Avian Remains from an Early Neolithic Settlement of ...

ACTA ZOOLOGICA BULGARICA Acta zool. bulg., 61 (2), 2009: 151-156

Avian Remains from an Early Neolithic Settlement o f Slatina (Present Sofia City, Bulgaria) Zlatozar Boev

National Museum of Natural History, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 1, Tsar Osvoboditel Blvd., 1000 Sofia, Bulgaria; E-mail: [email protected], [email protected]

Abstract:

Nineteen bird bone remains (MNI=10) of 6 orders, 7 families and 8 species (9 taxa), dated ca. 8000 BP have been identified: Cygnus olor, Anser erythropus, Buteo lagopus, Grus grus, Otis tarda, Tetrax tetrax, Columba palumbus and Corvus cornix. The site provides the 3rd Bulgarian record of B. lagopus, and 4th one of A. erythropus. The findings of G. grus are the oldest species’ record in the country. Most of the findings originate from hunted wild birds, most of them inhabitants of openland grassy and wetland habi­ tats.

Key words: Early Neolithic birds, Holocene avian remains, Bulgaria, Archaeozoology, game-fowl

Introduction Location: The archaeological site is located in the central part of Sofia Kettle (UTM grid: GN 02) at ca. 600 m a. s. l. (42-41’ N; 23-19’ E), CW Bulgaria. Excavations: The site was known since the 1920-s, but most exhaustively it was excavated in 1985-1989, 1991, 1993-1997 and 2004) by a team, leaded by Dr . V a s i l N i k o l o v (National Archaeological Institute and Museum, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia) (iVKOVSKA 2008). The total excavated area in 1985 was ca. 500 m2 (d o b r i n o v a 1985). The total amount of the collected animal remains is 3333 bones, bone fragments, teeth and shells (Iv k o v s k a 2008). Dating and cultural interrelationships: Early Neolithic, referred to Karanovo - I Culture (Ni k o l o v e t a l . 1992). Avian remains originated from 4 cultural layers (buildingg horizons) - I to IV. Latter N i k o l o v et al. (2005) precized dating as ‘1st half of the Early Neolithic’ (p. 30).

Associated fauna: Mammalia: Wild - Bos primigenius (Bo j a n u s , 1827), Cervus elaphus L i n n a e u s , 1758, Capreolus capreolus (Li n n a e u s , 1758), Sus scrofa L i n n a e u s , 1758, Felis silvestris Sc h r e b e r , 1775, Castor fiber Li n n a e u s , 1758, Lepus capensis Li n n a e u s , 1758; Domestic - Bos taurus, Ovis aries, Capra hircus, Sus scrofa domestica, Canis familiaris (Iv k o v s k a 2008), Erinaceus concolor M a r t i n , 1838 (probably misdated) (Dr . N i k o l a y Sp a s s o v , NMNHS - unpubl. data), Mollusca: Unio sp. (Iv k o v s k a 2008).

Material and Methods A total of 19 avian findings have been collected. One of them (No NMNHS 1302) has been reported by N i n o v (1992) as ‘a distal fragment of tarsometatarsus, whose species belonging could not be deter­ mined’ (p. 154). Latter in the early 1990s this find

151

Boev Z. (No NMNHS 1302) has been transferred to us by Dr. Vet. Nikolay Iliev for examination. The remain­ ing bone material (18 bones and bone fragments) has been handed for examination by N i k o l a y Sp a s s o v in July 2008. All findings are kept at the Fossil and Recent Birds Department of the National Museum of the Natural History (NMNHS) of Bulgarian Academy of Sciences in Sofia (No NMNHS 1302; 16 515 - 16 532). They have been identi­

fied through the comparative avian osteological collection of the NMNHS. All measurements (Table 1) are given in mm. Abbreviations: AD - after death, ad. adult, BC - before Christ, BP - before present, dex. - dextra, dist. - distal, Ma - million years ago, MNI - minimum number of individuals, prox. - proximal, sin. - sinistra. Species com position

