A Nyíregyházi Jósa András Múzeum évkönyve 36. - 1994 (Nyíregyháza, 1995)

István Vörös: Animal husbandry and hunting in the Middle Neolithic settlement at Tiszavasvári-Deákhalmi dűlő (Upper Tisza region)

István VÖRÖS 2.5. Dog The remains of only two dogs were found at the settlement: a left side pelvis (acet.l. 21 mm, adultus) and a left side femur diaphysis (infantilis) fragment. Both dog bones belong to the thin boned, medium size (ca. 30-35 cm withers height) „turbary spitz (Canis familiáris palustris Rütimeyer)". Of the three most important domestic farm animals of the Tiszavasvári-Deákhalmi dűlő ALPC settlement the pig and sheep were a single purpose, cattle was supposedly used for two purposes. Sixty-seven percent of pigs (16 individuals) were killed before having reached the age of 2 years (Table 4). The amount of the meat from young pigs and piglets dismembered with skin is significantly less than that of the mature individuals. This custom of culling and consumption did not „exploit", in prac­tice, possibilities of slaughtering mature pigs. Alter­natively, it may be hypothesized that pork from „flat and skinny" primitive prehistoric pigs with „lean and dry meat", resulting from traditional keeping, could be less easily prepared and consumed once the animals reached maturity. Pigs were kept exclusively for meat. The majority (42 individuals, 91-3%) of the sheep were slaughtered before their breeding age (Table 4). The culling of almost all offspring excludes the suggestion that the sheep at the settlement were kept for wool. By slaughtering a great number of young sheep „tender" meat and thick, soft, flexible furry skin was obtained. Goats were rare at the settlement. Remains of a kid and a female goat represent the use of this domestic animal of Anatolian-Southwestern-Asian origin. Goat had no economic significance at this settlement. Almost three quarters of cattle individuals (20 individuals, 71.5%) were slaughtered before they arrived at breeding age (Table 4). It is interesting that no remains of a calf younger than 1 year was found at the settlement. Among these animals that produce large amounts of meat, 12 individuals were killed between the age of 2 and 3 and 8 individuals in mature age. The amount of useful meat from the 28 cattle individuals calibrated by age groups is 5225 kg, which makes up 79-3% of the total amount of meat produced by all the domestic animals. In spite of the high number of the individuals sheep ­similarly to pigs - did not play an important role in the meat supply of the settlement. Sheep provided only the 10.6% (702 kg), pigs the 10.1% (662 kg) of the meat amount from the three domestic farm animals (Table 4). The proportion of the three domestic farm animals amount of useful meat related to each other is the following: 1 cattle (250 kg) = 10 sheep (25 kg) = 6.25 pigs (40 kg). 3 In addition to meat the cattle produced a significant amount of skin and suet. Cattle and sheep were probably flayed outside the settlement as is suggested by the minimal occurrence or complete lack of bones remaining in the skin (bones of dry limbs and phalanges - Table 2) (VÖRÖS 1980.42-43.). The use of cattle and sheep for diary purposes at the settlement can be excluded on the basis of culling statistics (Table 4). On the basis of the osteological finds the inhabi­tants of the settlement were not engaged in domes­ticating aurochs and/or wild boar. The killing of cattle was „continuous" through the whole year; pigs and piglets show summer mortality, lambs and young sheep show winter-spring mortality. In all probability dogs of the palustris type with small or medium size bodies, found in a small number in Körös-Starcevo (KS) and Linear Pottery Culture (LPC) settlements were not yet specialized working-dogs. They helped people both in driving the animal stock and in hunting. 3. Hunting The primary aim of hunting in prehistoric times was the procurement of meat supplies. Of the rich large mammalian fauna of the Carpa­thian basin in the Holocene period (BÖKÖNYI 1959-, VÖRÖS 1987.) only a few animals were hunted by the hunters of the ALPC in Tiszavasvári both in terms of the number of species and number of individuals. At the settlement, 31 pieces of remains from 15 individuals of 5species (I wild horse, 8 aurochs, 3 wild boars, 1 beaver and 2 brown hares) (Table 1) were found, comprising 334% of the whole bone material. The lack of the forest red deer and the bushy forest dwelling roe-deer is uncommon. The only unld horse find is a polished fragment of a metatarsus from a young foal. The appearance of the Neolithic wild horse in the Carpathian basin is a natural consequence of a wild fauna immigration (VÖRÖS 1981., VÖRÖS 1983-, VÖRÖS 1986., VÖRÖS 1987.). The wild horses - together with other large mammals - got as far as the Rhine region from the 3 There are different calculations for the estimation of the useful amount of meat, e.g. 1 cattle = 7 small ruminants = 4-5 pigs (BÖKÖNYI 1977.17-18.) 4 Dog kept at prehistoric settlements belonged exclusively to one person and his or her occupation. From the very beginning - similarly to the horse - dog served a triple function: it was the servant, companion and ally of its master. "Stray" dogs appeared only in the time of prehistoric tell formation and later in towns. 172 Jósa András Múzeum Évkönyve 1994

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