Livestock management systems are complex refl ections of economic practices. During the mid-fourth millennium BC in southeastern Poland distinct economic activities were revealed using portable x-ray fl uorescence (herein pXRF). Portable X-ray fl uorescence was used to measure elemental levels of strontium in the teeth of cattle, sheep and pig. Strontium is fi xed in dental enamel after a tooth has formed. By comparing strontium in teeth of different developmental ages it was possible to segregate individuals into local and non-local animals from three sites. The patterns observed reveal two levels of stock-herding in the Bronocice region. One pattern of low strontium diversity revealed the existence of unique localized management strategies for each species indicating they were managed separately. Another pattern of high strontium variability confi rmed the importation of non-local animals on an increasing scale over time revealing another aspect of Bronocice’s involvement in long distance trade.
The Funnel Beaker or Trichterbecher (TRB) occupation at Bronocice, southeastern Poland (Malopolska) was based on a mixed farming economy, the cultivation of cereals and the keeping of domesticated animals. A zooarchaeological analysis and interpretation of the faunal assemblage from three phases of Funnel Beaker occupation (3800-3100 BC) revealed significant trends and patterns in animal husbandry practices reflective of increasing social complexity and specialization. In comparison with other sites in southeastern Poland the faunal data from Bronocice stands out as unique among Funnel Beaker sites with the exception of Zawarza.
Spatial archaeology usually links population estimates to settlement functions. Normal (Gaussian) or binomial distributions of a variable reflecting population values are used for groups of sites identified as seasonal occupations, hamlets, villages, centers etc. However, using this approach the demographic development remains hidden in bell-curves. To solve this issue we propose a research procedure that considers spatio-demographic development of the population. Application of this procedure to Funnel Beaker sites in the Bronocice region led to the identification of at least 7 sub-phases in the ‘classical’ period Bronocice 3 (BR II) and 4 (BR III) and could be increased to 8-9 sub-phases.
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