Animal Remains from the Sidon Medieval Ditch, 'College Site', Lebanon
Jwana Chahoud2017, Berytus
Recent excavation at College Site Sidon has revealed new animal remains from the medieval occupation of the city. These faunal assemblages consisted of equid and swine skeletons discarded in a medieval ditch. Archaeozoological analysis conducted on these remains has allowed us to better understand the type of animal exploitation that took place during the medieval period. Introduction The discovery of the medieval wall of the city of Sidon and its outer ditch 1 has enabled new insights into the perimeter and expansion of the ancient city. Previously we lacked details regarding the daily diet and interaction between humans and animals during this period, especially from Sidon. The recently excavated ditch has uncovered for the first time animal remains contemporary to the medieval occupation of the city, hence providing new archaeozoological data for medieval Sidon.
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Animal Remains from the Sidon Medieval Ditch,
‘College Site’, Lebanon
Jwana Chahoud∗
Abstract
Recent excavation at College Site Sidon has revealed new animal remains from the medieval occupation of the city.
These faunal assemblages consisted of equid and swine skeletons discarded in a medieval ditch. Archaeozoological
analysis conducted on these remains has allowed us to better understand the type of animal exploitation that took
place during the medieval period.
Keywords Archaeozoology, Levant, Medieval, equid and swine skeletons
Introduction
The discovery of the medieval wall of the city of
Sidon and its outer ditch1 has enabled new insights
into the perimeter and expansion of the ancient
city. Previously we lacked details regarding the
daily diet and interaction between humans and
animals during this period, especially from Sidon.
The recently excavated ditch has uncovered for
the first time animal remains contemporary to the
medieval occupation of the city, hence providing
new archaeozoological data for medieval Sidon.
Material and methods
The animal remains recovered by hand collecting
and dry sieving from the fill of the ditch consisted
of 268 fragments with only 184 NISP (Number
of identified specimens) and 2.6 kg of bones,
teeth and shells. Tooth eruption and occlusal
wear for mandibles and maxillae were recorded
using the stages outlined by Levine (1982) and
∗
Lebanese University, Beirut and CNRS-Archéorient,
France
1
For more details on the medieval ditch, please refer to
Silver (1969), and measurements followed von
den Driesch (1976).
The identification of species revealed four main
individuals: three equids and one swine. Two
in situ articulated skeletons of young equid and
young swine were recorded in the fill of the
ditch along with bone fragments, coin, ceramic
sherds and iron objects (Figure 1). None of the
individuals showed any signs of butchery or
skinning, and no signs of gnawing were found
on the remains. Only a few bones revealed light
burn marks, indicating direct contact with fire
(4 equid fragments, 2 swine fragments, 78 shafts
of indeterminate bones of less than 1 mm).
Results
Swine (context 10163)
An articulated skeleton of a young pig was
recorded from the fill at the southern edge of
the ditch. The skeleton was disturbed later by
the preceding article, “Sidon: The 2013 and 2014 Seasons
of Excavation, and 16 Years on College Site” by Claude
Doumet-Serhal.
132 Jwana Chahoud
the construction of a modern pillar (Figure 2).
The trunk and limbs were found articulated in
situ, nevertheless the skull and the feet parts
were missing, probably disturbed by the later
site activity. The carcass was deposited on its
right side with the head side directed toward the
southeast. The pelvis and scapulae are the only
fused bones. On the basis of epiphyseal fusion
data of long bones, the pig was around one year
of age. Four ribs, 1 humerus, 1 ulna and 1 femur
were fractured by post-depositional activities
of the continuous fill. Collapsed stones covered
parts of the animal carcass and may have caused
post-depositional fractures and movement of
bones. The forelimb was close to hearth remains,
therefore, a few bones presented burnt surfaces
(fire temperature less than 150 degrees).
Equids (Cxt 10132)
Three individuals were identified in the northern
part of the fill associated with collapsed stones.
One equid skeleton was deposited on its left side,
head to the west (Ind. 1). The entire skeleton was
found articulated in situ except for the missing
feet (metapodial and phalanx; Figures 3 and 4).
The latter were truncated by a modern pillar. On
the basis of epiphyseal fusion data, the equid,
Ind. 1, is less than one year of age. Further data
from the skull and mandible suggest that the
foal was less than 6 months. Shoulder height
calculated on the great length of the unfused
radius is estimated around 91 cm.
