Evidence of butchery marks and anthropic modifications on horse remains in a Late Bronze Age site of northern Italy: The case of Bovolone

Abstract

The site of Bovolone (Verona, northern Italy) was discovered in 1996 and has been the subject of systematic excavations until 2005. The settlement has been dated to Late Bronze Age on the basis of pottery remains and bronze objects. Analysis of its faunal remains shows a predominance of domestic fauna in comparison with wild fauna. When compared to other contexts of the Bronze Age in northern Italy, the presence of horse is attested to a high number of remains. The low frequency of horse remains in the living contexts has always been considered a consequence of the value that this animal had during the Bronze Age. The site of Bovolone opens a new perspective because the remains analyzed have yielded evidence of anthropic traces attributable to various processes of the slaughter chain and the use of certain anatomical elements to manufacture artefacts.