The Untold Story of the Euboean Hinterland Through Animal Remains: The Exploitation of Mammals in the Messapian Plain of Euboea Island (Greece), during the Middle Byzantine Period.

The HMC project started in 2021 to trace interconnection patterns in the rural region close to the city of Chalkida in Euboea, during the Medieval period. Field surveys in 2022 and 2023 at the sites of Feges, Bailelekas, and Kastri, and the excavation trench of Kastri in 2023 retrieved multiple animal bones, requiring an archaeozoological analysis that would shed light on inquiries related to their nature and connection to the studied archaeological sites. This, in combination with the fact that no adequate archaeozoological study has been conducted in the Medieval Euboea, has been the main reason why this thesis was essential for both Byzantine Archaeology and Archaeozoology. For the current thesis, I studied faunal material coming from mammals. The main research questions aimed to comprehend from what period the material was derived, what species were present, how they were exploited, and whether these results are equivalent or different from the previous Early Byzantine Period....Show moreThe HMC project started in 2021 to trace interconnection patterns in the rural region close to the city of Chalkida in Euboea, during the Medieval period. Field surveys in 2022 and 2023 at the sites of Feges, Bailelekas, and Kastri, and the excavation trench of Kastri in 2023 retrieved multiple animal bones, requiring an archaeozoological analysis that would shed light on inquiries related to their nature and connection to the studied archaeological sites. This, in combination with the fact that no adequate archaeozoological study has been conducted in the Medieval Euboea, has been the main reason why this thesis was essential for both Byzantine Archaeology and Archaeozoology. For the current thesis, I studied faunal material coming from mammals. The main research questions aimed to comprehend from what period the material was derived, what species were present, how they were exploited, and whether these results are equivalent or different from the previous Early Byzantine Period. In addition, other questions included the interpretation of the main excavation site of the project, Kastri, based on the faunal analysis, and consequently, how animal remains can complement an archaeological analysis. It was determined that the faunal material derived from a Middle Byzantine refusion pit, and that caprines, pigs, and cows were mainly exploited for their primary products. Other species that were present included hare which would possibly be hunted, as well as limited rodent and dog bones. While not studied for the current thesis, the existence of fishes and birds was also mentioned to state the variety of animals that were probably used during the period. Most animals were exploited in similar ways as in the earlier period, except for cattle, which showed primarily signs of meat exploitation, contradicting their primary use as working animals in other assemblages from the earlier era. As for the function of Kastri, it was considered a wealthy premise of a central or administrative character, where animals would be gathered, slaughtered, and consumed in situ. It was further understood that faunal remains are essential for a vast number of archaeological questions regarding the period of interest, especially when it comes to the determination of socio-economic-related inquiries. This initial endeavour of archaeozoological analysis in these faunal remains is one of the first in the area, but also one of the very few ones regarding the period. Thus, along with answering the research questions of this thesis, new ones arise that would enlighten us more about the site in the future, especially regarding other species, diets, paleoenvironmental interpretation, as well as the chronology of the material.Show less

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The Untold Story of the Euboean Hinterland Through Animal Remains: The Exploitation of Mammals in the Messapian Plain of Euboea Island (Greece), during the Middle Byzantine Period.