Bird remains from the Starčevo and Lengyel culture settlements of the site Alsónyék-Bátaszék (South-western Hungary)
Bird remains from the Starčevo and Lengyel culture settlements of the site Alsónyék-Bátaszék (South-western Hungary)

Summary/Abstract: In this paper, the first Starcevo (Early Neolithic) and Lengyel culture (Late Neolithic) avian assemblages from Hungary are presented. The abundance of remains and identified wetland species in the Starcevo period sample of Alsonyek-Bătaszek located in south-western Hungary fits into the stereotype of the Koros culture localities from the eastern part of country indicating the frequent exploitation of aquatic resources by fowling, fishing and gathering. Golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) is first identified for the Neolithic avifauna of Hungary. Its presence in both the Starcevo and Lengyel period samples suggest that this species may have nested in the Mecsek or Villăny Mountains during the 6th-5th millennia BC. Interest in fowling at Alsonyek-Bătaszek seems to have declined towards the Late Neolithic according to the drop both in the quantity and diversity of birds. Nevertheless, wings, feathers and bones of diurnal birds of prey and owls proved to have been selected both for raw material and ornaments, and ritual purposes during the Lengyel Period.

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