Analele tiinifice ale Universitii Al. I. Cuza Iai, s.

Biologie animal, Tom LV, 2009

A FAUNAL ASSEMBLAGE FROM THE CHALCOLITHIC SETTLEMENT OF PODURI-DEALUL GHINDARU (BACU COUNTY). PRELIMINARY DATA ON SUBSISTENCE PATTERNS ASSOCIATED WITH CUCUTENI-PHASE B LEVEL Luminia BEJENARU, Carmen OLENIUC and Simina STANC
Al. I. Cuza University Iai, Faculty of Biology, Bd. Carol I 20A, 700505 Iai, Romania, lumib@uaic.ro; carmen_oleniuc@yahoo.com; siminams@yahoo.com

Abstract: This paper examines a faunal assemblage from the Chalcolithic settlement of Poduri-Dealul Ghindaru (Bacu County), spanning the period IV millennium BC. The aim of this analysis is to explore of archaeozoological point of view some subsistence patterns associated with Cucuteni-phase B level. A preliminary temporal analysis indicates changes in the subsistence strategies that took place in the settlement during the last phase of the Cucuteni civilisation. Keywords: Archaeozoology, Cucuteni B Culture, Poduri-Dealul Ghindaru, Domestic Animals, Wild Animals. Rezumat. Un eantion arheozoologic din aezarea calcolitic de la Poduri-Dealul Ghindaru (judeul Bacu). Date arheozoologice privind caracteristici de subsisten asociate nivelului Cucuteni-faza B. Lucrarea examineaz un eantion faunistic din aezarea calcolitic de la Poduri-Dealul Ghindaru (judeul Bacu), datnd din perioada mileniului IV BC. Scopul acestei analize este de a explora din punct de vedere arheozoologic cteva caracteristici de subsisten asociate cu nivelul Cucuteni-faza B. O analiz temporal preliminar indic modificri n strategiile de subsisten care au avut loc n aezare, pe parcursul ultimei faze a civilizaiei Cucuteni. Cuvinte cheie: arheozoologie, cultura Cucuteni-faza B, Poduri-Dealul Ghindaru, animale domestice, animale slbatice.

