Animal Economy and Social Diversity in Byzantine Apollonia/Sozousa

Lidar Sapir-Hen*, Miriam Pines, Oren Tal

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

5 Scopus citations

Abstract

This article examines the faunal remains retrieved from two distinct refuse deposits dated to the Late Byzantine period (6th to early 7th centuries AD) at Apollonia. The refuse deposits were located on the southern (area M) and northern (area O) extremities of the Late Byzantine period occupation at the site, and are recognized as belonging to two different groups. Despite the sample size, a trend can be detected, shedding new light on social diversity at the site. Although both assemblages are dominated by domestic species, there are differences: mainly the relative frequency of domestic and wild game species, in addition to the frequency of skeletal elements and the mortality profiles of the main domesticates. These differences indicate that the inhabitants of the two areas may have employed different modes of economy. This may hint at their usage by different religious groups, Christians and Samaritans, which are known to have inhabited the site.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)371-381
Number of pages11
JournalLevant
Volume46
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Sep 2014

Keywords

  • Animal bones
  • Apollonia/sozousa
  • Late Byzantine
  • Refuse disposal
  • Social diversity

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