Animal and Marine Remains From the New Excavations at Eleusis

8/21/2019 Animal and Marine Remains From the New Excavations at Eleusis

1/9

ZOO RCH EOLOGYIN

GREECE

RECENT ADVANCES

Eleni Kotjabopoulou, Yannis Hamilakis, Paul Halstead,

Clive Gamble and Paraskevi Elefanti Editors)

BRITISH

SCHOOL AT

THENS

STUDIES

9


2/9

IS

Animal and marine remains from

the

new

excavations at Eleusis: an interim

report

Michael

B.

Cosmopoulos,

Haske

J

Greenfield and Deborah Ruscillo

I:>ITRODUCTION

A small collection

of

animal and marine remains was

retrieved during the recent stratigraphic excavation in

the S\V slope

of

the hill at Eleusis (Cosmopoulos I994;

1995a, 1995b; I996). In the present paper,

we

present

an

overview

of

these finds, in order to gain some insights

into animal and marine remain use and exploitation at

Eleusis, with special emphasis on the Bronze Age. Al

though the sample

is

small, its presentation

was

thought

necessary because this is the only stratified material

from the Bronze Age settlement of Eleusis.

As

the ex

cavated area was not

in the vicinity

of

cult or religious

areas, the present paper will not

be

concerned with sac

rificial or cult use

of

bones.

In general, the excavation revealed three main peri

ods of habitation:

1 Bronze Age (EH II, MH II, MH III, LH 1-11,

and

LH

III)

II.

Classical (late 5th century); and

111 Roman (end of znd century

BC).

_ \II of

the sedimentary deposits were dry-sieved ( I.o

cm

2

mesh) and a substantial percentage

was

water-sieved

2.0

mm

2

mesh size) and floated (recovered with a

stacked set of sieves ranging from r.o-o.s

mm

2

mesh

sizes). This recovery methodology minimised bias

against the smaller remains (Payne I972).

VERTEBRATE

TERRESTRIAL

FAUNAL

REMAINS

The total number of bone fragments are presented in

T \BLE

I5.I. Only 33·9 of the total assemblage was

identifiable to a relatively specific taxonomic category

(species, genus, or family). Fish, reptiles, and birds are

each counted

as

a single taxon, for this purpose, due to

the small number of remains. This is an expected level

of identifiability in systematically collected vertebrate

assemblage from the region (Greenfield I986; 199I;

Greenfield and Fowler n.d.; Payne I985). Most

of

the

remains were identifiable only to a size-class (large-,

medium-, or small-sized mammals-49.5 ). Only a

T \BLE

I5.I:

Frequency distribution of

the

number

of

bone fragments by levels

of

identification (all periods

summed).

(Birds, fish and tortoises are counted as identified to a

taxon).

Levels

o

dentification

N

Unidentified

312

r6.6

Size class

930

49·5

Identified to a taxon

636

33·9

Total

1878

IOO.O

small percentage was totally unidentifiable (I 6.6

.

All

size class and unidentifiable remains derived from mam

malian taxa.

In

TABLE

I5.2 the number of fragments is presented

by period and subperiod. Wild species are represented

by very

few

specimens. A few hare (Lepus europaeus

fragments were identified in Late

MH

(n=z) and in

Classical (n=I) deposits.

They

were fragmentary and

not articulated with other specimens. A single species

of as yet indeterminate tortoise

was

also present in al

most

all

deposits, but none had butcher marks or burn

ing. The taxon

is

either

Testudo

hermanii, Testudo graeca

or Testudo marginahs. The absence of fish from nearly

all strata is startling. Only one specimen was identified

in Late MH deposits. This is contrary to testimonies

from Classical written sources, which indicate substan

tial exploitation

of

vertebrate sea fauna (French I994).

This situation cannot be explained by recovery bias since

appropriate mesh sizes were used for the recovery of

even small fish remains (Greenfield I995). In general,

the fauna

is

overwhelmingly domestic (ranging from

84-Ioo in various periods) and derives from tradi

tional

food

animals. Domestic ovicaprids (Ovis

aries

and

Capra

lzircus

are the most common taxa at the site.

Combined Ovis/Capra totals dominate the assemblage

in all deposits. They represent over

40

of the identi

fied fauna in all cases and over 6o

of

the domestic

food fauna (cattle, pigs, sheep, and goats). Both sheep


3/9

.....

