Faunal Complex of the Anashkino Hillfort from the Excavations of 1999—2017

Abstract

The article presents the results of the study of osteological material from the early Iron Age hillfort Anashkino (Upper Dvina region, Pskov oblast, Russia). We present here a series of new facts, elaborating our ideas about the economic life, customs and traditions of the local population in this epoch. In total, 20647 determinate bones had been examined from the Anashkino hillfort from the VIII—I century BC cultural layers in 1999—2017. The osteological material is relatively well preserved. Freshwater fish played a significant role in the diet of people in the early Iron Age. In total, 407 individuals of eighteen species mammals were identified at Anashkino. Our analysis showed that the ratio of the live weight of wild and domestic mammals in the diet was approximately equal, and the butchering of animals took place directly at the settlement.