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The vertebrate fauna from Middle and Late Neolithic Sinandrei, SW

Romania, 1992 Excavations

Chapter · January 1996

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 THE MUSEUM OF UAN AT

THE VINCA CULTURE,

ITS ROLE AND CULTURAL
CONNECTIONS

INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON TI-IE VINCA

CULTURE ITS ROLE AND CULTURAL
CONNECTIONS
TlMI;;OAR A, ROMANIA , OCTOBER 1995

Editor: Dr. Florin Dra ~ovea n

TIMl ~OARA 1996

 CONT ENTS

Foreword
Pao lo Bi ag i (Venice),
J uraj Pa vlik (Ni tra),
Tu ran Efe (lsiambu l),
Katalin H . S imon (Zalaegerszeg), Ein neuer Fundort de r Starcevo -Kultur
bei Gellenhaza (Kom, Zala , Ungarn) und
seine s[h.ilichen Beziehingen ...... ... ..... ... 59
Elisabetta Slarni ni (Ven ice),
Marin Niea (Craiova) ,
Ferenc Horvath (Szeged),
Wolfram Schie r (Heidelberg),
Judit Regenje (Veszprcm),
Roland Glaser (Heidelbe rg),
.. ........ 7
Northeastern Italy in the sevent h
millennium BP; A bridge between the
balkans and the West? .......... .. .. ...... 9
Zur Frage de r Verbeitung des Neolithi-
kums auf dem Zentralbalbn \lnd
in Mitte!curopa... .............................. 23
T he excavations at Orman D'Fidanligi an
Inland anatolian site with Pre· Vinca
cle ments ........ ............................. .4 1
The Stone Assemblage fro m 13icske-
Galagonias and its con necti ons with the
Vinca culture .... ........ 93
Le role de la culture de Vinca a la
genese et a I'evolution neoJilhique
d'Oltenie ....... ............... ..... 105
Simi larities and Differences in the Cu l-
tural C hanges and Interrelat ions during
the Earl y and Middle Neolithic of the
Southern Alfold in comparison with the
Middle T is7.a-Region ill Hungary ..... 125
The Relative and Absolu te Chro no logy
of Vinc a; New Ev idence from the
T ype Site............. ..... ........ 141
Die Sopot Kultur in Transdanubicn Ulld
ihre stidlichen Beziehungen... 163
Zur absolu ten Datierung der Vinca-
Kultur anhund von 14 C_Daten .. 175
 6

Eugen Com~a (Bucharest). Les raporls entre les cultures Vinca-

Dudc$ti -Bo ian .................. .......... .... ... ... ... 2 13
Sabin A . Luca (S ibiu), Die S icdlung von Thorcndorfrrllnl a ~ -
der gcgcllv:irtigc Stand deT arc h!iolo-
gischcn Ausgrabu ngsstcllc ................... 2 19
Gheorghe Lazarovici and
Zo ja Kalmar-Maxim (Cluj-Napoca), Marton Raska's excavations frOIll
Turda$ ..................................................... 223
Flo rin Dra$ovean (Timi $oara). Re lation o f Vinca culture ph ase C wit h
the Transylva ni en region .......... ........... 269
Dimitrije Madas (Kragujevac), Anthropomorphic figurines with Gradae
clemen ts in Vinca site Slati na ne ar
Parae; n ......................................... ........... . 279
Mariu5 Munlean ( Timi ~oara), Die anthropo logischc Bestimmung c ines
de r neo lithischen Pet re~ti-Kullur/ Foen i
Group angehorenaden Skeleltes aus
Foeni (Kreis Tim i ~, Rumanien) ........ 287
Tina Jongsma and Haske l
Greenfield (Winnipeg), The Vertebrate Fauna from M idd le and
Late Neolithic S5nandrei , SW Roman ia ,
1992 .......................................................... 295
Georgeta EI Sus i (Re~i\a), A general survey on the animal hus-
bandry in the te ll of Paf\a by compa-
reing with the Vinca communities ill the
Danube va lley ............ ............ .............. .. 309
Eszter . Blinffy (Budapest). Vin ~a Impacts on Late Neolithic/Early
Chalco lithic Transdanubia ................... 323
L1sz16 Andras Horvath
(Zalaegerszeg) Die Balaton-Lasinja-kultur und ihre
stidliche n beziehungen ......... .. ............... 335

