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)

Animal husbandry and hunting in the Middle Neolithic ... southern part of the East European Plain (Sarmatian subprovince) following the Danube. Among the remains of 8 matured individuals of the aurochs only head and so-called meat bearing limb bones were found. Because the breaking of the bones only four size data could be determined: M3 length 42 mm, humerus dist. epiph.depth 98 mm, two tibia dist epiph. depth 58-60 mm. Remains of 3 young wild boar individuals were found at the settlement: 1 fragment of a mandibula, a half atlas cut lengthwise and a proximal phalanx. The only remain of a beaver \s a right side femur of a young individual. This animal's weight was about 15-25 kg, its fur consisting of dense silk-like wool-fur and a thin felt-fur (crown-fur) must have been its valuable part. The brown hare is the most common wild animal of the Great Hungarian Plain hunted for its meat and fur. One fore-leg and a hind-limb bone were found at the settlement. By killing the aurochs and wild horse of the forest-steppe and that of the forest wild boar the hunters got a large amount of meat „at one time". 4. Fishing Comparing to the hydro-geographic conditions of the Tiszavasvári ALPC settlements only a few fish bones were found at the Deákhalmi dűlő settlement: 9 pieces (Table 1). Successful fishing activity is shown by the remains of two predatory fish of the large waters: the European catfish, a „bottom-fish" met with both in rivers and stagnant waters, and the pike, „the wolf of the fresh waters". The fact of the occurrence of these two big, well-developed fish in itself shows that the environment was rich in fish. A bone specimen from a small fish of carp size is also known. The catfish and pike could be fished with a net in deeper waters; in shallow waters they could be killed with a spear. The fish of a quintal weight were brought to the settlement whole. The head and the lights of the fish were cut out and had to be eaten „immediately" because above the freezing point they spoiled quickly. Theoretically, we can suggest the existence of ice-pits at the prehistoric settlements, but practically it cannot be proved (if we do not consider as such the pits containing a big number of „scaly skeletons"), so the quick spoilage of the pieces of fish could be slowed by warm smoking. Besides the one-sided consumption of meat from haematothermal domesticates and wild animals the fish can be considered as a natural source of vitamin 5 The sites yielding remains of the Central and East European wild the Neolithic Age (Fig.l). (A-B-C) and (protein) nutrients for the Neolithic population. The broken and scraped out tortoise-shell of the pond tortoise shows the consumption of the inner parts of this animal. 5. Bone instruments Prehistoric people used all kinds of available natural materials as a basis for making clothes, household - industrial and agricultural - instruments, arms. From the view-point of its firmness and suitability for processing, bone can be listed between the stone and the wood. Comparing the postcranial bones of domestic and wild animals we would find that - because of different living conditions and biological features - the bones of wild animals are stronger, firmer, harder and more compact. Among the postcranial bones of herbivorous large mammals the rib, radius-ulna and the metapodium are the bones the most suitable for making instruments due to their length and thickness. At the settlement in question 6 bone instruments were found: Cattle - rib - rib dist. piece (polished, broken, 1.: 180 mm), „polisher" - A. pit 21, - rib, prox.part (wall of dorsalis, broken, polished, fragmented, 1.: 192 mm), „polisher" - A. pit 40 (=house), - rib half of dors, (polished, broken, 1.: 90 mm), „polisher" - A.section X, - rib piece (polished, broken, 1.: 47 mm), „polisher" - A.pit 3, - rib half of dors, (polished, broken, 1.: 65 mm), „polisher" - „south of the profile-wall". Wild horse - metapodium - metatarsus dext.dist.diaph. (polished, broken, 1.: 75 mm), „polisher" - A. pit 40 (=house). The metapodium of the wild horse was used as an instrument at the settlement: the dorsal surface is polished, its lower end is carved. The instrument in the process of work had been broken in its lower third (fragmented to pieces). In the middle of the instrument the breaking surface of the diaphysis is a typical so-called zigzag-transversal breaking, that appears on bones post mortem as a result of exerting flexing or pushing force on it. The length of the fragment of the bone instrument is 75 mm; the width of the lower (dist.) end is 40 mm. The mt dist. epiphysis is missing. But it was not cut or broken artificially, it simply did not ossify with the diaphysis because of the young age of the wild horse. orse (E = Equus) and kulan (H = Hemionus) in the second half of Jósa András Múzeum Évkönyve 1994 173