ON SOME RESULTS OF THE ZOOARCHEOLOGICAL STUDIES BASED ON THE EXCAVATIONS OF THE XVII – XVIII CENTURY KUZNETSK

Abstract

The article presents the analysis of faunal collections obtained during the excavation of the Kuznetsk in 2012 and dated to the XVII – XVIII centuries. There were studied 1534 remains of domestic and wild mammals, birds and fish. The result shows the similarities and differences in the structure of asynchronous zooarchaeological assemblage, synchronous of household buildings and cultural layers outside, peculiarities of formation of bone-bearing sediments at different sites and zoogenic impact on these processes. As for animal remains, cows and pigs prevailed; as for fish, the leading role belonged to the sturgeon. It is assumed that the main elements of the economic structure of the settlers were house cattle breeding, fishing and occasionally hunting for moose, bear, fox, hare, and wild birds. The settlers also had dogs, cats, sheep, horses, chicken. The analysis results are discussed in the context of distinctions of life of separate microsocieties, vertical and horizontal relocation of bone residues and their transformation.

Keywords

• zooarchaeology
• zooarc-haeological assemblage
• kuznetsk
• archaeology of the russian settle-ment
• siberia