Animal bones from the excavation at Aradetis Orgora were analysed by Veronica Scandellari. The analysis done upon the animal findings consisted in preliminary observations of the animal bones both on the field and in the house laboratory. The bones were washed, restored, photographed and then recognised by direct observation (A. Von Den Driesch, A guide to the measurement of animal bones from archaeological sites”, Peabody Museum Bulletins, 1, Harvard University, 1976), paying special attention to the possible presence of cut and bite marks on the surface of the bone, with the aim to recognise anthropic activity.
When possible, measurements were taken using the guide edited by the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology; for teeth findings, special analyses concerning the dental wear stage were made, with the aim to identify the class age of the animal at death.
In general, the samples consisted in small and medium amounts of small and medium fragments of bones, in a bad condition of preservation. Some contexts yielded large amounts of fragments and/or large complete findings, but those cases represented a minority of the total sample. The surface of the bones wad generally very eroded, and presented wide crackings, due to high weathering incidence on the preservation. The majority of the fragments from the top levels showed also evidences of burning and they were usually covered by thick layers of ashes.
Faunal analysis revealed the presence of the usual domestic species of the area (Ovis/Capra, Bos, Sus, Cervus, Lupus, Lepus, Equus), with some exceptional cases of unusual animals: rodents (Mus/Sorex and possibly Castor), birds (in particular an individual of Mute Swan, Cygnus olor) and amphibious (possibly frogs, Rana). Three human bones (a first and a second phalanx from left hand, and a left scapula) were also recognised, but their presence is difficult to interpret because of their sporadic nature.
The presence of the various species by the numerical representation is the following:
Ovis/Capra, Sus, Bos, Cervus, Lupus, Rodents, Birds, Equus, Amphibious
Because of the very damaged conditions of preservation of the animal bones, and of the scarcity of measurements it was possible to make, is for the time being impossible to outline a diffusion scheme of the animal presence at the site: deeper analyses will be necessary to accomplish this aim.
Charcoaled wooden beams and other kind of charcoaled fragments were sampled in order to recognise the plants used for buildings and fuel, with the aim to reconstruct the ancient environment surrounding the site. Seeds were collected and delivered at the end of the excavation season to Dr. Nana Rusishvili (GNM), who will analyse them in the course of the following year, while other vegetal remains (charcoals, wood fragments), as well as shell fragments, were exported to Italy in order to be analysed these. Sequences of samples for palinological analyses were collected from the sections of the two excavation fields and delivered to Dr. Eliso Kvavadze (GNM), who will take care of their analysis.
Samples for archaeometric analysis of pottery of different phases (Hellenistic-Roman, Iron, Late Bronze and Early Bronze), obsidian and metal samples from different layers were collected to be analysed in Italy.
Samples for 14C analysis from Aradetis Orgora were collected on the field by Elisabetta Boaretto during one week and, before and after her departure, by the team's archaeologists. All of them will be analysed at the Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel. In addition, on the occasion of her visit to the Archaeological Centre of the Georgian National Museum in Tbilisi, Elisabetta Boaretto collected some 14C samples from monumental barrows (kurgans) of the Early Kurgan period excavated by Georgian expeditions.