Introduction The Cucuteni culture appeared and spread in the East of Romania, evolving along three chronological phases (A, A-B and B), between 4600-3500 Cal BC (Mantu, 1998). In the over 125 research years several settlements were excavated, some of them integrally, and several hundreds of habitations were studied (Monah & Cucos, 1985). The Tell of Poduri-Dealul Ghindaru (Bacu County) has the following position: 45o28953 North latitude and 26o30029 East longitude, with an absolute altitude of 429 m. The Tell is situated on a fragment of the terrace of 30 m on the right bank of the Tazlau Sarat River and it currently has a surface of around 1.2 ha. The high complexity of the stratigraphy was emphasized along the 27 archaeological excavations campaigns that took place so far. There were reported levels belonging to the Precucuteni and Cucuteni Chalcolithic cultures and to Bronze Age. Within the Tell of Poduri-Dealul Ghindaru, the level attributed to the Cucuteni B level is dated for IV millennium BC (Monah et al., 2003). Archaeozoological research on Tell of Poduri-Dealul Ghindaru began in 20012002 being made by Blescu & Radu (Monah et al., 2001; 2002). Their research focused on the taxonomic frequency distributions of the remains in the faunal assemblages. Later, Cavaleriu & Bejenaru (2009) were interested in subsistence patterns associated with Cucuteni A level of the Chalcolithic settlement in Poduri-Dealul Ghindaru.
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Material and Methods The archaeozoological assemblage studied in the present paper contains faunal remains discovered in recent excavations (2006-2007) on the Chalcolithic site of PoduriDealul Ghindaru (Bacu County, Romania). According to the pottery patterns, archaeozoological assemblage belongs to phase B of the Cucuteni Culture (Monah et al., 2007; Dumitroaia et al., 2008). We have to mention that the animal remains were recovered only by hand, without the sieving of the sediment, which may have caused the loss of certain little pieces. The faunal analyse was achieved in the Laboratory of Animal Morphology, Faculty of Biology. Study methodology was specific to archaeozoology, mainly consist of anatomical, taxonomical and taphonomical identifications, encoding and quantification of data (Udrescu et al., 1999). Results and Discussion A total of 1725 specimens (remains) was analysed, of which 48.75% were identifiable and 51.25% unidentifiable. This low proportion of the identifiable specimens is probably related to the trampling and weathering and to the relatively slow sedimentation rates at the site. As indicated in Table 1, mammal remains are predominant (99.29%). Birds, fish and molluscs are represented by less than 1% of the assemblage. The group of mammals identified includes Lagomorphs (Lepus europaeus), Rodents (Castor fiber, Sciurus vulgaris), Carnivores (Canis familiaris, Felis sylvestris), and Artiodactyls (Sus scrofa domensticus, Sus scrofa ferus, Cervus elaphus, Capreolus capreolus, Bos primigenius, Bos taurus, Ovis aries, Capra hircus). Artiodactyls make up 95.35% of the total identified mammal assemblage. Fewer remains come from the other groups: Lagomorphs (0.71%), Rodents (0.36%), and Carnivores (3.58%). Within the artiodactyl order there is an uneven representation of species. Domestic artiodactyls dominate the sample, and sheep/goat remains are more than cattle and pig. Domestic mammals present in the Cucuteni B assemblage of Poduri-Dealul Ghindaru a proportion of about 83% remains, showing the animal husbandry as an important occupation. The sheep & goat remains (Ovis aries/Capra hircus) are dominant with 39%, while cattle (Bos taurus) come on the second place with 30% and pig (Sus scrofa domesticus) on the third having 13% remains. The sheep & goat prevalence is a specific feature for dry climate while the predominance of cattle is a pattern of the Cucuteni A Culture sites (Haimovici, 1987). Wild mammals have a low proportion, of about 16%. They consist in 8 species that are shown in Table 1. As game species, red deer (Cervus elaphus) is dominant with 4.5% remains. Wild boar (Sus scrofa ferus) is on the second place as number of identified specimens (NISP=3.7%). We have to mention that in other Cucuteni A assemblages red deer is also the most frequent game species (Haimovici, 1987). The identified wild mammals were grouped corresponding to ecological characteristics in: forest species (Cervus elaphus, Sus scrofa ferus, Felis sylvestris, Sciurus vulgaris and Castor fiber), and skirt (transitional zone between forest and steppe) species (Capreolus capreolus, Lepus europaeus and Bos primigenius). Forest species are dominant, in a rapport of about 5/2. A temporal taxonomic variability of the animal resources used in the Cucuteni settlement of Poduri-Dealul Ghindaru is shown in the tables 2 and 3. Our preliminary analysis presents a comparison with the Artiodactyls found in the assemblage from Cucuteni A level of Poduri-Dealul Ghindaru (Cavaleriu & Bejenaru, 2009). Similar proportions among the main mammal groups are evident in the two assemblages.
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Analele tiinifice ale Universitii Al. I. Cuza Iai, s. Biologie animal, Tom LV, 2009

