Marta, Livius et al.: The Late Bronze Age Settlement of Nyíregyháza-Oros „Úr Csere” (Satu Mare, 2010)

X.Elisabeta Berendi: Archaeozoological Description of the Faunal Remnants

phalanx I53.7

phalanx I54.3

phalanx I51.2

phalanx I35.3

17

19.5

phalanx I36

16.3

19.2

phalanx I50.6

23

29.2

19.6

16.2

23

18.4

phalanx I58

26.2

31

20.3

19

23.5

20

phalanx

II

39

29.4

31

23.2

21

23

26.7-phalanx

II

38.7

phalanx

II

36.6

phalanx

III

2.8

3 (Ld)

Tab. 2: Some metrical data of Bos taurus bone elements3 expressed in mm

As we can see, the withers height is changing in an interval from 67.7 cm - 117.8 cm, with the average of 102.87 cm. This is smaller than the usual at that time4 in Central Europe (117-145 cm), but in many cases this is natural and it is caused by malnutrition and inadequate keeping in the main growth period. Also, if these animals were used as draught animals earlier than their adult age, this stopped their growing (or their growth rhythm decreased). It must be taken into consideration that the bone elements that provided measurable data were mostly coming from female individuals, a fact that also pushes the average sizes towards smaller values.

There are some withers height measurements from this period from Eastern Europe, for comparison: average size was 116.79 cm (105-131 cm) at Otomani5, 115.4 cm (106-133,4) at Mîndrişca (Valea Seacă)6, 105.52-121.76 at Szombathely-Kámon7, 122.4 cm (115-128.5) at Soroksár8, 122 cm at Nagyedém-Középrépáspuszta9, 104.79 cm (96.41-114.33) at Tiszaalpár10. The nearest from a geographical point of view is the latter one, the size of which stands also closer to our measurements. The other

3 Abbreviations after Angela von der Driesch (1976)

4 According to Teichert (1993)

5 According to Haimovici (1987)

6 According to Haimovici (1994)

7 According to Vörös (1999)

8 According to Bökönyi (1984)

9 According to Vörös (1995)

10 According to Bökönyi (1982)

140