I
!
 THE VERTEBRATE FAUNA FROM
MIDDLE AND LATE NEO Ll THIC
SANANDREI , SW ROMANIA , 1992
Till.1 JONGSMA :lIId
I/;lsko:! J. GREENFIELD ( WilllJipeg)

In t roduction

This report descri bes the faunal remains excavated from the prehistoric
archaeological site o f Sanandrei, SW Romania . The remains were e xcavated by Florin
Dra~ovean (Museum of the Banat) during the first two weeks of July. 1992. There
are three major phases of occupat ion at the site. There <lppcars to be a more or
less cominous occupation beginning in the Middle Neolithic (B anal culture) and
continuing into the Lale Neolithic (Vini::a C cu lture phases). T he site is abando ned
at the end of the Vinca C occupation. It re mai ns abandoned until the carl y Medieval
period, when it is reoccupied bricny agai n.
Even though the faunal remains from the entire excavat ion were analyzed,
this study concentrates upon those from the Banat culture and Vin(:;a C. Only the
Banat culture and Vinca C horizons were ill situ to a sufficient extent to be
extensively commented upon. Only the bOlles with a clear temporal-stratigraphic
context were analysed for this report. T he remains fro m the other horizons derived
from either temporaly mixed or uncertain deposits.
nle importance of this faunal collection is that there arc very few
systematically analyzed Middle and L-lte Neolithic faunal collections fro m this region,
and in particular, from a single site (GREENFIE LD 1991). The advantage of
analyzing the remains from two successive temporal horiwns from the same site
is thai it is possible to monitor micro\emporai changes in resource exploitation at
a single location. Most analyses of longlived sites combine the M iddle and Late
Neolithic into a single assemblage, milking microtcmpcral changes impossible to
monitor.

Site Location an d D escrip tion

T he archaeological site is located appro ximately 500 In SE of the village of
Siinandrei, which is ca. 20 kill north of the city of Timi ~oara, in the Banat region
of SW Romania. The site is in the middle of a modern field. It is bounded on
296 THE VERTERRATE FAUNA FROM MlOOI..E ANIJ LATE NEOUTHIC SANANORI:I

three sides by stream beds (ancient and modem) and on one side by <I din rood
lead ing to the asphalt road between the village and Timi~oara.
TIle site is 011 ,I low e llipse-shaped natural mound rising slightly :.lOOVC the
surrounding plain . There ,Ire approximaely 32 m of cultu ral nmterinl deposited :lbovc
the sterile substrate, creating a tdl-like structure to the sile. The site is approxim:'ltc1y
108 E-W and 140 N-S m in size. al its maximum extent.
The sequence of deposits has been d ivided by the excavator into the following
categorieS; which are described from e:'lrJiesl to latest.
I . Danai Culture horizon - This is the earliest hori7.0n at the site. This cu lture
has been poorly dated by radiocarbon analyses. although it has been synthronised
with the Vinca A-D ~equen ccs from Serbia (d. CHAPM AN 198 1). It is a rc1:ltively
thick cultural horizon. found :'I t depths of ca. 90-190 cm beneath the surface. No
structures were found in the excavation area .
2. Vinca C horizon - Th is is a thinner horizon, found at depths of ca. 40-
90 em beneath the surface. No structural remains were found in the excavation area
of this horizon either.
3. Medieval - Thi s is the most recent occupation at the site . It was permanently
abandoned afterwards . Most of Ihe Medieval remains were found in the disturbed
modem plowzone . :It depth of ca. 0-40 cm beneath the surface; and in a number
of graves at various depths. often intrusive into the earlier Neolith ic horizons. TIlcre
are three empty graves with early Medieval 7th century AD sherds in them, and
another grave with am early :-"Iedieval skeleton in it. No faunal remains were
associated with the graves . However,lhese d isturbed the Neolithic deposits in various
pa(1.s of Ihe excavation area. TIle faunal remains associated with the Medieval deposits
were· identified. but not analyzed, because most of the Medieval remains were found
in disturbed contexts (often with Vinca and Banat culture remains) . As the
excavations progress and new material appears , it Illay be possible 10 pcrfonn an
more in depth analysis of these remains.

