THE COMMON AND THE SPECIAL IN ANIMAL BONES IN THE CULTURAL BEDDING OF THE CENTRAL PART OF MEDIEVAL BOLGAR

Abstract

Systematic archeozoological studies conducted on the Bolgar hillfort over the course of the last 6 years have made it possible to assess anew the animal bones in the cultural bedding of the central part of medieval Bolgar at diff erent times. Excavation sites cover the area of a craftsmen quarter of the Early Golden Hord time and the area adjoining the Central city market of the Late Golden Hord time. It has been determined that the intensity of the bones accumulation increases with appearing of the craftsmen's quarter of the Early Golden Hord time in comparison to the pre-Mongolion time and does so even more signifi cantly in the Late Golden Hord Time. The prioritized meat for the citizens of the pre-Mongolian and the Golden Hord city is beef. However, the mutton part in the meat consumption in the central part of the city increases abruptly by 20–30%. The comparison of the ostheological spectrum of the central part with the other districts’ revealed that such a substantial share of the sheep remains can be fi xated only in the central part of the Bolgar hillfort. The archaeozoological study of the materials from the craftsmen’s quarter from excavation sites № CLXXIX, CXCII and CXCVI revealed traces of diff erent crafts’, for which the raw material is cattle breeding products – bonecarving and leatherworking. Apparently, both productions considerably infl uenced the meat diet of the citizens of a local part of the Bolgar hillfort, the central part. The reason for this is that a side product of said productions is meat carcases of sheep, the consumption of which had changed the ostheological spectrums in this district.