Although innumerous (Table. 1), the material reveals important not numerous data on the former distribu­ tion of some bird species and the character of the natural landscapes in the surroundings of the locality in the Early Holocene. Mute Swan Cygnus olor (Gm e l i n , 1789). The Mute Swan always was widely spread among the ‘kitchen remains’ in the Bulgarian prehistoric settle­ ments. A complete review if its subfossil record is given by Bo e v (i n p r e s s ). Slatina is the 12th local­ ity of that species. Along 2009 with the localities of Hotnitsa (Bo e v 2009), Yabalkovo (Bo e v , in press), and Kazanlak (Bo e v 1993), Slatina is among the old­ est sites ofthe Mute swan in Bulgaria. Thus, the Early Holocene distribution of the species is well docu­ mented in Bulgaria. The species has been recently recorded in the two Neolithic and four Chalcolithic sites in the SE Romania and in two Neolithic sites in the Great Hungarian Plain in Hungary (Ga l 2007). Lesser white-fronted Goose Anser erythropus (Li n n a e u s , 1758). Although being a regular winter visitor, this species is less represented in the ar­ chaeological record of Bulgaria. It is known from three Holocene localities: (1) Shirokovo (Early to Late Holocene; M i t e v 2006), (2) Urdoviza (present 152

Kiten; 3000-2000 BP; B o e v 1991a , Bo e v , Ri b a r o v 1990) and (3) Veliki Preslav (IXth - XXth century AD; B o e v , Il i e v 1989, B o e v 1991a ). Rough-legged Buzzard Buteo lagopus (Po n t o p p i d a n , 1763). Slatina is the 3rd locality of B. lagopus in the Quaternary deposits of Bulgaria. The finding represents a complete left tarsometatarsus of an adult individual (Fig. 1). The species so far has been established in the Devetashka Cave (Late Pleistocene, Middle Paleolithic, ca. 70 000 BP), and the Early Neolithic (ca. 7000 BP) settlement of Kovachevo (Bo e v 1999). At present B. lagopus is a rare winter visitor and possibly in the Early Holocene it also was not numerous in Bulgaria. Bulgarian fos­ sil/subfossil record consists in 4 bone findings - 2 of Devetashka Cave, and 1 of each, Kovachevo and Slatina. According to H a r r i s o n (1982) the south­ ern limit of the winter range of the Rough-legged Buzzard in the Balkans passes through the southern­ most parts of Bulgaria. It winters usually in ‘... bare open areas, particularly lowland marshes near wa­ ter.’ (p. 93). Obviously such types of habitats ocured in the Early Neolithic, as they survived in the Sofia Kattle even almost until recent times. Common Crane Grus grus (Li n n a e u s , 1758). Slatina is the VIIIth locality of G. grus in Bulgaria. Formerly the species was widely spread throughout all the country, occurring in the northern, central and southern parts, northern - Baba Vida (VIIIth - XVIIth century; B o e v 1996), Nicopolis-ad-Istrum (IInd- VIth century; Bo e v 1996, 2006 - a ) and Durankulak - 2 (Ist - IVth century AD; Bo e v 2006A, 1997, 1999), central - Kazanluk (ca. 6 000 BC; K o v a c h e v 1988; Bo e v 1993, 1997), and southern - Pistiros (Bo e v , unpubl. data), Kabyle (Ist millenium BC - v I th century AD), and Yassa-Tepe (1st millenium BC; Ri b a r o v , Bo e v 1990). Being a large bird, inhabiting openlands and having palatable meat, the common crane was a preferred game-bird in Bulgaria until 1950s. The occurrence of G. grus indicates the presence of ‘large wet meadows, bogs and swamps, ... large marshes and bogs, swampy heathland and wet grass­ land ...’ (Ha r r i s o n 1982: 117). Such types of habitats in a drastically reduced representation, still survive in the Sofia region. The species has been recently

Avian Remains from the Late Chalcolithic Settlement near Hotnitsa Vill. Table 1. Taxonomic list, collection numbers and measurements (mm) of the avian finds of an Early Neolithic settlement of Slatina (Sofia City).