-4'-

0\

Table

I

5.2: Sum o f num er o f fragments per

taxon

by

period (using NISP).

CJ

All numbers are correc ted for articu lations cf. Greenfiel d 1986).

>J

t r)

t <

Period

CJ

Levels of

Domestic/

Taxon

EH

M H-

M H-

LHI

LH IIIII

LH III

Classical

Roman

Mixed

Grand Total

a

..,;

identification

Wild

Early

MH

Middle Late

N

N

N

N

N

N

N

N

N

N

a

1::1

Unidentified

?

Mammal

8 4

os

RJ

04

3 I7 3

2S

JI2

a

Size class

Large mammal

87

so

{j

289

?

4

51

42

I7

I2

14

a

Medium mammal

Jo

I

IIJ

IOJ

IS4

IS

JI

I4

roo

040

Small mammal

0

0

I

0

0

0

0

0

0

I

Subtotal

r8

190

2I

48

20

r 14

930

>J

123

170

214

..,;

Identified

Domestic

Bos taums

{j

2

7

R

4

II4

33

24

20

IO

t <

Canis .fi11nilia

ris

0

I

5

2

0

I

I

0

I

I

I

S-:t

Capra hirws

3

I

{j

4

3

0

2

3

I

23

]

Equus mba/Ius

0

0

0

0

I

0

2

0

0

3

::tl

t r:i

Ovis

aries

4

6

IJ

7

2

0

3

2

4

4I

t r:i

Ovis/Capra It

7

53

45

68

2

17

IS

JR

274

Ovis/

Capra

Sus

0

0

I

0

0

0

0

0

0

I

t:;:;

Sm scrt1 i1 dom.

I7

5

39

25

I4

I

R

3

R

I20

t <

Wild

Caprel}lus

capreolus

0

0

0

0

0

0

I

0

0

I

tJ

Lepw europww

0

0

2

0

0

0

I

0

0

3

::


4/9

;·

1

s aries) and goats (Capra hircus) are present in each

period (except the

LH

III, where goats were not se

curely identified, probably because

of

the extremely

small sample sizes). Ovicaprids appear to increase in

fn:quency over time (30 in the EH,

53

in the

Mid

Jk \ lH, and then vary between

45°/o

and

69

through

out

the remaining periods).

.

\11

goat samples are very small

TABLE

I 5.2), rang

intr from a high

of

6 in the

EH

to a low

of

2 in the

Classical. The Bronze

Age

remains indicate a concen

tration

of

adults

(66-Ioo -TABLE

I5.3), followed by

that

of

sub-adults (o--33 , especially in EH and

MH

Ic\·els),

and finally juveniles

(o--q ).

The

consistently

low frequencies

of

immature (pre-adult) remains can

be interpreted as indicative of a focus upon secondary

product exploitation for goats (hair, milk-Greenfield

1

g88a).

On

the other hand, the samples from the Clas

sical and Roman periods are dominated by juvenile re

mains. Although this change may be a result

of

bias

caused by the small sample, one should keep open the

possibility that this might indicate a subsistence shift

in historic periods.

The age distribution

of

sheep remains is very differ

ent from goats

TABLE

I5.3). The ageable samples are

only slightly larger (n=28 for sheep and 20 for goats).

This is somewhat surprising because sheep (n=41) are

much more common than goats (n=23). The Roman

and Classical remains are extremely unreliable because

their samples are

so

small (n=1 and 2, respectively). As

a result, they will be ignored here.

No

neonates are

found, probably because of the difficulty in distinguish

ing sheep from goat with fragmentary neonate remains.

The

percentage

of

juveniles declines over time,

but

within a relatively narrow band, from 25 (EH), to

23 in the MH, and I6.6 in the LH.

The

percent

age of

sub-adults, in contrast, shows a high variability

(so in both EH and LH, and 38 in MH). The adult

age

distribution is the complement

of

the juvenile dis

tribution. Adult frequency increases over time from

25

in the

EH

to 38 in the MH but declines slightly

to

33 in the LH period. In contrast to goats, imma

ture animals dominate the sheep assemblages:

75°/o

in

the

EH,

6I .5 in the lVIH, and 66.6 in the

LH. This

can

be interpreted

as

a reflection

of

a continued

em

phasis upon primary products exploitation. Sheep ap

pear to remain an important source

of

meat through

out time, a

pattern

well-paralleled in other Aegean

Bronze Age sites, such as Knossos, Lerna, and Argissa

(Halstead 1987,

Son.

