latter divided into an E and a W half); the N, E and W wings (each comprising a number of rooms — Tables 3—4.), and the S portico. Peristyle (Tables 2. 3.) The nonhomogeneous distribution of the animal remains in the 4th century infilling and evened up layer was well observable (Table 3.). 49.3 per cent of the animal bones have been brought to light from the 250 sq m peristyle of the villa, and the remaining 50.7 per cent (i.e. approximately the same quantity) came from the wings stretching over a 770 sq m area (the treble of that A Janus Pannonius Múzeum Évkönyve 30-31 (1985—86): 243—247. Pécs, Hungária, 1987