Palaeoeconomy and Palaeoenvironment of Halmyris—A Roman Settlement in Southeast Romania: Archaeozoological and Phytolith Evidences
-
Published:2023-03-04
Issue:3
Volume:15
Page:373
-
ISSN:1424-2818
-
Container-title:Diversity
-
language:en
-
Short-container-title:Diversity
Author:
Stanc Margareta Simina1ORCID, Bejenaru Luminița1, Nuțu George2ORCID, Mototolea Aurel Constantin3ORCID, Danu Mihaela1
Affiliation:
1. Faculty of Biology, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iași, 700505 Iași, Romania 2. Eco-Museum Research Institute, 820009 Tulcea, Romania 3. National History and Archaeology Museum of Constanța, 900745 Constanța, Romania
Abstract
Halmyris (Murighiol, Tulcea County, Romania) is one of the most important Roman settlements located in the inferior sector of the Danube Delta, in the easternmost part of Scythia province during the Late Antiquity. Halmyris was the most easterly fort of the Danubian border in Roman times and probably served as a supply centre for the imperial fleet; Roman inscriptions inform on the existence of a ‘mariner’s village’ named vicus classicorum. Given that the written information about this settlement is extremely incomplete, the study of animal and plant remains can answer important questions related to economic life (e.g., human use of biological resources) and the relationship between community and environment. This study contributes to understanding the process of Roman domination in the area (e.g., highlighting the improved type of cattle, brought and reproduced here by the Romans), as well as to the knowledge of environmental changes under anthropic pressure (e.g., animal extinction, such as aurochs). In 2014, extensive archaeological research took place in the extramural area of the fort. During research, a total area of 234 sqm was investigated through five trenches west–east oriented and perpendicular to vallum II but not intersecting with it. Phytolith samples were taken from the habitation levels dated to the 5th–6th centuries AD, and faunal remains were collected from four trenches dated to the 4th–6th centuries AD. Phytolith assemblages from the Halmyris site are composed mainly of grass phytoliths. We noticed important amounts of Elongate dendritic forms and a high proportion of silica skeletons. Phytolith analysis resulting from the processing of 12 samples shows that cereals were a relevant part of the subsistence economy of the site, revealing an important signal of cereal processing. Flax fibers, which are the strongest natural fibers, were also identified in samples from Halmyris. The exploited animal resources are varied, including molluscs, fish, birds, and mammals. Most of the skeletal remains belong to the group of mammals. Animal husbandry represented an important occupation; the identified domestic mammals are cattle, sheep, goat, pig, horse, donkey, and dog. The predominant species were cattle and sheep/goat, both by the number of identified remains and by the minimal number of individuals. Hunting had small importance for the settlement under study, red deer and wild boar having the highest proportion of wild mammals.
Funder
Ministry of Research, Innovation, and Digitization, CNCS—UEFISCDI
Subject
Nature and Landscape Conservation,Agricultural and Biological Sciences (miscellaneous),Ecological Modeling,Ecology
Reference82 articles.
1. Matei, A.V., Pop, H., Bejinariu, I., Băcueţ-Crişan, S., and Băcueţ-Crişan, C. (2010). Identităţi Culturale, Locale Şi Regionale în Context European. Studii de Arheologie şi Antropologie Istorică. In Memoriam Alexandri V. Matei, Mega. 2. Zahariade, M. (1988). Moesia Secunda, Scythia și Notitia Dignitatum, Biblioteca de arheologie, Editura Academiei. 3. Zahariade, M. (2015). The Scythian Section of Notitia Dignitatum: A Structural and Chronological Analysis. Ad Fines Imperii Romani. Studia Thaddaeo Sarnowski Septuagenario ab Amicis, Collegis Discipulisque Dedicata, Institute of Archaeology, University of Warsaw. 4. Frontiera romană din Dobrogea. O trecere în revistă și o actualizare;Popescu;Cercet. Arheol.,2019 5. Zahariade, M., Lungu, V., and Covacef, Z. (2006). Scythia Minor. A History of a Later Roman Province (284-681), Adolf M. Hakkert. Pontic Provinces of the Later Roman Empire I.
Cited by
1 articles.
订阅此论文施引文献
订阅此论文施引文献,注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献,订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献
|
|