49).

The

sheep/goat ageable remains are the most abun

dant (n=274) and may be most reflective

of

changes in

exploitation patterns.

Their

distribution mostly paral

lels those

of

sheep, a predictable finding considering

the difference in sheep and goat frequencies

2X).

Small,

but substantial numbers

of

neonates are found in the

Bronze

Age,

but these disappear in the Classical and Ro

man periods. The

percentage of juveniles fluctuates

quite widely over time without any obvious temporal

patterning.

The

percentage

of

sub-adults, in contrast,

shows a remarkable consistency.

AJl of the periods fall

within a narrow range (24-3

I ),

with the exception

of

the EH (52.9 ). Sub-adults dramatically drop in im

portance during and after the J\IH. This change

is

par

alleled by the adult age distribution. Adults are rela

tively unimportant in the

EH

(I 1.7 ), double in the

MH

(24 ), and almost double again in the

LH

(40 ) .

Their

proportion remains constant in the ensuing Clas

sical and Roman periods (4o and 42.8 , respectively).

Domestic cattle (Bos taurus) are the third-most com

monly occurring taxon at the site with frequencies vary

ing from 41.2 (EH) to 13.8 (LH), and 24.2 (Ro

man-TABLE 15.2). Again, all these percentages are

based on very small samples. Adult cattle vary within a

relatively narrow range,

but

increase over time during

the Bronze

Age-from

a low

of

44 (EH) to a high

of

s8.8 (LH). The frequencies of adults plummets dra

matically in the Classical period,

but

again this

is

prob

ably a direct reflection

of

the small sample size

of

ageable

remains (n=4); in Roman times the frequency

of

adults

increases to 66 , but this is based on only three agree

able remains. Neonates are missing altogether, while the

percentage

of

juveniles remains stable

through

the

Bronze Age 1 1 ). In contrast, the percentage of sub

adults declines through the Bronze Age (from a high

of

44 in the EH to a low of 29 in the

LH).

For the

Classical and Roman periods the percentages are unre

liable (they show an increase of 25 in each period).

The

high frequency

of

adults during the Bronze Age

is

probably a reflection

of

the increased diversity

of

ex

ploitation occurring in the Bronze Age. Both primary

and secondary products are being exploited.

This is

re

flected

by

the low frequencies of juveniles in the sam

ple, which are

not

being slaughtered

so that

they will

mature into sub-adults or adults. The sub-adults (prob

ably mostly male) are culled for their tender meat, while

the adults are culled after their utility for secondary

product exploitation has been curtailed (milk, trac

tion-Greenfield I988a;

Sherratt I98I). A similar pat

tern

of

cattle use has been observed at

Tiryns

(von den

Driesch and Boessneck 1990, 96-8).

Domestic pigs

(Sus scrofa domesticus)

are found in

relatively constant but low frequencies (29.3-12.5 ).

They vary within the upper end

of

this range for the

most part, but drop to their lowest (12.5 ) in the Ro

man period. But this drop may not be very significant

since it may be a result of the small Roman sample size.

Pigs can be used as a control for exploitation patterns

in order

to

determine the nature

of

their exploitation

since they are the only domestic animal used only for

their primary

product

(Greenfield

1988a .

Roman re

mains are excluded from this discussion because

of

their

extremely

low

frequencies (n=2). Neonate remains are

only found in the

LH

(3.13 ). Juvenile remains vary

within a very narrow range (22.8-31.2 ). Sub-adults,

also,

vary within a very narrow range (42-48 ).

Not

surprisingly, adults also vary within a limited range (IS-


5/9

>-<

+.

T BLE

rs J:

Distribution of age groups by

taxon

and

period

(based on NISP).

I

.......

g

t"r:

t -<

Age Group

I

j

Taxon

Period

Nermate

Juvenile

Juvemlc

I Sub adult Sub adults Adults

a

V:J

N

l b

N

f}

N

96 N

f[J

N

9b

Bos taurus

EH

II/Early MH

I

II.