M ethodology

Excavation Goals

Sanandrei was chosen for excavation by the excavator because of the high
likelihood. of preserved Middle and Late Neolithic de posits at the site. This was
the initial o r test season of excavation as a prelude to a multiyear sequence of
champaigns. The goal for this first season was twofold: to determine the depth and
extent of the natural stratigraphy of the site. This was accomplished through a the
excavation of a test trench in the center of the site (3x5 m) and a systematic coring
of the entire mound (JONGSMA 1994). The coring demonsu3tcd that the test trencb
TLN,\ .I0NGSM'\, II,\SKEL .I. GREENfo'IEI.D 297

was slightly off-center, that the deepest Banal culture deposits had not been rcached
in the test trench, the size and shape of the site (since most of its edges were buried
under alluvium), and ex tent of each cultural horizoll.

Excav ation Methodology

Most of the deposits were excavated with shovels and spades, due to financ ial
and time constratints. More delicate digging instruments were used where warranted.
The test trench was divided into I x I m quadrats and remains were collected within
eaeh quand separately.
The trench was divided into two areas. They wcre e)(cavated sequent ially. The
first area (quads 1-5) WilS e)(cllvated by arbitrary excavation levels (approximately
the dcpth of a single spade - 20 e m) to determine the nmural stratigraphy in this
part of the site. LillIe of the fauna from this area was used in the analysis because
the arbitrary method of excavation caused a high frequency of mixing between
otherwise stratigraphically distinct cultural deposits. The rest of the trench (quands
6-15) were excavated according to the natural stratigraphy , with maximum depths
of 10-20 COl within a natural horizon . Most of the fauna discussed in this report
derive from this area . It waS excavated from largely ill situ deposits. and derive
from stratigraphically and temporally sealed contexts.

Recovery Procedures

All remains were collected by hand in the trench. due to the rapid nature
of excavation . No sieving or flotation took place. Therefore. there is a bias in the
analysis toward the larger fauna.

Method o f Fa un al Ana lysis

Each bone was individually laveled by lhe excavator with a provenience

number corresponding with its excavation level and absolute depth from the surface.
AI! of the bones from the 1992 summer were analysed during August of 1992 and
lentered into a computer spreadsheet for further analysis . The bones were identified
and analysed using thc standards outlined in Greenfield (1986). The dimension of
bone were measured whenever measurable points were intact (VON DEN DREISCl-l
1976). Each bone was identified to as fi ne a taxonomic level as posible . Whenever
13 species identification was not possible, a marc general size category was used.
The species were quantified using the system outlined in Greenfield (1 986; 199 1).
which is a modifi ed fonn of NISP (number of identified specimens) correetedby
articu lations.
298 THE VI:RTIi.IlR .... TE FAUNA FROM MIDDl.E ANO l.ATE NEOl.lTIt[C SAN ANDREI

Tap ~ onomy

Soil conditions at Sanandrei appear to be relatively good for bone preservation.

While the absolute pH was not recorded during excavation, soils at nearby sites
in the area are largely of a nonacidic nature (e.g. GREENFIELD 1991: GREENFLELD
.& DRA~OYEAN 1994).
The degree of weathering on bones can be used as onc indication of the extent
of assemblage attrition. The followi ng criteria were used in defining these categories:
! I. Fresh bones have liule or no discoloration and smooth surfaces.
2. Very slightly weathered bone is unpitted but has some di scoloration present
on the surface.
3. Slightly weathered bone has small pits and a Shiny surface.
4 . MecJjum weathered bone bas s slightly more pitied, lightly eroded, and
slightly cracked surface .
. 5. Heavily weathered bones have major destruction of the bone surface. such
as larger cracks , exposure of the cancellous surace , and a friable texturt:.
6. A water-worn bone has an entirely smooth and shiny surface.
'I The majority of the assemblage was very well preserved (table I). In fact.