Artiodactyls, the main group, served different economic (food, clothing, raw materials for tool manufacture) and ceremonial purposes. However, we have to remark a higher percentage of lagomorphs, and the absence of the perissodactil remains in the Cucuteni B assemblage. The horse, that has a low frequency in the Cucuteni A sample, was very probably a hunted wild species and the deficiency of the horse remains is probably resulted from the smallness of the sample B. Many authors consider that the domesticated form was not yet widespread in Europe at that time. The horse was domesticated towards 6000 years B.P. in the region of Kazakhstan, and appeared later in Europe, in the Bronze Age (Reitz & Wing, 2008). Table 3 indicates a change in the raport cattle / sheep & goat. In the Cucuteni B assemblage, the sheep & goat remains are more numerous indicating that this group contributed more to the subsistence economy. Probably, the expansion of open fields, with characteristic vegetation and dry climate, favoured sheep&goat husbandry and not that of cattle. It is considered that the V-IV millennia BC, in the range of Cucuteni culture, the annual average temperature was about 2oC higher than today (Dolukhanov, 1997), and relatively recent theories formulated by Frans Vera (2005) argue wooded areas that have changed through both the practice of agriculture (plant cultivation and animal husbandry) and the influence of fauna native herbivores. In a complex archaeobotanical study aimed at Chalcolithic Tell of Poduri-Dealul Ghindaru, the authors (Monah & Monah, 2008) identified about 45 plant species cultivated in the area, but also from spontaneous flora including ruderal species (specific to places destined to breeding and grazing of livestock, to roads or farms) and segetal species (weeds in agricultural crops).
Table 1. Frequency of mammalian taxa from Poduri-Dealul Ghindaru, Cucuteni B level (NISP=number of identified specimens).
Order Lagomorpha Rodentia Carnivora Artiodactyla Species Lepus europaeus Castor fiber Sciurus vulgaris Canis familiaris Felis sylvestris Sus scrofa ferus Sus scrofa domesticus Cervus elaphus Capreolus capreolus Bos primigenius Bos taurus Ovis aries & Capra hircus NISP 6 1 2 18 12 31 109 38 15 16 258 332 838 % Mammals 0.72 0.12 0.24 2.15 1.43 3.70 13.00 4.54 1.79 1.91 30.80 39.60 100 % All Taxa 0.71 0.12 0.23 2.14 1.42 3.68 13.00 4.52 1.78 1.90 30.67 39.47 99.64

Total

Table 2. Frequencies of major mammal groups in the Cucuteni levels of Poduri-Dealul Ghindaru: a. Cucuteni A; Cucuteni B.
Cucuteni A (Cavaleriu & Bejenaru, 2009) NISP % 3 0.09 10 0.31 87 2.67 3153 96.72 7 0.21 3260 Cucuteni B NISP 6 3 30 799 838 % 0.72 0.35 3.58 95.35 -

Taxon Lagomorpha Rodentia Carnivora Artiodactyla Perissodactyla Total

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Table 3. Frequencies of Artiodactyl species groups in the Cucuteni levels of Poduri-Dealul Ghindaru: a. Cucuteni A; Cucuteni B. Cucuteni A (Cavaleriu & Bejenaru, 2009) NISP % 1895 60.10 519 16.46 339 10.75 133 4.22 170 5.39 53 1.68 1 0.03 43 1.36 3153 Cucuteni B

Taxon Bos taurus Ovis aries/Capra hircus Sus scrofa domesticus Sus scrofa ferus Cervus elaphus Capreolus capreolus Dama dama Bos primigenius Total

NISP 258 332 109 31 38 15 16 799

% 32.29 41.55 13.64 3.88 4.76 1.88 2.00

Conclusions Archaezoological assemblage from Cucuteni B level of Poduri-Dealul Ghindaru presents an important depreciation and consequently only about half of its remains have been identified. The majority of animal remains proceeds from mammals, and only few pieces from birds, fish and molluscs. The Cucuteni B settlement of Poduri-Dealul Ghindaru has valorised a relative large faunal spectrum, 13 mammal species being identified in the archaeozoological sample. The remains of sheep & goat are the most frequent in the mammal category. Comparing the faunal remains from the two Cucuteni assemblages, A and B, both continuity and change in the subsistence practices are indicated by the archaeozoological data. As continuity, important is the perpetuation of mammal husbandry to provide the main animal resource in the local economy. The changes that took place in Cucuteni B phase could be correlated with the environmental drying. Sheep & goat seem to have bred in a favourably environment. Acknowledgments We wish to thank archaeologists Dr. Dan Monah (Archaeological Institute of Iasi) and Dr. Gheorghe Dumitroaia (International Centre of Cucuteni Culture Research) for providing us the animal remains they excavated and important data used in this study. This study was supported by the Romanian research programs PN II Idei_2116/2008 and CNCSIS-BD 304/2008-2010.
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