Faunal remains

    The organic material unearthed during the 2018-2019 archaeological excavation campaigns at Tsiteli Gorebi 5 consists almost entirely of animal bone remains. The bone material is, in turn, mostly reduced to small fragments. The number of rests which have been processed amounts to more than 2100. Despite the material being subjected to careful washing, the clayish soil that covered the finds formed deposits difficult to remove from the fragments. This made it difficult to distinguish some details, including pre- and post-mortem traces (e.g. from pathologies and respectively from slaughter) on the bones.
    The archaeozoological analysis led to the identification of 1661 bone findings,1286 of which have been classified taxonomically (Table 1). The fragmentation was such that the percentage of bony portions in a condition to allow a useful measurement didn't go beyond 3,5% of the total.
    Almost all the samples were found to belong to domestic species (86%). Among the species of domestic animals of economic importance, caprines are the most frequent taxon (57%), followed by cattle (39,5%), while pigs (2,4%) are rare. In turn, among the caprines, sheep far exceed goats, the ratio being 7:1. From a preliminary elaboration of the age of death calculated from the development of the mandibular arch of the caprines, it is clear that the majority of them were killed between 1 and 2 years, while young lambs and kids are absent or rare (Table 2). The presence of dogs among the rests likely testifies their use as shepherd dogs. The structure of animal husbandry suggests a pastoral society based on sheep and cattle breeding.
    Among the big game, which are less then 5% of the total, aurochs are the most frequent (about 60% of the big game), followed by red deer (16%) and wild sheep and goats (4%). The plain where the site is located consisted of open woodland interspersed with areas of denser forests, probably in correspondence with the rivers that crossed it. The presence of wild caprines shows the proximity of the mountain slopes. The presence of hare (16%) which suggests a more open environment, may be linked with the expansion of agriculture. The presence of badger bones may be intrusive from later times. The presence of bear rests is worth highlighting even they are represented by a single tooth of a very old specimen.
    As far as the anatomical distribution of the bones is concerned, the analysis of the relationship between the portions of bones identified with that of those present in the skeleton and expressed in logarithms clearly indicates that the assemblage is composed of meals waste as, in fact, the most edible portions (categories A and B according to Uerpmann 1973) are the most represented (Fig. 17).
    In the course of the archaeozoological study, some useful samples for a series of analyses to be performed in various laboratories in Italy and abroad were selected. In particular, these included samples to perform research on bovine DNA, for radiometric dating, and for 13C and 15N isotope analysis.