Animal Husbandry During Late Antiquity: Archaeozoological Analysis and Regional Comparison of the 4th to 6th Century AD Small Rural Settlement in Podersdorf am See (Burgenland, Austria)

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study investigates the faunal assemblage from excavations in Podersdorf am See (easternmost Austria) dating between the 4th and 6th century AD. The site is located in a flat area east of Lake Neusiedl (Hungarian: Fertő tó), surrounded by numerous (palaeo-)lake depressions and comprises remains of small-scale rural installations from three phases between the 2nd and 13th century AD. In contrast with previous studies, which focus on urban sites or villae rusticace, Podersdorf offers the opportunity to examine the Late Antiquity period of transition at a peripheral, small-scale, rural site. In total, 904 animal bones were investigated. Although several features hint at a rural site of producers, such as the dominance of female sheep/goats there are, also indications for animal imports, including a high number of male/castrated cattle and pigs along with the presence of three different cattle morphotypes. Age and sex profiles of the main domesticated species (cattle, sheep/goats and pigs) show a slight emphasis on meat consumption. Chop and cut marks on horse and dog bones indicate cynophagy and hippophagy. Compared with contemporaneous sites in north-eastern Austria, Podersdorf has the highest NISP number of wild mammals, the second highest number of horses, and the second highest number of birds.