I

4 44·4 4 44·4

MH

2 I I. I I

s.6

6

33·3

9

50.0

a

LH

2

rr.8

5

29-4

IO

5

8.8

Classical

I

25.0

3

75·0

a

Roman

I

25.0

I

25.0

2

50.0

_V:i

Capm hirms EH

II/Early

MH

I

33·3

2

66.7

H

I

14·3

I

14·3

5

71.4

V:J

LH

4

roo

lassical I

so.o

I

50.0

t -<

Roman

2

66.7

I

33·3

Ovis aries

EH II/Early MH

I

25.0

2

50.0

I

25.0

1

MH

3

23. I

5

38.5

5

38.5

1:1;

LH I

r6.7

3

50.0

2

33·3

1:1;

Classical 2

roo

Roman

I

IOO

t;;

Ovis/Capm

EH

II/Early

MH

4

23·5

2

rr.8

9

52-9

2 rr.8

t -<

MH

I

3·4

14

48·3

7

24. I

7

24.1

b

LH

6

Io.5

IO

17·5

r8

3J.6

23

40·4

<

lassical

I

IO O

2 20.0

3

30.0

4

40.0

b

Roman

2 28.6 2

28.6

3

42-9

b

Sus

scro i1

dom.

EH

II/Early MH

4 28.6 6 42·9 4 28.6

1:1;

l::r :l

MH

8

22.9

17

48.6

ro

28.6

a

LH

J

3· J

IO

3 .3

I

3·1

14

43·8

6 r8.8

Classical

2 28.6

3

42·9

2 28.6

t

Roman

2

roo

Equus mba/Ius

LH

I

IOO

Classical

I

50.0

I

50.0

j

[

t -<

a


6/9

ANIMALANDiVIARINE REMAINS

FRQ};I THE NErV

EXCAVA TIONS

.-lT

ELEUSIS 1

4

g

2

8 ). Pigs display a more typical primary product ex

ploitation pattern than the other domestic taxa. The

emphasis is upon culling of all immature age classes,

but with a special focus upon sub-adults. Animals are

allowed to grow until they have almost reached their

aJult size,

but

are culled before the meat toughens

(Greenfield rg88a; Halstead 1987,

So).

A

few

animals

are

allowed to live

to

adulthood and contribute

to

the

reproductive pool.

Domestic dogs Canis familiaris are found in small

frequencies in five temporal deposits-middle lVlH

n==I), late MH (n=s), LH I (n=2), LH III

(n=r),

and

Classical

(n=

r) deposits. In most cases, dog remains

are

articulated with a variety

of

other bone elements,

which would indicate that they were not eaten,

but

were

killed/ died and then disposed

of

in a midden deposit

and/

or buried. This

is

apparent from the partial neonate

dog skeleton uncovered in the Late MH stratum.

Three

specimens of fragmentary equid remains were recov

ered in the

LH

I/III

(n=I)

and Classical (n=2) depos

its.

The remains appear to derive from a relatively small

sized domestic horse

Equus caballus). Their

relatively

slender appearance in relation to overall size, leads to

the conclusion that they represent domestic horse rather

than

ass. In

general, the small occurrence

of

dogs and

equids is standard in most prehistoric Greek sites

(Halstead I987,

74

nn. I4-IS)-

Some general characteristics

of

the material are also

worth mentioning.

Few

bones in any period were burnt,

and most

of

them were unidentifiable or only to a size

class

6o of

the

67

burned bones), with the exception

of

a

few

ovicaprid and suid bones and two tortoise shell

fragments. Only three specimens in the overall sample

exhibited any butchering marks

o.

r6 ). One

of

each

was

found in Late

MH,

LH I, and temporally-mixed

deposits. One was a medium mammal long bone speci

men (Late

MH), the second

was Ovis/ Capra rib

(mixed), and the third was a

Sus

scrofa radius (proxi

mal

end-LH

I). Each mark

was

made by a knife. No

evidence for the use of axes

was

found.

Only a very small proportion

of

the total bone as

semblage

was

modified into tools or ornaments (o.3% .

As

a result, bone modification for the production of

tools and ornaments would not appear to be a signifi

cant attritional agent. The frequencies of modified

bones

by

phase varies from a low

of o%

to a high

of

I .o . Only three phases had bone

tools-Late lVlH

(n=r;

0.3 ),

LH

I (n=4; r.o ) and

LH I/III (n=r;

0.2 ).

