Bird Bone Remains from Two Medieval Settlements in Debrecen (Eastern Hungary)

Abstract

This paper presents results on three medieval avian bone assemblages found at Debrecen-Monostor-erdő and Debrecen-Tócó-part. respectively. Domestic chicken yielded most of the bird remains to evidence the exploitation of adult birds for egg production and flock maintenance in particular. In addition. feather harvesting and fat production could have been the target of goose (and possibly duck) husbandry. Although the goose bone sizes resemble the greylag goose. the keeping of an unimproved form of domestic goose rather than the hunting of the wild ancestor is suggested by the structure of the assemblage and the presence of healed bones. Wild birds seem to have been rarely consumed by the settlers of the two villages. but the feathers or wings or carcasses of diurnal birds of prey and crows may have been used for special purposes. Either killed for their symbolic meaning or only persecuted for protecting the backyard animals. the red kite (Milvus milvus) and the hen harrier (Circus cyaneus) represent new species for the medieval avifauna of Hungary. similarly to the Northern shoveler (Anas clypeata) and the Northern lapwing (Vanellus vanellus) that could have been hunted in the marshy environment provided by the Tócó creek. Moreover. the use of trained saker falcon (Falco cherrug) for hawking cannot be excluded either. In addition to the exploitation of birds for the abovementioned goods and values. two needle cases made from goose bones evidence the utilization of their skeletal parts as raw material for producing artefacts as well.

Bird remains from ecclesiastical sites in medieval Hungary

“…It is notable, however, that the dimensions of these small specimens still far exceed the size of modern dwarf chicken. This small breed was also identified from two medieval (mainly 10th–14th century) villages excavated in the outskirts of Debrecen in east Hungary (Gál et al, 2020, pp. 209–210, fig.…”

“…Peasants also had to protect their crop and livestock from various pests including certain birds, which may be reflected in the presence of a variety of diurnal birds of prey and commensal species such as corvids and the house sparrow ( Passer domesticus , Linnaeus, 1758) in the archeological assemblages. Some of these birds, however, may have also been eaten by people, because hacking marks on a bone from a golden eagle ( Aquila chrysaetos Linnaeus, 1758), found at Budapest–Kána (Gál et al, 2020, p. 210), as well as ethnographic analogies regarding the consumption of crows (Kardos, 1943) suggest the existence of such a custom.…”

Bird remains from Vilnius Lower Castle, Lithuania (13th–19th centuries) reveal changes in social status and unusual bird pathologies

“…Another example of exostosis on chicken tarsometatarsus has been found in Vilnius Lower Castle, but the pathology mainly affected the area around the spur (Blaževičius et al, 2012). Exostosis can be caused by several factors like infection, advanced age of the bird, and increased body weight (Gál et al, 2020, and references therein).…”

Bird bone artifact from the Late Eneolithic/Early Bronze Age site of Zók (Hungary)

“…Bird bone remains are generally scarce in archaeological contexts (e.g., Gál, 2013;Mannermaa, 2003) and may even be entirely absent at some prehistoric settlement sites. When it comes to the Eneolithic and Early Bronze Age periods in south-eastern Europe, bird bone artifacts are very rare; only few have been discovered thus far (Gál, 2005, and references therein; Gál, 2013, and references therein).…”