Dog as a part of ritual space in Przeworsk culture settlements: A zooarchaeological case study of Sławsko Wielkie, Poland

Abstract

So-called “dog burials” represent a common phenomenon discovered on many sites dating to the late Iron Age in Central Europe. The article focuses on zooarchaeological analysis of skeletal dog remains from Sławsko Wielkie, site 12 (Poland), a settlement of Przeworsk culture, dated to the La Tène and Roman periods (3rd century BCE – 5th century CE). Although these deposits were often discussed in the older archaeological literature regarding the ritual sphere of Iron Age societies, they still lack more systematic zooarchaeological research. In this study, we present the results of the research focused on morphotype and life conditions of the Iron Age dog population from the Polish Lowlands. A broad spectrum of methods is proposed, including biometry, age of death and sex estimations, observations of pathological alterations, and contextual and comparative analyses supplemented with radiocarbon dating.