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 The instrument made of metapodium was used without the cylindrical dist. end. On the basis of the ossification of the dist.epiph. the age of the wild foal who provided the instrument is 1-1.5 years, infantilis, summer mortality. For what purpose could this instrument made out of wild horse bone could be used? On the basis of the missing latero-medial and/or dorso-ventral bore, and judging from the lack of the plain surface on the polished dorsal side, the use of this instrument as a net-weight or „bone skate" (that could not be bound to the feet) (skate and/or runner) can be excluded. The metapodium presumably could be used as a so-called „polishing bone" in leather processing. The worked wild horse metapodium in question is not a unique phenomenon in the settlements of Middle and Late Neolithic of Hungary: examples are known from Kisköre-Gát and Tiszadada-Kálvinháza (VÖRÖS 1981.50..52.). From the LPC settlement of Mikulov in Southern Moravia (Bohemia) KRATOCHVTL (1973.196-197., Tabl.II, Abb.l., 3-4.) published a fragment of a metatarsus instrument belonging to a small Equid „Asinus hydruntinus". 6. The reconstruction of the ancient environment of Tiszavasvári-Deákhalmi dűlő The climatic and biostratigraphic outline of the period of ALPC in Hungary is the following: Atlantic phase II, pollen zone VII, botanical oak phase, and the period of the first half of the Körös stage of the vertebrate fauna; 4500 - 4000 B.C. On the basis of correlating with each other results of pollen analyses (ZÓLYOMI 1958.), small mammal fauna succession (KRETZOI

1957., KRETZOI

1961., KORDOS 1978.) and stratigraphic examination of the spread of ALPC settlements (BÁCSKAY 1978.) in this period relating to the earlier (end of Boreal - Atlantic I, pollen zone VI) climatic optimum I it was a period with louder temperatures and dry climate with a low mean yearly rainfall. The maximum of aridity was reached again parallel with the rising of the temperature in 3000 B.C. (climatic optimum II) (KORDOS 1978). Tiszavasvári is situated on the western edge of Nyíri Mezőség, on the border of the climatic zonal closed woodland - wooded-steppe zone, in the wooded-steppe belt. In the nearby Tisza valley, as a result of the growth of the shoal of the river Sajó above the estuary of the Sajó up to Tokaj, the bed territory of the flood area is relatively large. The low flowing Tisza with its flood waves moved a large amount of clay alluvial deposits which having a fertilizing effect, supplied the flood areas with a fertile layer of silt (BODGÁNFY 1925.27.). In the micro-environment of the Tiszavasvári ALPC settlements we find fastflounng river and slow flowing waters, or large and deep stagnant waters (catfish, pike) as well; and at the same time, there were seasonal and constant (Planorbis, Unio) shallow water surfaces with sandy-silty soil. The pond tortoise that spends its winter sleep from the autumn until the middle of the spring in silt or loose sandy soil likes the stagnant and slow flowing shallow waters of plains with silty beds. The pond tortoise eats mainly insects, snails, water beetles and amphibia, it is active in the evenings and nights. The great crested grebe which nests on the water plants growing at the banks in dead and stagnant waters was a member of the bird fauna from spring to autumn. The water vole is a land animal of water banks plentifully covered with vegetation. Leaving the area of water, it appears in dry territories as well. The beaver eats the soft trees of the gallery woods of flowing waters and builds so-called beaver dams out of branches of trees that adjust to the changes of the water level. It digs its dwelling into holes in the banks. The Hungarian mole-rat lives in dry loose soil territories. It avoids lands connected with agricultural activity. The existence of the contiguous woods and parkland forest in the macro environment of Tiszavasvári is indicated by the appearance of wild boar, wild horse and aurochs. The low number or absence of red deer and roe-deer may be the result of a hunting custom, or - even more probably - is the consequence of their rarity. Hunting and killing of none-herd wild animals (wild horse, wild boar) and herd animals (aurochs) needed different hunting methods and techniques. The two „obliquely cut blades" (pit A.

30) could have been used as arrow-heads. 7. Archaeozoological data on the food-producing activity of the ALPC One of the most important measures of the effectiveness of the prehistoric food producing economy is the degree to which a population of a certain settlement was able to produce and supply itself with raw materials of faunal and floral origin. The same can be said about prehistoric animal husbandry. That is to say, at a certain settlement, comparing the proportion of domestic animals used for meat (cattle, sheep(goat), pig) and wild animals hunted for meat (wild equidae, aurochs, red deer, roe-deer) in terms of occurrence and quantity, differences show the effectiveness of the meat production of the animal husbandry: ultimately the degree of development of subsistence food production. Considering the proportion and chronological changes in the remains of domestic and wild animals in the Neolithic of Hungary we can trace a well defined trend which, after the extreme proportions of the beginning KS, from the ALPC up to the end of the Herpály-Csőszhalom group, the remains of the wild animals gradually grow parallel with the gradual 176 Jósa András Múzeum Évkönyve 1994