Species

NMNHS collec­ tion number

Measurement

Dimension

MNI

scapula dex. prox. ad.

16 518

length of facies articularis humeralis

17.7

1

humerus dex. prox.

16 529

width of proximal epiphysis

28.8

coracoid dex. ad.

16 528

minimum width of diaphysis

7.9

carpometacarpus dex. dist.

16 523

radius dex. prox.

16 532

synsacrum, pars vertebralis

16 531

Skeletal element/ Age

ANSERIFORMES Anatidae Cygnus olor

Anser ervthroDus

thickness in synostosis metacarpalis distalis minimum thickness of diaphysis bellow caput radii maximum thickness of corpora vertebrorum

7.3 1 3.6 8.7

GALLIFORMES Phasianidae/Tetraonidae femur dex. ad. dyaphisal fragment (gnawed)

16 524

femur sin. ad. - dyaphisal fragment (burnt)

16 526

total maximum length of fragment

29.9

tarsometatarsus sin.

1 302

total length of the bone

67.8

ulna sin. dist. ad. tibiotarsus sin. prox. ad. tarsometatarsus sin prox. ad. tarsometatarsus dex. dist. ad.

16 522 16 517

width of distal epiphysis thickness of diaphysis

18.6 10.4

16 527

width of proximal epiphysis

25.1

16 520

width of distal epiphysis

23.4

Otis tarda

scapula sin. prox. ad.

16 530

Tetrax tetrax

tibiotarsus dex. dist.

16 519

radius dex. prox. (burnt)

16 525

humerus sin. dist. ad.

16 515

width of distal epiphysis

13.3

1

coracoid sin ad.

16 516

maximum total length of bone

45.4

1

tarsometatarsus dex. juv. - dyaphisal fragmernt

16 521

total maximum length of fragment

21.3

1

19

10

cf. Galliformes fam. indet.

total maximum length of fragment

32.4 1

ACCIPITRIFORMES Accipitridae Buteo lagopus

1

GRUIFORMES Gruidae

Grus grus

1

Otitidae

cf. Tetrax tetrax COLUMBIFORMES Columbidae Columba palumbus PASSERIFORMES Corvidae Corvus cornix AVES INDET. Aves ordo indet. Total

length of facies articularis humeralis diameter of condylus lateralis minimum thickness of diaphysis bellow caput radii

20.8

1

8.2 4.8

1

153

Boev Z. ble game-bird in Bulgaria. Since that period it disap­ peared as breeding bird and now only few specimens winter in the country. In the past the Great Bastard was one of the most valuable game and its numer­ ous remains of many localities proved its important role in the life of ancient people in Bulgaria (Bo e v 2003). Slatina is the XIIIth locality of O. tarda in Bulgaria. The species has been recently recorded in the three Neolithic and five Chalcolithic sites in the SE Romania and in five Neolithic sites in the Great Hungarian Plain in Hungary (G a l 2007). Little Bustard Tetrax tetrax (Li n n a e u s , 1758). A rare species in the archaeological sites of Bulgaria, known only from four sites: (1) Devetashka Cave (Late Wurmian - Middle Paleolithic, ca. 70 000 BC; Bo e v 1999), (2) Malak Preslavets (Early Neolithic, ca. 6 000 BC; B o e v 1997), (3) Shirokovo (Early to Late Holocene; M i t e v 2006) and (4) Nicopolis-adIstrum (IInd- VIthcentury; Bo e v 1996, 2006 - a ). The species has been recently recorded in one Neolithic site in the Great Hungarian Plain in Hungary (Ga l 2007). It disappeared from Bulgaria in the early 1950-s and now is an extremely rare winter visitor. Wood Pigeon Columba palumbus Li n n a e u s ,