it was one of the best preserved bone assemblages that either author has seen to
date in the region . Even delicate parts of bone normally not found in most other
contemporary collected, were well preserved. It future collections arc beHer recovered
with more systematic techniques. this site has tremendous potential for increasing
our understanding of the Middle-Late Neolithic transition in the Banat. Most bones
had 'only a slight to medium weathering pattern (N=I088 or 95% of the total
assemblage). Of these. the Very slight/slightly weathered bones is the largest grouping
(56%; N=639). The next group is the medium weathered bones (4 1%; N=47 1).
Relatively few bones were highly weathered (2.4%; N=27). None of the bones were
water-worn indicating thai the site was not nooded in such a way to expose the
bones to actively moving water. Only one bone appeared to be fresh. It was found
in the plowzone. The significant quantities of medium weathered bone indicate that
some attrition of the assemblage took plilce due to exposure to the clements. However,
the low frequenc ies of highly weathered bones indicate that the length of exposure
was not long enough to cause substantial assemblage attrition. The assemblage. while
damaged by exposure, is still in an acccptable level of preservation for paleocconomic
analysis (cr. GREENFIELD 1986 for oUlcr comparative studies in the region). There
are other sources of attrition that cause more severe analytical problems - i.e. recovery
methodology.
Burning of bone during cooking or other activities is another source of damage
to assemblage. Burnt bones tend to fragment more than unburnt bone. leading to
more rapid disintegration. The extent of assemblage attrition from burning appean
TINA JONGSMA. HASKE!. J. (;ltKENFIEI.O

to be minimal. Only 2.02% of the a... ~mblage appears to have been burnt (lab'
J). The degree of buming is even more indicative of the extent of damage. Differenti;
burning was identified on the basis of the color of the bone, representing differenti.
length of eXI}Qsure or intensity to <In open-fire sou rce . 'nle white color reprcs.ell
bones that arc calcined by entensivc exposurc to heat, blackened bones al
intermediate in length or intensity of exposure , and red bones from least exposUi
to fire. It is important to identify the color a burnt bone because it can indica
the nature of cooking and extent of bonc destruction. Most of the burnt bone
red (N=17) and fewer blackened (N=5). None of the bonc was white indicating th
there has been little total calcination of bone. For example. a higly fired bone (whit,
was probably left in a fire after the meat was consumed. The degree of burnir
appears to be lower (half) than at comparable sites in lIle region (GREENFIEL
1986; 1991).
The degree of bone destruction by gnawing appears to be morc extensive (tab
I). Almost 14% of the assemblage was gnawed. This is a relatively high proportio
when compared to other sites in the area (GREENFIELD 1986), indicating a relative
high degree of attrition by dogs. Only canid gnawed bones were identified. The
was no evidence of any other source of gnawing, such as rodents on this bOI
~ssemblaeg. The categories of gnawing arc as fol lows:
J . Sligh is a bone gnawed by a canine on a sm~ll surfa ce of the bone.
2. Medium is a bone gnawed across the surface of one end of a bone.
3. Heavy is when gnawing can be found over extensivc areas of a bont
Most of the bones were only slightly gnawed (49%). TIlc rest were were fOUl
In the medium and heavy catcgories, in relatively equ~l quantities. indicating tl
dramatic extent of damage to the a..ssemblage by bone gnawing.
Recovery methodology also has an effect on the degree of representivenc
of the assemblage. The assemblage was not recovered in a systematic fa shion.
was not sieved or floated. Hcnce, the smaller species and the smaller bones of lar!!
species are severely underrepresented (table 2). This is most obvious is the alme
total lack of small species. There is only olle bone in the elllire assemblage. Smt!
szied species are represented by only 11 bones (0.96%). This is totally at odds wi
the distribution of sieved assemblages from nearby sites (GREENFIELD 198
GREENFIELD & DRA~OVEAN 1994) and result of sic\'ing experiments (PA Yl'
1972: GREENAELD 1986: 1991). The rate of identification is also a usefu l indicat
of selectivity of recovery methodology . SystemRlically collected samples (sieve
tend to have very high rates of totally unidentifiable (or to a size-category) fragmen
At S5nandrei, just the opposite was found. Over half of the assemblage \\
identifiable te the species (54.3%; N=62 1). Only 50 bones (4.4%) were Iota
un identifiable, even to a size category. Another indication is the size of the bon,
Almost no loose teeth or small-sized bones (e.g. phalanges or carpals/tarsals) we
recovered, especially from medium·sized mammals. Microfauna. such as fish. bil
300 Till! VERTEBRAT.; FAUNA ':ROM MIDDL.E AND LATH NEOI.ITH'C SANANDRIiJ

