Eating crow or a feather in one's cap: The avifauna from the Magdalenian sites of Gönnersdorf and Andernach-Martinsberg (Germany)

Abstract

The Central Rhineland Magdalenian sites Gönnersdorf and Andernach-Martinsberg produced an extremely rich corpus of diverse archaeological finds, including some 14,500 faunal remains at Gönnersdorf and some 4000 at Andernach. Faunal studies have focused on the large game, mainly horse, however favourable conditions of preservation at both sites provide an opportunity to examine not only smaller mammal taxa, but also for detailed analyses of the avifauna. Here we present results of these analyses focussing in particular on the economical and social role of birds in Magdalenian life.In view of the large numbers of horse hunted at both sites, the relatively small number of bird remains show that they did not play a major role as a food resource. Selection for wing elements of swan and goose suggests these large birds may have been primarily of interest in terms of their pinion feathers or wing bones. In contrast the skeletal representation of ptarmigan or willow grouse suggests that complete carcasses were brought to the site for processing/consumption. Our holistic approach combines zooarchaeological analysis with e.g. spatial patterning, allowing us to assign bird remains deriving from individual carcasses processing to specific locations within the site area, information of relevance for a synthetic interpretation of settlement organisation and site formation. A complete praemaxilla and dentary of a raven from a pit in Gönnersdorf K II were probably deposited originally as a complete head. Its location, together with the overall representation of raven bone, perhaps suggest non-utilitarian motives for the presence of entire feathered skins of ravens within Gönnersdorf dwelling structures.