engleski

Preliminary archaeozoological analysis of the Krčingrad castle at Plitvice Lakes National Park (Croatia)

Introduction: The Krčingrad castle is located on the forested peninsula between two lakes in the Plitvice Lakes National Park. On the hill, there is a triangular-shaped tower fortified with a defensive wall. The castle was built around the end of the 13th century by Babonić noble family. The aim of this research was a preliminary analysis of animal breeding, hunting and diet evidence of these medieval inhabitants. Material and Methods: An archaeozoological analysis was carried out at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine on 1 815 fragments of animal bones and teeth found during the 2020 excavation session performed by the Croatian Conservation Institute. The analysis included determination of the bone element, taxon and pathological and taphonomical changes. Results: The bone element and the animal species were determined in 24.19% of the samples (95.92% mammals and 4.08% birds). Most bone fragments belonged to domestic mammals: pigs (36.68%), small ruminants (32.58%), cattle (21.87%) and horses (0.22%). However, bone fragments of wild animals were also determined: rabbit (2.28%), wild boar (1.37%), roe deer (0.46%) and brown bear (0.46%). Considering birds, besides domestic chicken (2.05%), goose (0.91%) and duck (0.68%), the remains of pheasant and common sparrowhawk were found. Traces of butchery are visible mostly on domestic animals and rabbit vertebrae, and pathological changes on a few pig long bones. Conclusion: Although the research was carried out on a relatively small sample, it can be assumed that the medieval inhabitants of Krčingrad were engaged in breeding livestock and poultry, but also were actively hunting wild animals.

archaeozoology, animal bones, Krčingrad castle

nije evidentirano