Before the cattle trade : animals and people in Muhi, a medieval Hungarian village
Year: 2008
Type: dissertation
Abstract: Animal husbandry, meat consumption and social status are closely interrelated cultural phenomena. In my thesis, I investigate this relation through the example of a thirteenth-century Hungarian village, Muhi. A huge number of archaeological animal bones were brought to light from refuse pits during the excavation of this settlement. These finds provided an excellent insight into the settlement's life. Scarcely any similar research has been carried out, and the amount of information we have on Arpadian Age villages is very limited in general. The study of the species ratio, livestock character, bone tools, butchering methods, meat distribution and supply resulted in a somewhat ambiguous picture. It had been hypothesized that people living in the settlement core had a more favourable financial position and therefore they had access to good quality meat protein, while people living on the outskirts of the village consumed less meat. Thus different ratios of body parts were expected. The consumption pattern, however, display a more subtle picture. Social differentiation was pronounced through the quantity rather than the quality of the meat consumed. Our archaeozoological models of status, mainly based on élite sites, needs to be reconsidered.
DOI: 10.60644/7195
Author: Lyublyanovics, Kyra
Language: English
Subfield: Archeology
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Zero hunger
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7201838240