Fig. 1. Buteo lagopus, tarsometatarsus sin. ad., NMNHS 1302. (Photo: the author).

recorded in the three Neolithic and six Chalcolithic sites in the SE Romania and in seven Neolithic and one Chalcolithic site in the Great Hungarian Plain in Hungary (GA l 2007). At present the Common Crane is a disappeared species and only rarely visits the country during the seasonal migrations. Great Bustard Otis tarda L i n n a e u s , 1758. Until the middle of XXth century the species was a valua­ 154

1758. Possibly C. palumbus appeared in Bulgaria after last glaciation. All the seven species’ locali­ ties are of Holocene age, except Madara, dated Late Pleistocene - Early Holocene /Neolithic-Early Bronze Age (Mi t e v , B o e v 2006): (1) Hotnitsa (ca. 7000 BP; B o e v in press), (2) Shirokovo (Early to Late Holocene; M i t e v 2006), (3) Nisovo (Late Holocene; M i t e v , 2006), (4) Kabile (Ist millenium BC - VIth century AD; B o e v , Ri b a r o v 1993), (5) Ratiaria (IInd - IVth century AD; Bo e v 1996, 2006 - a ), and (6) Nicopolis-ad-Istrum (2nd - 6th century AD; B o e v 1991b , 1996, 2006). The occurrence of the wood pigeon indicates the presence of broadleaf for­ est (Ha r r i s o n 1982). The species has been recently recorded in one Chalcolithic site in the SE Romania and in three Neolithic sites in the Great Hungarian Plain in Hungary (Ga l 2007). Hooded Crow Corvus cornix (Li n n a e u s , 1758). Surprisingly, C. cornix is a rare species in the fossil and subfossil record in Bulgaria. only four locali­ ties are known so far: (1) Topchii (Late Holocene;

Avian Remains from the Late Chalcolithic Settlement near Hotnitsa Vill. M i t e v , Bo e v 2006), (2) Shirokovo (Early to Late

the Sofia Kettle. They even cover the slopes of the Holocene; Mi t e v 2006), (3) Nisovo (Late Holocene; five surrounding mountains (Vitosha, Lyulin, Stara M i t e v 2006), and (4) Veliki Preslav (IXth - XXth Planina, Lozenska and Plana) at present. century AD; B o e v , Il i e v 1989.) The Hooded Crow The occurrence of B. lagopus seems more avoids dense forest, but inhabits a great variety of strange, but its remain also could belong to a hunted habitats with trees (Ha r r i s o n 1982). The species has bird, because many accipitrids even until the Middle been recently recorded in one (cf.) Neolithic site in Ages were hunted for their primary feathers in the the Great Hungarian Plain in Hungary (GA l , 2007). past, used for preparing of hunting arrows’ stabiliz­

Discussion Birds are the most numerous group of the species composition of animal varied remains of Slatina settlement. Among the total of 23 species/domestic forms, nine taxa at least (ca. 39%) belong to birds. Restricting only to the wild fauna, the avian share reaches up to 50 % of the animal species composi­ tion, uncovered in Slatina. On the other hand, the examined 19 avian bone findings represent even 0.57% of the total collected animal material (3333 remains). Possibly all bird remains originated from birds, hunted in the wild. Most of the established species ( C. olor , A. erythropus, G. grus , O. tarda, T. tetrax) are large game-fowl with palatable meat, inhabiting grass openland and wetlands, habitats that were wide­ ly spread almost until recently in the Sofia Kettle. Two woodland species (C. palumbus and C. cornix) are considered valuable game. Deciduous oak and mixed woods also covered many parts of