The

tools are used

as

handles,

awls,

and are parts

of

other composite tools. Tools are made mostly from

lower limb bones oflarge and medium-sized mammals.

The

awl

is

made from a Bas taurus metatarsal (LH I),

and handles are made from an Ovis/

Capra

metatarsal

shaft

(MH-Late)

and a

Sus serafa

tibia distal end

(LH

I).

The

indeterminate tool fragments came from me

dium and large mammal long bone shafts.

A small percentage

of all

bones in the sample shows

signs of gnawing (1.2 --TABLE

IS-4)-

All except two

of the

gnaw

marks are characteristic

of

canid teeth. Only

two bones are gnawed by rodents (and these come from

mixed contexts). Other types of gnaw marks, such

as

those made by pigs (Greenfield Ig88b), were absent.

The

small frequency

of

rodent gnawed bones is very

unexpected given the urban context

of the

site and ro

dent remains were not recovered in the excavation.

It

would appear that rodent infestation was not a major

problem at the site.

There

does not appear to be any

temporal patterning in the distribution of dog-gnawed

T.-I.BLE

I 5.4:

Distribution

of

gnawed bone by period.

Based on Total Number of Fragments (TNF).

Type

of

gnawing

Period

Dog: Dog Dog:

Rodent: Total Not

heavy

medium slight

slight

gnawed gnawed

gnawed

A

EH

II/Early

MH

0

0 2

0

2

1.0

209

B.

i\lH-Middle

0

0

0

2.I

47

c

LH-Late

3

0

5

1.2

387

D. LHI

0

2 2

0

4

I.O

40I

E.

LH

l / l l l

0

0 I

0

0.2

404

F

LHlll

0 0

0 0

0

0

43

G. Classical

I 0

0 2

I.8

09

H

Roman

0 0

3

0

3

4-8

59

I. Mixed

0

2

0 2

4

2.0

I97

Grand Total

2

5

I3

2

1.2

I8s6


7/9

ISO

;viiCHAEL

B COSMOPOULOS, HASKELJ GREENFIELD AND DEBOR-JH

RUSCJLLO

bones,

except

that

the Roman

deposits

had

a

larger per-

were identified (T:\BLE I s.s; Cosmopoulos rggsb), com-

centage

than the rest (4.8 ).

All the

rest had

less

than

prising the bulk

of the

sample. Fish

echinoderm

(ur-

or

equal to

z.o%.

I t may

be

concluded that

gnawing of

chin) and crustacean (crab)

remains

also occurred

in

bones by

canids

was

probably

not a significant attri- the sample but were too few to allow any inferences on

tional

agent at

the site, except in the

Roman

deposits. their exploitation during

the

relev-ant periods. Remains

from these

three groups

are fragile

and

usually

under-

represented in the archaeological record. Approximately

MARINE

REMAINS

88 of

the material was

recovered from

Bronze

Age

strata, with a

concentration

in

the Late

?\lH to

the LH

The

excavation produced approximately

14

kg

of

rna-

I II

periods, suggesting

an increased

reliance

on

rna-

rine remains. Twenty-fiv-e species

of marine

molluscs rine resources during those times.

I

I

T. \BLE

rs.s: Marine remains distribution

by

period (cf.

Cosmopoulos

199Sh, 47-8).

c =complete;

fr

=fragment; frr =fragments)

EHII

1\lH

LMH

LHI

LH

I-II

LH

IIIA-BI Class. Rom. 1\lod. 1\lix

Area noae

I6 c

I

4C

I37 c

27 c

3 c

6 frr

I

6

frr

27

frr s6o+ f

I68 frr

460+

fr

I6 frr

3 frr

Ca/lista chione

I

fr

Capulus sp. I C 2C

4C

Cardium edule

2C

2C

7C 5 c

I C

2C

8 c

3 frr

4C

44 frr

3 frr

32 frr

33 frr

II3 frr

IO frr 6 frr

Cardium

lamarkii

I fr

IC

Cerithium vulgatum

3 c

2C

2C 2C

I C 2 frr

I I frr

2 frr

IS frr 24 frr

45 frr

6 frr I fr I fr

Chamelea ga lina

2 frr I

fr

Chlamys

sp.

