Seasonal Features of Animal Husbandry Among the Inhabitants of the Srubnaya Culture Settlement Krotovskoye I (Samara Trans-Volga Region)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24852/2587-6112.2026.5.288.298Keywords:
archaeology, domestic animals, Bronze Age, Srubnaya culture, season of death, growth layers, Volga regionAbstract
This article presents the results of a study on the slaughter seasons of cattle, sheep/goats and horses from the Krotovskoye-I settlement of the Srubnaya culture. This settlement is located in the Samara region on the Kurtamak River. The determination of the season of death was based on the analysis of growth layers in the cementum and dentine of permanent mammalian teeth. Thirty cheek teeth from three species of domestic animals were analyzed. It was demonstrated that animals at the settlement were slaughtered year-round. However, there were seasonal differences in the slaughter of different species. Cattle and horses were slaughtered more frequently in winter, whereas sheep were slaughtered during the warmer months. During the summer, cattle, and probably horses, were rarely, if ever, slaughtered. Hypotheses explaining these differences are proposed. Overall, the total number of animals slaughtered during the cold season was roughly equal to that of the warm season. It is concluded that the majority of the population lived permanently at the settlement and did not undertake long-distance migrations throughout the year.
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