Middle Holocene subsistence east of the Romanian Carpathians: Bioarchaeological data from the Chalcolithic site of Poduri-Dealul Ghindaru

Abstract

The paper analyzes the archaeobotanical and archaeozoological remains originating from the middle Holocene (i.e. Chalcolithic site of Poduri- Dealul Ghindaru, in Eastern Romania, Bacău County). Poduri- Dealul Ghindaru site is the only tell settlement known in the area of existence of the Cucuteni culture, with inhabitation levels from Neolithic to the Bronze Age. In order to better understand the diet components of the prehistoric inhabitation belonging to the Cucuteni A and Cucuteni B phases, we follow evidence from archaeozoology, carpology, and palynology. For the carpological taxa, we calculate their ubiquity, diversity, and edibility score. The two sets of taxa are then compared in their similarity. Palynological data record the presence of cereal grains in all samples. We present the archaeozoological taxa with their quantification values and we calculate for the Cucuteni A and B phases, and in comparison with the Bronze Age sample, their richness, Shannon–Weaver diversity index and equitability. A correspondence analysis is carried out in order to compare the exploitation strategies for the three assemblages. For the archaeobotanical data, we find that the Cucuteni A phase is dominated by anthropogenic activity indicators and a heavy reliance on cereals. The Cucuteni B phase seems to be characterized by a restriction of human activity. The archaeozoological data highlight a preference for large mammals (cattle, dear, boar) during Cucuteni A and BA and smaller mammals during Cucuteni B (sheep/goat, pig, hare). We conclude that although the subsistence strategies remain similar, the dietary components change during the Cucuteni A and B phases, probably in response to environmental changes.

The Neglected Plant Resources in Chinese Archaeobotany: Revealing Animals’ Feed during the Pre-Qin Period Using the Flotation Results in Northern China

“…Animal husbandry and cultivation were vital production activities for ancient Chinese societies, and feed played a crucial role in maintaining artificially reared animals. In Europe, at some archaeological sites in Romania, scholars have also speculated about the animal feed used during the early Neolithic period (Soimus-Tilighi site) and the Chalcolithic Age (Cucuteni A3a sub-phase, Hoisesti site) [123,124]. At the Soimus-Tilighi site, there was a larger number of cattle and sheep, but very few pigs, suggesting a mobility of the evaluated communities which may have relied on livestock (cattle and sheep/goat) for their subsistence.…”

The Domestication and Dispersal of Large-Fruiting Prunus spp.: A Metadata Analysis of Archaeobotanical Material

“…[79] and Poduri in Romania (4700-4400 B.C.E.) [92,93]; and subsequently from Scarceta di Manciano in Italy (1443-1116 B.C.E.) [94].…”

Water Quality Analysis in Wetlands Freshwater: Common Floodplain of Jijia-Prut Rivers

“…From the perspective of aquatic habitats, the common floodplain of Jijia-Prut has a special ecological value in the support for biodiversity. Environmental issues also concern the protection of archaeological sites of national importance [32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40].…”