Gaál Attila (szerk.): A Wosinszky Mór Múzeum Évkönyve 20. (Szekszárd, 1998)
László Bartosiewitz: Váralja-Várfő középkori állatcsontleletei
Red fox (Vulpes vulpes L. 1758) Seven bones of red fox (3 of them possibly from the same adult individual) came to light in the area of the Váralja Castle. Although foxes often burrow into the strata of archaeological sites, two of the remains under discussion here were burnt. This is suggests they were hunted, although none of the bones showed signs of skinning or any other form of human modification. Carp (Cyprinus carpio L. 1758) Opportunistic, subsistence fishing 36 is the most likely source of the three carp and two non-identifiable fish bones from Váralja. While carp may be considered ubiquitous in Hungary, its preferred habitat is warm, silt-rich, still waters, oxbows and slowly moving sections of rivers. 37 This description corresponds to a possibly marshy environment that may have existed in low lying areas around the Váralja Castle. The small proportion of fish bone, however, may be merely the result of inevitably size selective hand collection which limits faunal analysis to the size range of domestic mammals. Conclusions Animal bones recovered from settlement deposits should, in general, be regarded as chiefly reflecting aspects of meat consumption. Although in depth faunal analyses may reveal additional aspects of animal exploitation, most of the animal bones from refuse pits shed light on dietary habits. The only exceptions are horse and dog at this site. No finds are indicative of bone manufaturing within the area of the Váralja Castle. Beef was probably the main source of animal protein for the inhabitants of this site. Both the age distributions and anatomical composition of the cattle bone assemblage suggest the possibility that only selected parts of the animals were taken to the castle which would not have had the space for keeping these animals within its walls. It is possible that villages in the castle's catchment area were responsible for its meat provisioning. The site's natural environment probably favored both pig and sheep keeping. Aside from occasionally providing game from hunting, the surrounding woodland must have been ideal for pig pasturing. Dry, open areas in foothill areas also seem to have been optimal for sheep herding. 38 These environmental considerations have cultural implications as well. Of the early medieval cultures in the Carpathian Basin, faunal lists dated to the Period of the Árpád Dynasty analyzed by Cyril Ambros, 39 Sándor Bökönyi 40 and János Matolcsi 41 seem to be richest in so-called „steppe elements" including caprines. The 13 th century assemblage from the Castle area of Váralja, represents a transitional form within this group with its moderately high, but not dominant proportion (one fifth of NISP) of caprine bones. The importance of sheep and possibly goat in meat consumption during the early medieval period of the Árpád Dynasty, at least partially, reflects trans-Carpathian traditions. Naturally, a rigidly ethnic/cultural certainly erroneous. The increasing proportion of pork consumption relative to that of mutton between the 11 th- 13 th centuries in Basel, has been interpreted as a sign of improving living standards. 42 36 GUNDA1948, 13, 37 BERINKEY 1966, 18. 38 BARTOSIEWITZ et al. 1994, BARTOSŒWITZ 1996. 39 AMBROS 1955,415, 40 BÖKÖNYI 1974, 358 41 MATOLCSI 1975,70., 1982,327. 42 SCHIBLER and STOPP 1987, 332., Abb. 11. 161
