DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.63701#0122
unnecessary. It is also not of any use to establish
minimum numbers of individuals, or to try to cal-
culate the meat weight the bones represented. The
number of the bones that could be identified to
species is small: 122 for the Linear Bandceramic
and 104 for the Stroke-ornamented pottery/Rössen
period. The number of bones belonging to the later
periods is so small that they will not be discussed
here (table 30, 31, 32, 33 and 34). Even if we
assume, that all the bones of the animals slaughter-
ed and killed in hunting were at first disposed of in
the pits or were thrown away at random in and
outside the houses, then still dogs would have con-
sumed part of the bones of the smaller species and
damaged the bones of the larger. Especially the
proximal epiphyses of the humerus, femur and tibia
of the larger ruminants are often missing, even
when the bones are well preserved, because dogs
have gnawed them away. The dogs were not the
only scavengers in those early villages and we have
to reckon with other species, too, such as foxes,
wolves and vultures. Also man himself used bones
for the fabrication of tools and trinkets. However,
the number of bones actually recovered in Hien-
heim is very small, considering the duration of the
habitation. The remains of the domestic species that
were known in those days were found in the two
oldest settlements. The number of pig bones ascrib-
ed to the Stroke-oramented ware/Rössen Settlement
is relatively higher than those ascribed to the Linear
Bandceramic. In this latter Settlement the number of
bones of wild species is relatively high for a Linear
Bandceramic settlement, even higher than those of
the later Stroke-ornamented ware/Rössen settlement.
The ratio of wild animal bones is usually under
10% (Clason 1972, Müller 1964). Recently another
Bandceramic site has been found in Southern Ger-
many, where 66% of the bones belonged to wild
animals (Uerpmann pers. comm.). The relatively
high percentage of bones of wild animals in the
older settlements does not indicate that the in-
habitants of this settlement were more primitive
than those of other villages, but only that for some
reason or other wild animals were an important
part of their diet as far as we can judge at present.
Besides obtaining food, hunting can have served
other goals. The wild ruminants were food com-
petitors for the domestic stock and could also
endanger the crops. The rodents and carnivores may
have been killed in the first place for their fürs, but
once slaughtered any of them could have been used
as food. The bear may have been a danger for the
domestic animals and man himself, and the wild cat
may have preyed on the domestic fowl of the
Hallstatt farmers.
The species
As the list with measurements shows, only a few
bones were measurable. Consequently it was often
impossible to decide whether a bone belonged to
the wild or domesticated form of a species or
to see whether the fragment belonged to Bos or
Ccrvus (table 29). It was also impossible to get
an adequate insight into the slaughter age of the
domestic animals or the age at which the wild
animals were killed.
Domestic and wild cattle—Bos taurus Linnaeus and
Bos primigenius Bojanus, 1827.
Most of the bones seem to belong to domesticated
animals although this is in a number of cases not
certain. Only two calcanei belonged with certainty
to the wild aurochs. The cattle could have been
kept in the settlement or grazed in the places that
were no longer used for plant cultivation, or even
in the woods. The aurochs were in the time of the
Linear Bandceramic, Stroke-ornamented wäre and
Rössener period still a common animal in Europe.
In the late Eneolithic it became probably more
scarce, but it still existed during the Iron Age.
Small ruminants
Sheep—Ovis aries Linnaeus.
Goat—Capra hircus Linnaeus, 1758.
Only the right horncore of a sheep could be
identified with certainty to species. The other
skeletal fragments were to fragmented. The horn-
core is a heavy piece, of which the base is missing.
The inner surface is flat, the outer surface slightly
bulging. Posterior there is a sharp keel. The horn-
core probably belonged to a <$. Also one horncore
of a goat was found in the Stroke-ornamented wäre/
Rössen settlement. The other bones were too frag-
mentary to identify their species.
Domestic and wild pig—Sus domesticus and Sus
scrofa Linnaeus, 1758.
