Pig-Breeding Management in the Early Medieval Stronghold at Mikulčice (Eighth–Ninth Centuries, Czech Republic)

Abstract

ABSTRACT The archaeozoological analysis sets point to the vital role of pigs in the subsistence economy of Early Medieval Mikulčice, an important Great Moravian centre (Czech Republic). The results of slaughtering distribution analyses indicate that pigs were a meat source for a consumer population. Analyses of stable isotopes of nitrogen and carbon suggest that the demand for pork was predominantly met by animals raised by extensive husbandry. . In addition to extensive breeding, small-scale household rearing was also documented. The assumed length of the fattening period represented a more important factor for δ15N values. It has been determined that pigs that were slaughtered at the latest after two years consumed protein-richer fodder when the roots of their third molars were formed. By contrast, the collagen of pigs that were expected from the outset to be used for long-term breeding shows lower values of the isotope in question. It has also been corroborated that the root dentine collagen of domestic pigs from the bailey has slightly higher average δ15N values compared to the collagen of pigs from the acropolis. Such a difference may be explained by different husbandry management techniques having been applied within a single settlement.