Meat offerings in graves of the Hallstatt Period in Bohemia (Czech Republic): An archaeozoological comparison

Result code in IS VaVaI

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Result on the web

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DOI - Digital Object Identifier

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Result language

angličtina

Original language name

Meat offerings in graves of the Hallstatt Period in Bohemia (Czech Republic): An archaeozoological comparison

Original language description

The paper provides a preliminary review of the current state of knowledge concerning meat offerings in the Hallstatt funeral rite in Bohemia (c. 800-450 BC). Uncharred animal bones, representing meat offerings, from three burials from the Bylany and Hallstatt Tumulus cultures found in two recently excavated sites were analysed archaeozoologically and in great detail. Information from earlier excavations in Bohemia was taken into account and some of the finds were revised. The paper presents a comparison of these finds from the perspective of taxonomy, anatomy, the age of the animals slaughtered and taphonomy. Contrary to former opinions, not only pigs but also sheep and cattle were offered. Despite some variation being observed, the comparison reveals similarities between meat offerings from both mentioned local cultures of the Hallstatt period. In all three recently excavated burials, a calf is the dominant object with respect to the number of bone finds (and offered meat). Adult and sub-adult sheep were also present in all three cases and an adult pig was present in at least one case. These multiple-species offerings are rare in Bohemia, and likely to reflect the special status of the deceased. Young age of cattle also appear to be the rule. Another regular feature is the offering of fleshy parts of the legs and rib segments, while other fleshy and non-fleshy parts of the body were not offered. Various observations (articulation, butchery marks, phosphate analysis) suggest that the bones found in the graves had originally borne substantial portions of meat. The absence of the head and certain fleshy parts of the body - specifically the spine region - is a common observation in the Bylany culture, the missing parts were most probably used for the funeral banquet. A comparison with neighbouring regions and an estimation of the body size of the offered animals is also presented.

Czech name

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Czech description

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Type

J_ost - Miscellaneous article in a specialist periodical

CEP classification

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OECD FORD branch

60102 - Archaeology

Project

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Continuities

I - Institucionalni podpora na dlouhodoby koncepcni rozvoj vyzkumne organizace

Publication year

2018

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Name of the periodical

Annalen des naturhistorischen Museums in Wien. A

ISSN

0255-0091

e-ISSN

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Volume of the periodical

120

Issue of the periodical within the volume

15 Jan

Country of publishing house

AT - AUSTRIA

Number of pages

36

Pages from-to

245-280

UT code for WoS article

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EID of the result in the Scopus database

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