ers, decoration of ritual dressings, etc. It is surprisingly that no bones of domestic birds have been found among the numerous animal re­ mains. The poultry breeding was widely plasticized in the prehistoric period in Bulgaria. Bone remains of Gallus gallus (G. g. domestica) have been found in a number of settlements from the Early Neolithic to the Bronze Age (Galabovo (Bo e v 2004), Dyadovo (Bo e v 2006b ), Hotnitsa (Bo e v , 2009), Yabalkovo (Bo e v , in press). Although innumerous, the avian subfossil ma­ terial of Slatina adds its share to completing our knowledge on the Bulgarian birdlife in the past. Obtained data, compared to some contemporary localities abroad (Northern Dobrudzha in Romania and the Grate Hungarian Plane in Hungary), show similar species composition and the occurrence of the avian findings is similarly explained through the active bird exploitation by the local population. Acknowledgements: The author is grateful to D r . V e t . N i k o l a y I l i e v (NMNH-BAS) for handing the bird material for examination.

References B o e v Z. 1991a. Waterfowl in Ancient Bulgaria. - In: Queiroga, F.; Dinis, A. P. (Eds.): Paleoecologia e Arqueologia II. Vila Nova de Famalicao, 111-120. B o e v Z. 1991b. The birds ofthe Roman town Nicopolis-ad-Istrum (2nd- 6th century) at Nikjup, Lovech Region. - Hist. natur. bulg., 3: 92-102. (In Bulgarian). B o e v Z. 1993. Neolithic birds from the prehistoric settlement at Kazanlak (Bulgaria). - Hist. natur. bulg., 4: 57-67. (In Bulgarian). B o e v Z. 1996. The Holocene avifauna of Bulgaria (A review of the ornitho-archaeological studies). - Hist. natur. bulg., 6: 59-81. B o e v Z. 1997. Wild Galliform and Gruiform Birds (Aves, Galliformes and Gruiformes) in the Archaeological Record of Bulgaria. - Osteoarchaeology, London, 7: 430-439.

B o e v Z. 1999. Neogene and Quaternary birds (Aves) from Bulgaria. Sofia, National Museum ofNatural History, Bulg. Acad. of Sci., SofiAD Sci. thesis. 1-243 + 2 supplements, 243 p. (In Bulgarian). B o e v Z. 2003. Distribution of the Little Bustard (Tetrax tetrax Linnaeus, 1758) and the G reat Bustard (Otis tarda Linnaeus, 1758) (Aves: Otididae Gray, 1845) in Bulgaria during the Late Pleistocene and the Holocene. - Ann. of Sofia Univ. ‘St. KlimentOchridski’,Faculty of Biol., Book 1 - Zoology, T. 93-94 (2003): 41-47. B o e v Z. 2004. Middle and Late Holocene birds from the Eastern Upper Thracian Plane (S Bulgaria). - Hist. natur. bulg., 16: 123-132. (In Bulgarian). B o e v Z. 2006 a. Late Holocene avian remains from the localities o f the Roman period in Bulgaria. - Hist. natur. bulg., 17: 109-123.

155

Boev Z. B o e v Z. 2006 b. Avian remains from the Early Bronze Age settlement near Dyadovo village (vicinity of the town of Nova Zagora (Stara Zagora Region, SE Bulgaria) - Hist. natur. bulg., 17: 133-135. B o e v Z. 2009. Avian remains from the Early Eneolithic settlement near H otnitsa village (Veliko Tarnovo Region, CN Bulgaria). - Acta zoologica bulgarica, 61 (1): 49-54. B o e v Z., M. B e e c h . 2007. The Bird Bones. - In: A. G. Poulter (Ed.): Nicopolis ad Istrum. A Late Roman and Early Byz­ antine City. The Finds and the Biological Remains. London, Oxbow Books. The Society of Antiquaries of London, 242-253+307-318. B o e v Z., N. I l i e v 1989. Birds in the diet of the inhabitants of the Inner Town of Veliki Preslav (9th -10th century AD). Archaeologiya, BAS. 4: 40-43. (In Bulgarian). B o e v Z., G. R i b a r o v 1990. La faune ornitologique de la localite sombree pres d’Urdoviza (actuellement Kiten) de l’age du bronze recent. - Archaeologiya, BAS, 2: 53-57. (In Bulgarian). B o e v Z., G. R i b a r o v 1993. Birds from the ancient town of Kabyle (1st millennium BC - 6thcentury AD) near Kabyle (Bourgas District). - Hist. natur. bulg., 4: 68-77. (In Bulgarian). D o b r i n o v a L. 1985. A n 8 00 0 -y ears-o ld settlem en t in Sofia. - Otechestven fro n t nsp., 12161/20.06.1985. (In Bulgarian). Ga l E. 2007. Fowling in Lowlands. Neolithic and Chalcolithic Bird Exploitation in South-East Romania and the Great Hungarian Plain. Budapest, Archaeolingua. Series Minor, 24: 1-152. H a r r i s o n C. J. O. 1982. An Atlas of the Birds of the Western Palearctic. New Jersey, Princeton Univ. Press, Princeton, 1-332. I v k o v s k a A. 2008. Analysis of the bone remains of wild and domesctic animals from the dwellings (horizons I-IV) in

