Remains of mammals from the Antique settlement of Golubitskaya 2

Abstract

The article presents the results of the study of osteological material from the Antique settlement of Golubitskaya 2 (Krasnodar Territory, Taman Peninsula, Russia) from the excavations of 2007–2019. Archaeological investigations of the settlement have been directed by PhD D.V. Zhuravlev (State Historical Museum, Moscow). In total, 5996 mammalian bones were identified from cultural layers of the 6th–3rd centuries BC cultural layers. The osteological material that has been accumulating at the Antique settlement for almost three centuries is relatively well preserved. We present here a series of new facts, elaborating our ideas about the economic life, customs and traditions of the local Antique population. Wild game animals are represented by adult individuals of brown hare, wolf, fox, brown bear, wild boar and red deer. These animals still live in Ciscaucasia. Hunting here acted only as an additional source of food and was conducted in the immediate vicinity of the site. As a result of the analysis, it was shown that the inhabitants of Golubitskaya 2 led a settled agricultural lifestyle — herds were most likely grazed in the immediate vicinity. Excavations revealed forty-two full or partial skeletons of dogs, the study of which showed the presence of numerous healed injuries in individual animals. Possible ritual burials of dogs in the settlement were also recorded. Our analyses indicate that the bones of large mammals were often used here as a raw material in the manufacture of artefacts. We also compare here our results with the data of colleagues working at other settlements of Eastern Crimea and the Taman Peninsula.