ARCHAEOZOOLOGICAL MATERIAL FROM THE SETTLEMENT SITES AT LINNAALUSTE AND THE HILL FORT AT KEAVA

The present paper discusses the results of archaeozoological analyses of materials collected from the settlements of Linnaaluste and from the hill fort of Keava. Also the issues concerning the anatomical composition of bone material and the age of animals at slaughter are examined. The prevailing part of bone fragments belong to domesticated animals. The sheep/goats are dominating species in the materials of the Viking Age settlements (I and III). The percentage of sheep/goat is somewhat smaller and the percentage of pig is greater in the material of Final Iron Age hill fort. The relative importance of pig is even more prominent in the material of II settlement, which is mixed with bone fragments of later period. The percentage of cattle is approximately the same in all materials. The bones of game are few, the represented species are beaver, elk, fox, hare and bear. The comparative analyses of results are conducted; for comparison the archaeozoological data of other Estonian settlements and hill forts from Viking Age and Final Iron Age are used. 1 This study was supported by the target financed research project No. SF0130012s08 and grants from Estonian Science Foundation (Nos 7880 and 8526).