I

fr

2 frr

I

fr

Co/umbe/la rustica

2C

I C

2 frr

Conus mediterraneus

I C

2 frr

Donax

lrunwlus

6c IO C

53

c

2 frr

I3 frr

Glycymeris g(ycymeris

I

fr

I fr

3 frr

5 frr

I C

Jl Ionodonta turbinata

8c

C

7 frr

I fr

2 frr

3 frr

25

frr

I fr

il1urex brandaris

2C

7 c

2C

3 c

6 frr I7 frr

52

frr 6 frr 3 frr

A lure.\·

trunculus

I C

4C

3C

2 c

3I frr

8 frr

400+ soo+

I200+ 22 frr

9 frr

6 frr

7 frr

frr frr frr

I

il1ytilus ga loprovincialis 2 frr

2 frr

Nassarius reticulatus

I C

·

Ostrea edulis

I C

5 frr

3 frr 5 frr

IO frr

29

frr

2 frr 2 frr 2 frr

Pate la caerulea

I

fr

I C

3 frr

Pecten

sp.

I

fr

2 frr

Pinna nobilis

20 frr

5 frr

53 frr

s6 frr

s8

frr

6 frr q frr

I fr

5 frr

3 frr

Spondylus gaederopus

8c

9 frr I6 frr s8 frr

6o

frr 9I frr 2 frr 7 frr 3 frr 2 frr 7 frr

Venerupis dewssata

3C

7 frr

3 frr

I7 frr

IS

frr

25 frr

I

fr

Venus

verrucosa

3 c

7 frr

3 frr

I9 frr

I C

Vennetus arenarius

I fr I fr

2 frr

Crab

cf.

Pagrus sp.)

2 frr 2 frr

Urchin (Paracentrotus

I

fr

2 frr

lividus)

Fish (Sparidae)

I fr

5 frr

2 frr

3 frr


8/9

_-L\"HL-/.L.- .NDJHARINE REM INS FROJH THE NEWEXCAT:-J.TIOSS _-/.T

ELEUSIS

151

.-\dding

to

the weight

of

the sample from the l\lH II

and LH I

periods were the masses

of

crushed

Jl-Jure.\'

shell, likely indicative of dye production because of the

pattern of fra_gmentation. They appear in t h ~ Late

MH

period and disappear after

the LH I-II

penod, a

phe

nomenon that can be paralleled in

Middle

and

Late

\ lB \

sites in eastern Crete, Keos, and Kythera,

as

well

as the Argo lid, Attica, and Aegina, where crushed murex

refuse

was

also found (Reese 1987, 206). A proportion

ate increase in fragments is also notable for Area,

C


9/9

52 MICHAEL B

COSklOPOULOS,

HASKELJ GREENFIELD

. J.i\'DDEBOR.J.H

RUSCILLO

Payne, S., 1972

Partial

recovery and sample bias: the results

of some sieving

experiments ,

in E. S Higgs (ed.), Pa-

pers in Economic PrehistOJy:

1 9 6 1 .

Cambridge: Cam

bridge University Press.

Payne, S., 1985. Zoo-archaeology in Greece: a reader s guide ,

inN. Wilkie and

W

D E. Coulson (eds.), Contributions

to

Aegean A.rchaeology: Studies in Honor

of

William

A

lvlcDona d:

211-44.

Minneapolis: University ofl\linne

sota, Center for Ancient Studies.

Reese,

D

S., 1987. Palaikast ro shells

and

Bronze Age

pur

ple-dye

production

in the

Mediterranean

basin , BSA

8z: 2.01-6.

Sherratt,

A G., 198r. Plough and pastoral ism: aspects of

the secondary products revolution , in I Hodder, G. Isaac

and

N.

Hammond

(eds.), Pattern ({the Pas/: Essays

in

Honor ofDavid Clarke: 2.61-306. Cambridge: Cambridge

University Press.

von

den Driesch,

A.,

and].

Boessneck,

1990.

Die

Tierreste

von den

mykenischen

Burg

Tiryns

bei

Nauplion/Peloponnes , in]. Weisshaar (ed.), Tirvns

Forschungen und Beridtte XI

8; r

6 1 . l\lainz: ~ · o

Zabern.

Animal and Marine Remains From the New Excavations at Eleusis

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