The use of animals by inhabitants of the Medzhybizh Castle (Ukraine) in the 12th–19th centuries CE

Abstract

During excavations in the Medzhybizh Castle (western Ukraine), a large number of animal bones were found, mainly in kitchen remains dated to the 12th–13th and 18th–19th centuries and, to a lesser extent, in the 17th-century layer. A thorough analysis of the sample allows establishing the role of fish, birds, and mammals in the everyday diet of the inhabitants of the castle during the Medieval Warm Period and at the end of the Little Ice Age. In general, the sources of meat were quite similar during different historical periods: domestic ungulates and birds predominated, while the role of hunting was less significant. The large number of remains of wild birds and mammals is likely because the castle was inhabited by the nobility and the military guard, for whom hunting was part of everyday life. Fish were an additional source of protein for the inhabitants of the Medzhybizh Castle. Seven fish species were identified in the sample, of which the northern pike, zander, and common carp are represented by the largest number of remains. Cultural changes are manifested in the emergence of new methods of cooking and the disappearance of falconry. Domestic animals and birds in the 18th–19th centuries were slightly larger than those in the 12th–13th centuries. Despite the general similarity in the diversity of wild species, certain changes have been identified, probably due to the impact of local climate changes. Based on the habitat preferences of particular species, it is possible to assume the appearance of open landscapes and the decrease in forest cover and thickets of riparian vegetation during the Little Ice Age.