Elk in Medieval Towns of Rus': Meat, Hides, and Antler Economies

Abstract

Elk (Alces alces) was the largest wild ungulate available to the forest-zone towns of medieval Rus', yet it rarely forms more than a trace component of urban faunal assemblages. Here I synthesize published zooarchaeological evidence from key towns (Novgorod and Tver) and comparative datasets from other Rus' urban sites to reassess elk's economic role. In medieval Novgorod, elk remains typically constitute ~0.2% of identified mammal bones, but they are frequently modified: one-third of elk specimens bear butchery marks, and cranial elements show deliberate splitting and antler pedicle removal. Hinterland sites display complementary patterns, including strong biases toward foot bones and skinning marks, consistent with the import of hides rather than whole carcasses. Together, these signatures indicate that elk entered towns mainly through targeted product flows—antler for craft production and hides for processing—while contributing only marginally to routine urban meat supply. I argue that elk is best understood as an ‘invisible commodity’ of medieval urban economies: materially significant in craft and exchange networks but weakly represented in food waste deposits.