Szolyák Péter - Csengeri Piroska (szerk.): A Herman Ottó Múzeum Évkönyve 56. (Miskolc, 2017)
Régészet - Soós, Eszter et al.: Settlement and graves from Hernádvécse (NE-Hungary) in the 5th century AD: relation of living space and burial place in the Hun Period
66 Soós, Eszter—Bárány, Annamária—Köhler, Kitti—Pusztai, Tamás Fig. 13 Hernádvécse—Nagy tét site 4. Clay pendant from building str.61. 13. kép Hernádvécse—Nagy rét, 4. lh. Hgyagcsüngő ay Str.61 épületből The richest feature in the terms of animal bones (pit Str.49), provided more than two-third of the cattle bones (84 pieces). The bones of this settlement feature were extremely fragmented. Beside this debris-like material only a few ceramic sherds were found in it. The rest of the cattle bone material of the site was also fragmented. Only a few teeth, the collum region of a scapula, a carpal bone and a phalanx were measureable. Among the unmeasureable cattle bone fragments remains of some larger individuals can be observed. The ratios of the bones from various body regions were relatively balanced (Table 5 and Table 6). The trunk region was present in the highest proportion, followed by the head, the meaty and dry regions. The terminal region was represented by only one phalanx. The relatively balanced distribution in the terms of body regions suggests the multi-purpose utilization (meat, milk, draft) of cattle. The only intact os phalangis came from the feature Str.49 and was burnt gray. Due to the high fragmentation of the cattle bones neither cut marks, nor pathological lesions were observable on the surfaces. Age determination was possible only on a single upper molar tooth of a juvenile individual. 2.4.4.3. Small Ruminants Small ruminant (sheep and goat) represent the second most frequent animal species at Hernádvécse. Its quantity is only the quarter of that of the cattle (32 pieces/18.93%). From the eleven settlement features, which provided animal bones, eight contained remains of small ruminants. Bone fragments belonging to the meaty body regions were in the highest proportion, suggesting that small ruminants were kept mostly for their meat (Table 5 and Table 6). Bones from the head and dry limb regions were represented by a few fragments, remains of the terminal regions were absent. Small ruminant bones were less fragmented than the cattle bones, more bones were measureable, but the calculation of withers height was impossible anyway. According to the measurements, small ruminants show a unified picture. Cut marks, burns or pathological lesion were not observable on any of the small ruminant bones. 2.4.4A Pig The third most frequent and the last domestic mammal represented in the Hernádvécse animal bone material was the pig. The total of 13 bone fragments came from four features. From the few bone fragments 11 pieces belong to the head and meaty limb regions. A single piece originated from the trunk and another one represented the dry limb regions (Table 5 and Table 6). Similarly, to the other species, the pig bones were also fragmented. Three bones were measureable, on one right side metatarsal even the calculation of the withers height was possible (Teichert 1969, 286). The withers height of the individual was 74.5 cm (middlehigh) and it was around 2 years old. There was one more case in which the age of a juvenile individual could be estimated. A tranversal cut mark was observable on the lateral side of an ulna. There was a tibia fragment burnt black and a lumbar vertebra calcinated white. Pathological lesion was not observable on any of the pig bones. With the exception of a bird bone, only the bone remains of domestic species came to light in Hernádvécse—Nagy rét, site No. 4. The animal bone material was small in amount and poor in term of speciescomposition. It suggests a settled lifestyle. Considering the environment, which could provide a wet and swampy habitat for pig-keeping, the very low amount of pig bones is surprising. At sites of an earlier era, Garadna and Arka, the dominance of cattle is also characteristic (Daróczi-Szabó 2009, 336; Vörös-Soós 2014,154). Cattle was followed by pig and the small ruminants in frequency. At the Füzesabony— Szikszópuszta, Tiszavasvári—Városföldje, Jegyző-tag and Székelykeresztúr—Felső-Lok sites, with animal bone material from the same era as Hernádvécse—Nagy rét, site No. 4, the sequence of the two latter animal