and small as rabbit. are importam indicatoris of die!. There is an almost 10lal absence
of these types of species in the assemblage. As a result, it is impossible to detelTlline
whether they were consumed lit the site, due to recovery methodology.
The question musl be asked. as a consequence of the above realization of
the extent of assemblage damage. To what extent is this assemb lage representive
of the original assemblage of bones discarded by the ancient inhabitants? Can we
reconstruct their paleoeconomy when we are faced with such obv iously damaged
assemblage? In our opinion, this assemblage is not suitable fo r paleoeconomic
reconstruction. It can however be used as a preliminary indicator of the macrofaunas
consumed at Slnandrei during the Neolithic.

The Species

The remains of each of the identified taxa will be discussed in relation to

the entire site and each of the Neolith ic horizons.
Domestic. versus Wild The distribution of domestic versus wild species from
the Banat culture to the Vinca C horizon is not significantly different. The percentage
of domestic species increases slightly from 45% (N:::88) to 55% eN::: 107), with
corresponding changes in wild species percentages (table 2).
Dos tauros - Domestic cattle is the most common of t.he identified taxa al \
the site, represented by 259 bones (42% of the identified assemblage - table 2).
The percentage of cattle is probably innated due to recovery bias (due to its larger
size and greater visibility). Even though caule frequencies are biased. they can be
used to monitor changes over time in relation to each other. For example. the
frequency of domestic cattle dramatically increases over time rrom 35% (Banat
culture) 9f identified taxa to 53 % (Vinl!a C). This may indicate Ihe beginnings of
the shift .towards secondary products exploitation in this region (cf. GREENRELD
1988). Cattle are the dominant species in each of the Neolith ic horizons. The age
distribution in the Banat culture horizon (table 3) were 10% juveni les, 30% subadults ,
60% adults. In the Vinca C horizon, the age distribution is 5% juveniles, 23%
subadults. and 73% adults. There is a noticeable decrease in the number of juvenile
and subadults being slaughtered. This is indicative of a shift in exploitation strategy
towards secondary products (GREENFIELD 1988). There Banm culture and one
Vinl!a C horizon bones were burnt black or red. One Banat culture and seven Vinca
C bones had butchering marks. Ten (42%) Banal culture and and 20 (69% of the
chewed bones) Vin~ C bones were dog chewed (table 4), It is interesting to note
that catlie " bones had the highest frequencies of dog chewing. TIllS does not
necessarily mean that they were mostly chewed. More likely, these arc the bone
types that best survived chewing .
TINA JONt;""" IA, IIASK EI, .I. ( aU':EN n~:Ln 30)

