ANIMAL REMAINS FROM THE LATE ROMAN AND EARLY MIGRATION PERIOD SETTLEMENTS AT VRBOV AND LAZISKO (NORTHERN SLOVAKIA)

The aim of the contribution is to present the very first information on the animal remains from the North Carpathian Group unfortified settlements (4th – 5th c. AD) of northern Slovakia. Although the analysed sample size is small – 348 specimens in total – it sheds light on animal husbandry, hunting and the animal-based diet of these populations. Despite their different natural settings, the riverine settlement at Vrbov-Vrbovský lesík (Kežmarok distr.) and the hilltop settlement at Lazisko-Zvon (Liptovský Mikuláš distr.) showed the same dependence on domestic livestock with a focus on cattle (Bos taurus) and caprines (Ovis/Capra). The higher age-at-slaughter of both species suggested they were most probably of mixed utility, i.e. they produced meat, milk and wool. At both sites, pigs (Sus domesticus) occurred in low numbers. The butchered horse bones (Equus caballus) from Lazisko indicated that horse meat was occasionally consumed. Also results suggested that wild mammals played a negligible role in either subsistence terms or the economy. The find of a brown bear tooth from Lazisko, most probably an amulet, reflects the sporadic hunting activities that did take place.