the Early Neolithic settlement Slatina - Sofia. - Faculty of History, Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” (Archaeol­ ogy Dept.), Master Thesis, 1-72 + 48. (In Bulgarian). K o v a c h e v G. 1988. Wild and domestic animals of the Neolithic settlements near Kazanlak, Rakitovo and Kalugerovo. Osteoscopic and osteometric examinations. - Higher Institute of Zootechnics and Veterinary Medicine. Synopsis of D. Sci. dissertation thesis. Stara-Zagora, 1-36 (in Bulgarian). M i t e v I. 2006. Subfossil finds of birds and mammals in accumula­ tion of the food of Eagle Owl (Bubo bubo (L., 1758)) (Aves: Strigiformes) from the valley of Rusenski Lom River. Hist. natur. bulg., 17: 137-151. (In Bulgarian). M i t e v I., B o e v Z. 2006. Food spectrum of the Eagle Owl (Bubo bubo (L., 1758)) (Aves - Strigiformes) from two Holocene localities in NE Bulgaria. - Hist. natur. bulg., 17: 153-165. (In Bulgarian). N i k o l o v V , K. B a c h v a r o v , E. Si r a k o v a , E. A n a s t a s o v a 2005. Archaeological discoveries and excavations in 2004. In: Torbatov, S. (Ed.): XLIV National Archaeological Conference, Sofia, 30-31. N i k o l o v V , K. G r i g o r o v a , E. Si r a k o v a , 1992. Die Ausgrabungen in der fruhneolischen Siedlung von Sofia-Slatina, Bularian, in den Jahren 1985-1988. - Acta Praehist. et Archaeol., 24: 221-233. N i n o v L. 1992. Archaeological exploration of the faunal remains in the dwelling. - In: Nikolov, V. The Early Neolithic dwelling in Slatina (Sofia). - Razkopki i prouchvaniya. Publ. House of the Bulg. Acad. of Sci., Sofia, 152-156. (In Bulgarian). R i b a r o v G., Z. B o e v 1990. An investigation o f the animal remains from the late Iron age Yassa-Tepe near Yambol. Interdisciplinarni izsledvaniya, 17: 83-90. (In Bulgarian). Received: 02.02.2009 Accepted: 02.05.2009

Останки от птици от ранно-неолитното селище Слатина (дн. София - град) З. Боев

(Резюме) Проучени са 19 костни находки (MNI=10) на 8 вида (9 таксона) птици от 7 семейства и 6 разреда, всичките представители на дивата авифауна, датирани преди 8000 г. Съставът включва: Cygnus olor, Anser erythropus, Buteo lagopus, Grus grus , Otis tarda, Tetrax tetrax, Columba palumbus и Corvus cornix. Находището е 3-то в страната за B. lagopus и 4-то за A. erythropus, а находките от G. grus са най-древ­ ните останки от вида в България. Основната част от останките произлизат от ловни птици, повечето от които са обитатели на откритите тревисти и водно-блатни местообитания.

156