O l'is mics ;lIld GI{Jm hircus - In this section , we wi ll discuss the data Oil
all domestil' sheep and gOOlt, combined. includi ng those bones that could not be clearly
ident ified H, one or the nther taxa (OvisfClpra). O vie:lprines arc the fourth -most
commo n '~ I)Cc i C!': :It Ihe site. They remain in this position in both the Banal cu hure
and Vinca C horizons even though they decl ine from 13% in the B:mOlt Culture
to 8% in the Vinca C horizons. This decl ine is fou nd over milch of temperate S6
Europe during the middle Neolithic as economics shirt from Mediterranean species
(sheep and goat) 10 thosc n:l ti\'e to temperale SE Eurnpc ( pigs :lIld cows). The
relatively smOlIi numbers of ovicaprincs in contrast to othcr sites. in general. is
probably a result of poor rccovery methods (Greenfield 1991), It is difficult to spea k
about the :Igc di ~tri bu tion l>illce two species arc i nvu l\'~·ll. I lowcvcr. it is interest ing
to note that the gO:lt bones we re all i{lenti fied as adu1t~, while the sheep hones were
juven iles. The gener:ll age distribution for all ovicaprines in the Banat cu lture horizon
is 25% juveniles. 33% suh:ldu lts. :md 42% ad ults. In the VinCa C horizon. there
9% jU\lcnile .. , 18% subad ults. and 73% adu lts. This is a significant difference that
appears to renect a shift from prim:lry to secondary prodUC t exploit <Ilion at the site.
This, however . also ma y refl ect :1 shift from sheep to goat in the site. Goats were
identified on ly III the Vinl::a C horizon . One ho ne was burnt in the Banat cu ltu re
and a ile was butchered in the Vinca C horizon. Four (17% of :111 dog chewed bones)
Danat culture and 2 (7%) Vi nca C bones wcr" dog chewcd . The low percc11Iages
renect the low J\u rvival probability fo r ovi.:aprine chewed bones .
C711is {.7miliaris - Onl y 3 domestic dog bone fragments were fou nd in the
entire :I~selllblage, placing them in seventh position. T wo fr<lgmellts were found in
Danat cultu re and none in the Vinca C horizons. The agcahle dOBs were equally
divided between subadult and :ldul ts. None were burnt, burchered or gnawed .
Sus Scm!:1 da m. - Domestic pigs arc tied with o\'icaprines as the fifth -most
frequent t:lxon m the site ( 10% o f the identified asselllblap,c). They remain in fiflh
place in the Ban:\t culture hori zon . but rise to third pl<lcC in the Vinca C hori7.0n
evcn though their absolute and relative frequencies do Il()l change (9% ; N= 14). The
3ge distri bution is :II so different. In the l3ana t culture is 8% juveni le. 62% subaduil ,
and 3 1% adu lt , whi le in the Vonca horizons, il is 30% juvenile. 70 % sUbadult, and
0% adult. The llanat culture hori1.on is a tYPIcal pig ellploitalioll pattern, with ;1
dominancc of immature individuals. TIu'. lack of adults in the Vinc:I ho ri zon is
unusual. None of the bo n e.~ were bumt or butchered. Four B:ln:ll cuhure ;lnd ~ VinCa
C horizon bones were dog chewed. Both were 17% of the chewed assembl:lge.
SII.~ scrof.7fcr. - Wild pigs arc the thi rd-most common taxon at the site ( 12%
of identificl ;Isscmblage; N=74). But this posilion dramatically shifts frum the Banm
culture (second place; 19%) to the Vinca C horizon (si xth pl ace; 7%). The decline
in w ild species over time between the two levels is moslly attributable to the decline
in w ild pig and increase in domestic cattle cllploilation. In the Bamu culture horizon,
there is 6'* juvenile, !8% subad ult, :lIld 76% adults rrmai ns. In the Vin~a C horizon,
 302 THIO VERTEIlRATIO FAU NA FROM MIDDLIO AN D LATE NEOI.I TII I(' SANANI) REI

