Bone Remains of Birds from the Central Part of the Bolgar Fortified Settlement

Abstract

The remains of birds from the CLXXIX excavation site in the central part of the Bolgar fortified settlement of the pre-Mongol, early and late Golden Horde periods were studied. The total number of identified species is 32. At least 70% are identified as remains of poultry. In the sediments of the Golden Horde period, the number of bones of laying hens increases, and the remains of chickens of different size types appear. In the layer of the late Golden Horde period, the number of mallard bones increases more than three times. Among the wild species in all layers, remains of grouse, ducks, hawks and corvids predominate. The rich complex of bones of diurnal birds of prey, its taxonomic, sex and age composition, as well as the features of the archaeological context of the finds suggest that birds of prey were kept and trained on the territory of the homesteads of the central part of the Bolgar trade and craft district of the Golden Horde period. The discovery of a young female golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) partial skeleton and its archaeological context suggest the possibility that the Mongolian tradition of hunting with eagles penetrated into the Volga region. The beginning of hunting with large birds of prey coincides with the inclusion of Bolgar into the Ulus of Jochi, when bearers of this tradition were present on the territory of the city.

Keywords

• archaeology
• archaeozoology
• middle volga
• volga bolgaria
• golden horde
• medieval city
• trade and craft district
• poultry and wild birds
• hunting birds