Animal exploitation over two millennia at Aukuras hill hillfort at the Kernavė archaeological complex, Lithuania
Zooarchaeological evidence from birds, fish, and mammals (c. 800 cal BC–1400 cal AD)
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 24216522 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Giedrė Piličiauskienė (0000-0002-5168-8568), Saulius Rumbutis (0009-0009-2089-5618), Karolis Minkevičius (0000-0002-3619-9686), Rokas Vengalis (0000-0003-1502-901X), Gintautas Vėlius (0009-0002-9523-7651) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 30 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 159-191 |
| Publication date | 2026-10-05 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Estonian Journal of Archaeology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1406-2933 • E-ISSN: 1736-7484 |
| Publisher | Estonian Academy Publishers (PUBLISHER • EE) |
| DOI | 10.3176/arch.2026.2.03 |
| OpenAlex | W7220449177 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 39 |
The KernavÄ archaeological complex in eastern Lithuania provides a rare opportunity to investigate long-term changes in humanâ animal relationships within a single site landscape. This paper presents the results of zooarchaeological analyses of 15 339 animal remains recovered from Aukuras hill hillfort in KernavÄ , of which 4207 were identified to various taxonomic levels, from order and family to species. The assemblage spans four occupation phases between c. 800 cal BC and 1400 cal AD and includes mammals, birds, and fish, allowing the reconstruction of animal husbandry, hunting, and fishing practices over nearly two millennia. The results demonstrate that farming was already fully established during the Late Bronze Age, with pigs and sheep/goats forming the basis of animal husbandry. During the late Pre-Roman and Roman periods, cattle became increasingly important, likely reflecting the intensification of crop cultivation. The same period yielded the earliest known chicken remains in Lithuania, indicating the introduction of the domestic chicken by c. 200 cal BCâ 200 cal AD. The medieval assemblage reveals a distinct pattern of elite consumption and hunting. Compared with the inhabitants of KernavÄ â s medieval Upper and Lower Towns, pork, birds, fish, and wild game appear to have played a more important role in the diet of the residents of Aukuras hill hillfort. The abundance of northern goshawk remains and hare bones points to the importance of falconry and specialised hunting focused on small game. The assemblage provides new insights into the interaction between farming, social status, and animal exploitation in the eastern Baltic from prehistory to the medieval period.
animal exploitation · Animal husbandry · cattle · elite consumption · falconry · Fishing · hares · human-animal relations · Hunting · Late Bronze Age · medieval diet · Middle Ages · northern goshawk · pigs · Roman Period · sheep and goats · Ancient and Medieval Archaeology Studies · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Historical and Archaeological Studies
Horses in Lithuania in the Late Roman–Medieval Period (3rd–14th C AD) Burial Sites
The Meaning of Eagles in the Baltic Region. A Case Study from the Castle of the Teutonic Order in Klaipėda, Lithuania (13th–14th Century)
Functional Evolution of the Kernavė Hillforts in the Iron Age
Animal Bones, Bone Artefacts and Bone Working at Late Bronze Age Fortified Settlements in North-Eastern Lithuania
Krievu Kalns Hill-Fort
New insights into the subsistence economy of the Late Bronze Age (1100–400 cal BC) communities in the southeastern Baltic
Paradise lost
Towards a better understanding of the economy and culture of the Late Bronze Age in the southeastern Baltic
The environment of the Neolithic archaeological sites in Šventoji, Western Lithuania
Fish, feather, fur and forest
Zooarchaeology of the Late Bronze Age Fortified Settlements in Lithuania
The earliest evidence for crop cultivation during the Early Bronze Age in the southeastern Baltic
Diet of the fortified settlement communities in Lithuania from 1000 cal. BC to 200 cal. AD
The first data on the human diet in Late Roman and Early Migration period western Lithuania
The transition from foraging to farming (7000–500 cal BC) in the SE Baltic
In search of Estonia’s earliest chicken
New Data of Funeral Customs and Burials of Bronze Age Reznes Cemetery in Latvia
Evidence of hawking (falconry) from bird and mammal bones
New evidence on the southeast Baltic Late Bronze Age agrarian intensification and the earliest AMS dates of Lens culinaris and Vicia faba
Agricultural development in the southeastern Baltic region from the late Bronze Age to the medieval period
Deconstructing the concept of Subneolithic farming in the southeastern Baltic
Morphological distinctions between the mandibular teeth of young sheep, Ovis, and goats, Capra
A guide for the distinction of species, sex and body side in bones of sheep and goat
Kill-off Patterns in Sheep and Goats
Human Diet During the Stone Age and Early Metal Period (7000–1 Cal Bc) in Lithuania
Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope inter‐ and intra‐individual dietary reconstruction from the late 14th to early 18th century site of Alytus, Lithuania
Virvelinės Keramikos Kultūra Lietuvoje 2800–2400 Cal Bc
Birds in Early Medieval Greater Poland
The prehistoric origins of the domestic horse and horseback riding
Bird remains from Vilnius Lower Castle, Lithuania (13th-19th centuries) reveal changes in social status and unusual bird pathologies
Diet patterns in medieval to early modern (14th-early 20th c.) coastal communities in Lithuania
A Method of Calculating the Dietary Percentage of Various Food Animals Utilized by Aboriginal Peoples
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |