DOI Artikel:
Ninov, Lazar: Animal bones from mithraeum at Novae
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.41865#0234
232
mammals — pig, cattle, goat, dog and deer; 3.73% belong to birds — home hen
and 1.86% — to mollusks — riverine and marinę mussels. The second closed
complex yielded 297 animal bones found inside the sanctuary. 97.64% out of
the whole assemblage belong to mammals — pig, cattle, sheep, goat, wild pig,
deer, roe-deer and hare. The remaining 2.36% are bones of birds — home hen
and one undetermined fragment of a wild bird.
The distributions of the species represented, the identified bones and the num-
ber of individuals are given in table 1. Tbere are identified remains of mollusks,
birds and mammals.
Table 1. The fauna list
Species
Pit
Sanctuary
specimens
individuals
specimens
individuals
n
%
n
%
n
%
n
%
Bos taurus L.
50
32.9
3
25.00
113
38.97
4
20.00
Ovis aries L.capra hircus L.
32
21.05
2
16.67
24
8.28
3
15.00
Sus scrofa dom. L.
65
42.76
5
41.67
129
44.48
8
40.00
Canis familiaris L.
1
0.66
1
8.33
Domestic mammals
148
97.37
11
91.67
266
91.72
15
75.00
Sus scrofa fer. L.
11
3.79
1
5.00
Cervus elaphus L.
4
2.63
1
8.33
4
1.38
1
5.00
Capreolus capreolus L.
1
0.34
1
5.00
Lepus europaeus Pall.
8
2.76
2
10.00
Wild mammals
4
2.63
1
8.33
24
8.28
5
25.00
Mammalia
152
100.00
12
100.00
290
100.00
20
100.00
Gallus dom. L.
6
3
-
6
2
Aves sp.
-
1
1
Aves
6
3
-
7
3
Unio crassus
1
1
-
Ostrea sp.
2
2
-
Mollusca
3
3
-
Total
161
18
297
23
Mollusks are discovered only in the pit. A riverine mussel Unio crassus and
two shells from oysters — were found (fig. 1). The oysters are a cuisine delica-
cy. Oysters in bulk were found in Evmolpia. Shells from the same species are
found in Nicopolis ad Istrum. Obviously sea fruits were known and used as cui-
sine delicacies by the people that visited this sanctuary. The great distances from
the closest seas — the Black Sea and the Mediterranean means that techniąues
for conservation of fast foods were known. Probably this was achieved by con-
servation the mussels. The greater size and thickness of the shells found sug-
gests that they come from warmer and saltier sea — the Mediterranean.
mammals — pig, cattle, goat, dog and deer; 3.73% belong to birds — home hen
and 1.86% — to mollusks — riverine and marinę mussels. The second closed
complex yielded 297 animal bones found inside the sanctuary. 97.64% out of
the whole assemblage belong to mammals — pig, cattle, sheep, goat, wild pig,
deer, roe-deer and hare. The remaining 2.36% are bones of birds — home hen
and one undetermined fragment of a wild bird.
The distributions of the species represented, the identified bones and the num-
ber of individuals are given in table 1. Tbere are identified remains of mollusks,
birds and mammals.
Table 1. The fauna list
Species
Pit
Sanctuary
specimens
individuals
specimens
individuals
n
%
n
%
n
%
n
%
Bos taurus L.
50
32.9
3
25.00
113
38.97
4
20.00
Ovis aries L.capra hircus L.
32
21.05
2
16.67
24
8.28
3
15.00
Sus scrofa dom. L.
65
42.76
5
41.67
129
44.48
8
40.00
Canis familiaris L.
1
0.66
1
8.33
Domestic mammals
148
97.37
11
91.67
266
91.72
15
75.00
Sus scrofa fer. L.
11
3.79
1
5.00
Cervus elaphus L.
4
2.63
1
8.33
4
1.38
1
5.00
Capreolus capreolus L.
1
0.34
1
5.00
Lepus europaeus Pall.
8
2.76
2
10.00
Wild mammals
4
2.63
1
8.33
24
8.28
5
25.00
Mammalia
152
100.00
12
100.00
290
100.00
20
100.00
Gallus dom. L.
6
3
-
6
2
Aves sp.
-
1
1
Aves
6
3
-
7
3
Unio crassus
1
1
-
Ostrea sp.
2
2
-
Mollusca
3
3
-
Total
161
18
297
23
Mollusks are discovered only in the pit. A riverine mussel Unio crassus and
two shells from oysters — were found (fig. 1). The oysters are a cuisine delica-
cy. Oysters in bulk were found in Evmolpia. Shells from the same species are
found in Nicopolis ad Istrum. Obviously sea fruits were known and used as cui-
sine delicacies by the people that visited this sanctuary. The great distances from
the closest seas — the Black Sea and the Mediterranean means that techniąues
for conservation of fast foods were known. Probably this was achieved by con-
servation the mussels. The greater size and thickness of the shells found sug-
gests that they come from warmer and saltier sea — the Mediterranean.