engleski

Contribution to understanding Avar burials with equids in Croatia: detailed archaeozoological analysis

The analysis was carried out on five equid skeletons from Avar Period graves from the following Croatian sites: grave 88 at Stari Jankovci (AD 650-750), grave 4 at Otok - Gradina (AD 750-840), grave 16 from the same site (8th century), graves 4 and 5 at Khuen-Belasi Castle in Nuštar (end of 8th – beginning of 9th century). Based on morphological characteristics of some bones, the skeleton in Stari Jankovci grave 88 was identified to be a possible mule (average withers height 129 cm, age 3.5-4 years), while skeletal remains from the other four graves indicated that they were from horse. Horses from Otok - Gradina grave 4 (age 6 years) and grave 16 (10-year-old mare) as well as Nuštar grave 5 horse (age 7 years) were of medium withers height (139 cm). The tallest was the horse from Nuštar grave 4 with an average height of 143 cm (age 5.5-6 years). We found evidence of pathological changes in the horse spine in Nuštar grave: thoracolumbar transitional vertebrae, spondylosis ankylopoetica on the first two lumbar vertebrae and spondylosis chronica deformans on four thoracic vertebrae and one lumbar vertebra. This study provides the first comprehensive analysis of Avar Period equid skeletons from sites in present-day Croatia and shows that they are similar to other Avar Period horse burials in the region.

Avars, burials, horse, mule, archaeozoology, pathology

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