Ritual use of dogs and wolves in the Late Bronze and Early Iron Age in the South-Eastern Alpine region. New evidence from the archaeo(zoo)logical perspective

Parts and Wholes: The Role of Animals in the Performance of Dolenjska Hallstatt Funerary Rites

“…It is difficult to interpret the deposition of animal remains in female graves because it is such a small sample, and many of the details of the finds are unknown due to the limited records from antiquarian excavations. The partial remains may be from food deposits or feasting refuse because several are limbs, while the teeth 2 may have had some apotropaic or prophylactic function as suggested by previous studies (Pauli 1975;Škvor Jernejčič and Toškan 2018). It is important to note that the animal deposits from female graves did not deviate significantly from those associated with males, except for the clear association of horse sacrifices with male graves.…”

“…In the Early Iron Age Dolenjska Hallstatt culture (800-300 bce), there is a rich iconographic tradition attesting to the central importance of animals in ritual performances including hunting, sacrifice, and feasting (Eibner 1981;Frie 2016Frie , 2018aFrie , 2018bFrie , 2019Križ 2012;Turk 2005). What is not clear is the role of animals in mortuary ritual, though the presence of faunal remains in graves of the period indicates that they were an integral part of certain funerary performances (Dular 2007;Kmet'ová 2013aKmet'ová , 2013bKmet'ová , 2018Kmet'ová and Stegmann-Rajtár 2014;Škvor Jernejčič and Toškan 2018). There was something about these animals, in particular their relationship with local people, which led to their sacrifice and inclusion in graves.…”