there is 17% juveniles. 17% subadults. anc! 67% adu les. There is a signifieam increase
in the freque ncy of imm:Uure individuals and decline in adults between the two
periods . One Vin ~a C h"lIe was buml red. Ihree Ibnal culture h(llle ~ had cui nwrks.
and 2 Banat cu lture bones were dog-gnawed.
Ccrvus claphus· Red J eer is the seco nd-most common taxon at the site ( 17%) .
. Even through their perccntage~ do not change much over time. they rise fr0111 Ihird
place in the Banat culture (15%) to second place in the Vinc:! C horizon (13%).
This change is largely a resu lt of Ihe dram:lIie increases in domestic cattle. which
absorb the percentages of other taxa but without changing relative positioning
dramatically. Their high fre{]uencies arc somewhat misleading since a su b.~tan lial
perccm3ge of their remains are loose antler fragments (N=22; 20% of lotal red deer
sample), possibly colkcled as a raw material for tools. An eqlli valent percentage
of roe deer remains were cClInpo~ of anller fr:lgments (N= IO; 20%). None of the
ant.ler bases, however. was from a shed individual or wcre still attached to ;I skull.
In the Banat culture. 40% arc subadult and 60% are adult remains. In the Vinca
C horizon. 21% are subadull and 79% are adult. In both phases. the emphasis is
upon adult remains. although Ihere is a decline of subadult lind increase in adult
remains over time. Since the anller remains were a relatively small proportion of
the analysis. they were included in the agc anal ysis of cervids (red and roc). None
of the bones were burnt. Fh'c Banat culture and 2 Vinca C bones had butchcring
marks. Three Banal culture and one Vinca C bones were dog gnawed.
Caproolus capreolus - Roc deer arc the sixth-most common taxon at the sile.
h shifts slightly from this position to fifth from the Bana( cu lture 10 Vinca C horizon
while slightly increasing in percentage (6-8%). In the Banat culture horizon. 25%
were subadult and 75% were adult . In the VinCa C horizon, 10% were subaclult
and 90% were adult . These changesin the age distribution (drmnatic increase in
adults) parallel those from rcd deer. None of the bon e~ were burnt. One Banal culture
and one Vinca C bone was buthered. One Banat cul ture bone was dog chewed .
B os pnlllegcnius - Aurochs or wild catth.: arc eighth-most common taxon at
the site. None were found in Ihc Banat culture and only one was found in Ihe Vinca
C horizon. However, this individual s[>ccimen was only as~ig n cd to this taxon .
tentati vely. We wereunsure if it was an aurochs or simply an extremely large domestic
.cattle (male?). It was an ad ult . llle only cenain aurochs bone c:lme from :I gra'"e
with an unknown level. None were bumt. butchered. or gn:lwec!.
Canis lupus - Wolves arc represented by a single bone in the emire asscmblage.
It came fro m the Banal culture horizon. They are in ninth position . It was not securely
ageable (subadultladuJt). nor burned, butchered. or gnawed.
Equus caballus - Domestic horse are lied in ninth posit ion in the o"erall
assemblage. with wolves and birds. Two of the fragmen ts were found in Ihe Vinca
C horizon. However. given the number of intrusive Medieval burials and the rapid
nature of the excavation. il is uTlcel1ain whether it can be accuratcly attibuled to
 30:\

the Lat ~ Neolithie. The (lthc~ were in thc plowzonc. NOll": were aHribut;,hle to a
~p\:ciric age gruu p, bUllied, butl·hen.:\I, IJr gn;lwctl.
A l j·s :-']1. - 1\ hOlle of 0111 lJn ilie1l1ill;lhic wild hird \\'a, fUllnj l in the Vinca
C 110riWIl.
N omo s,1piclIS - Four bones belonging 1(1 hU 1l1an.~ were found at the site . 'Iluce
were fo und in the Vinca C hori7.01l. We ~us pc.;tt h;,( they belung to olle of Ihe \';I1·i()u~
Medieval graves that intruded illto this hurizo n.
Tabd 5 shows the distributiOIl of bone tools by horizoll . Tile most signific;lIlt
change from the Banat 10 the Vin~a C hm-imn is the decline of bone 1001s made
from Ccn'lIs (from 30-9%) :lnd Ol'islGlpm (22·9%) and the in Sus scrol1 da m .
(4- 18%) ;lI1d caule bone tools (26·36%). Tlu;-:-.e ch;lIlgcs p;u·;,llc1 Ihe over-III s hift ~
is s pecies frequencies (whle 2), rather th:1n rcOecting changing dlOicc of raw material.