Both the remains of wild and domestic pig were
found. The remains of the wild boar are the second
most numerous of the wild mammals. Both in the
oldest settlement as in the succeeding Stroke-
ornamented ware/Rössener period a few large tusks
of the upper jaw of <3 $ were found. The wild boar
— 118 —
minimum numbers of individuals, or to try to cal-
culate the meat weight the bones represented. The
number of the bones that could be identified to
species is small: 122 for the Linear Bandceramic
and 104 for the Stroke-ornamented pottery/Rössen
period. The number of bones belonging to the later
periods is so small that they will not be discussed
here (table 30, 31, 32, 33 and 34). Even if we
assume, that all the bones of the animals slaughter-
ed and killed in hunting were at first disposed of in
the pits or were thrown away at random in and
outside the houses, then still dogs would have con-
sumed part of the bones of the smaller species and
damaged the bones of the larger. Especially the
proximal epiphyses of the humerus, femur and tibia
of the larger ruminants are often missing, even
when the bones are well preserved, because dogs
have gnawed them away. The dogs were not the
only scavengers in those early villages and we have
to reckon with other species, too, such as foxes,
wolves and vultures. Also man himself used bones
for the fabrication of tools and trinkets. However,
the number of bones actually recovered in Hien-
heim is very small, considering the duration of the
habitation. The remains of the domestic species that
were known in those days were found in the two
oldest settlements. The number of pig bones ascrib-
ed to the Stroke-oramented ware/Rössen Settlement
is relatively higher than those ascribed to the Linear
Bandceramic. In this latter Settlement the number of
bones of wild species is relatively high for a Linear
Bandceramic settlement, even higher than those of
the later Stroke-ornamented ware/Rössen settlement.
The ratio of wild animal bones is usually under
10% (Clason 1972, Müller 1964). Recently another
Bandceramic site has been found in Southern Ger-
many, where 66% of the bones belonged to wild
animals (Uerpmann pers. comm.). The relatively
high percentage of bones of wild animals in the
older settlements does not indicate that the in-
habitants of this settlement were more primitive
than those of other villages, but only that for some
reason or other wild animals were an important
part of their diet as far as we can judge at present.
Besides obtaining food, hunting can have served
other goals. The wild ruminants were food com-
petitors for the domestic stock and could also
endanger the crops. The rodents and carnivores may
have been killed in the first place for their fürs, but
once slaughtered any of them could have been used
as food. The bear may have been a danger for the
domestic animals and man himself, and the wild cat
may have preyed on the domestic fowl of the
Hallstatt farmers.
The species
As the list with measurements shows, only a few
bones were measurable. Consequently it was often
impossible to decide whether a bone belonged to
the wild or domesticated form of a species or
to see whether the fragment belonged to Bos or
Ccrvus (table 29). It was also impossible to get
an adequate insight into the slaughter age of the
domestic animals or the age at which the wild
animals were killed.
Domestic and wild cattle—Bos taurus Linnaeus and
Bos primigenius Bojanus, 1827.
Most of the bones seem to belong to domesticated
animals although this is in a number of cases not
certain. Only two calcanei belonged with certainty
to the wild aurochs. The cattle could have been
kept in the settlement or grazed in the places that
were no longer used for plant cultivation, or even
in the woods. The aurochs were in the time of the
Linear Bandceramic, Stroke-ornamented wäre and
Rössener period still a common animal in Europe.
In the late Eneolithic it became probably more
scarce, but it still existed during the Iron Age.
Small ruminants
Sheep—Ovis aries Linnaeus.
Goat—Capra hircus Linnaeus, 1758.
Only the right horncore of a sheep could be
identified with certainty to species. The other
skeletal fragments were to fragmented. The horn-
core is a heavy piece, of which the base is missing.
The inner surface is flat, the outer surface slightly
bulging. Posterior there is a sharp keel. The horn-
core probably belonged to a <$. Also one horncore
of a goat was found in the Stroke-ornamented wäre/
Rössen settlement. The other bones were too frag-
mentary to identify their species.
Domestic and wild pig—Sus domesticus and Sus
scrofa Linnaeus, 1758.
Both the remains of wild and domestic pig were
found. The remains of the wild boar are the second
most numerous of the wild mammals. Both in the
oldest settlement as in the succeeding Stroke-
ornamented ware/Rössener period a few large tusks
of the upper jaw of <3 $ were found. The wild boar
— 118 —