C o nclusions

If the assemhlage is so severely dil!ll:1gcd by vari otl~ allrition:ll forces . C; 111

it be u:;;cd to hcip us lIt1dcr~l and expoilatil'f! ~ tr;,t cg i es fit Ihe sileo We feel th:ll in
C:1Il sl ill be of use ill monitoring ;ntra,sclllclIlI'nt c hangc ~ from onc phase to the
next, since the various forces of all n tion app ... ar to tr.mscend anyone phase. TIley
arc characteristic of the site, as n whole. and do not intcrcfcrc with intra-site and
intcr ·hori;:on an:llysis. It will, however . be difricult 10 compare the data in its sp<.:c itics
to other. less damaged asscmblagc$.
The data arc mOSI significant for our undc rstanding of the Ir:lnsition ill the
Banal from the ~'I iddl c Neolithic Bfln3t cuiturc to the Lale Neolithic Vinea C cu lture
at Sfin<l nd rei. The ch,lIlges :I n;: often subtle. but evident. ,-.nd !"\:ncr.:t ch:mge~ ill
subs istence stra tcgies from one phase to Ihe next. They are especiall y imponHIll
hecause they presage the more dramatic ch;mgcs tll:1l occur ,It the transition between
the Neolithic and Bro nz.e Age, with the advent of the sccomlary products fCvolulion
(GREENFIELD 198R).

BIBLIOG R APHI CA L REFE RENCE S

Ct t ,\ I)~·IM". JOHN C. 1~)!lI. The \lj·lJe .., CII/lure Qf 5<mlh ,·."lS1 Hurop!: SlIIdit..·~ III Ch/"rJl1()/. ~.:}. Ec"nom)
lind Sveiely. B ~ iush An;hacotol:i~:tl R ~lNns 117 (I!l~crn~tiO!l31 Series). Oxford. BAR.
GR EENFIELD. lIA SKEL J. 1986, The r.'/COL'<'(JfI(JJlII' of rhl.' C.'lIlml 8,1/k:JtI$ (Serhla): , I
Zomlrch1CQfopCill f'c/"!lpccliI'C II" Ihe L.~I<' ,\~'oftlhi( ,1M /Jrotl~,' Age (C.l. 45(j{)·/(J(}(I n C),
Bfll;~h An.hacolot;ieat Repons (O~ford). [111(,!!l31i"n~1 Scril."' .~O.t. \,tJlulne' 1 ;'011 2.
304 THE VERTE BR ATE FAUNA FROM MlIlDLE AND LATE NEOLITH IC SANANDRF.I

GREENFIELD, HASK EL J. ]988 . The Origins of Milk and Wool I'rodu~t ion in the 0](.1 World: ,\
~ • ZooatI:haeologieal I't rspccl ive from the Centra] Balkans. Current AnthropoloGY 29 (4): 573·
593, 743· 748.
GREENFIELD. HASKEL J . 199 1. F~una from the '-lUI: Neolithic of Ihe CeUl,.,,] IJ:llknns: Is~uC$ in
Subsistence and L.1nd UliC. Joum,11 of Ficld Arch,tcology ]8: ]61 - IX6.
GREENFIELD , HASKEL 1. ~>ld FLORlN DRASOV EA N 1994. An Early Ncoli thic .slar~evo-Cli1
Senlement in the Rom':l.llia n Banal: Preliminary Repon on II>e 19'12 Ex cav~l ion AI Focni · S~la,.
Ana/ek BlJIlarvlui (Timi~~. Romlnia) 3:
JONGSMA, TINA 199-i, Anal}'sis of the 1992 Soils Cores from Sinandrci. Romani". Studii de Istorie
• BtlMrv/ui (TimiJOam. Romania) 15: 45-54.
PAYNE, SEBASTIAN 1972, Panial recovery and sample bias: T he results of some sievi ng e~pc ri me nt "
In PDpus in Economic l>rchisrnry, edi ted by Eric S. Higgs. Cambridge: Cambridge Univcrsity
Press, pp. 49-64.
Von denDRIESCH, ANGELA ]976, Donc MC.1Su~mcm for ArrhxQ/uGisls.l'eabody Museum. Uull~lin
no. 1. Harvard Univcrsity, Cambridge. MassachussellS.

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