The identification of equid species based on the
morphology of teeth and bones was not possible
due to the unworn state of deciduous teeth and
the young age of the individual. The skull was
clearly truncated by later fill, and only the lower
part was preserved.
Two other adult equids were found in the fill
of the ditch, represented only by a skull and
teeth fragments and 6 ribs. One adult individual
(Ind. 2) was identified based on mandibles and
skull fragments, and a second individual (Ind. 3)
based on four teeth. One adult mandible is more
likely to be attributed to a donkey Equus asinus
or a hybrid equid. Small-sized canine teeth were
recorded in the lower mandibles. This might refer
to a female individual aged 9-10 years according
Berytus LVI, 2016
to wear stage and height of teeth. The third
individual presents teeth criteria similar to adult
E. asinus. Measurements of adult lower teeth
are recorded according to Eisenmann (1980)
(Table 1).
Other species
Caprine bone fragments are recorded in less
abundant quantities (one radius of an adult
domestic goat and one rib). Other animal remains
are identified with the equid bones: a chicken
bone along with two bivalves and three land
snails.
Discussion
The two contexts represent the upper and middle
fill of the ditch. The lower fill (10164) directly
above the floor of the ditch (10140) presents
no bone remains. The fill served as refuse from
outside the wall of the city, where young and
adult animals were discarded. No cut marks were
recorded on the surfaces, suggesting that these
animals were not dismembered or consumed, and
all were covered pretty rapidly after deposition
in the ditch. The absence of slaughter or fracture
marks on the cervical vertebrae was recorded.
The articulated skeleton was not scattered or
dismantled by scavengers or movement of soil
and water. Only modern activities have truncated
the fill, and therefore parts of the skeleton are
missing (feet and skull). No pits were identified
for the deposited animals, and the position and
the state of the bones indicates a rapid fill and
covering of the carcass.
According to the taphonomy of the bones, the
animals were not skinned for their fur or eaten
in ‘‘times of famine’’. What then do they tell us?
These bones were probably not the remains of
animals slaughtered for human consumption, but
rather were discarded directly after death. They
were all deposited at the same locations with the
rest of the waste and collapsed stones: iron nails,
ceramic sherds and stones. Also all individuals
were less than one year old at death, meaning that
all the articulated skeletons can be considered
juvenile. Questions remain about whether horse/
donkey and pig meat were forbidden as culinary
Animal Remains from the Sidon Medieval Ditch, ‘College Site’, Lebanon 133
preference by the inhabitants of the city during
this period. Meanwhile, equids were known to be
used as riding animals for transport and during
final attacks in battles. The remains discarded in
this ditch represent a waste deposit outside the
city wall. Uncovering other remains from the
medieval layers could help identifying the nature
of these discarded carcasses and the role of
animals in the diet and life of medieval occupants
of Sidon.
Figure 1: Plan of the ditch
Berytus LVI, 2016
134 Jwana Chahoud
Figure 2: Distribution of recorded bone (in grey) of young
equid (Ind. 1)
Figure 3: Distribution of recorded bone
of young pig (in grey)
Figure 4: The equid remains (10132): Ind. 1 and Ind. 2
Table 1: Lower teeth measurements of equid
Tooth
Ind. 2
Ind. 3
B
L
H
Ldb
lo
LO
lf
Premolar
2
15.16
27.04
29.99
13.03
11.86
27.15
11.2
Premolar
3
17.08
24.94
29.99
15.95
12.97
24.04
10.85
Premolar
4
14.33
23.66
29.99
14.02
9.45
23.88
8.49
Molar
1
16.99
24.18
29.99
14.46
11.21
23.97
8.52
Molar
2
16.28
23.34
29.99
13.13
10.26
23.11
7.78
Molar
3
13.24
26.21
29.99
10.97
8.3
26.23
8.6
Premolar
2
16.11
28.16
38.39
13.73
11.53
28.01
11.98
Premolar
1
23.02
31.07
0
Upper Molar
2
21.76
21.27
36.43
Berytus LVI, 2016
Animal Remains from the Sidon Medieval Ditch, ‘College Site’, Lebanon 135
References
Eisenmann V 1980 Les chevaux (Equus sensu Lato)
fossiles et actuels: crâne et dents jugales supérieures.
Cahiers de paléontologie. Paris: CNRS.
Levine M A 1982 The use of crown height
measurements and eruption wear sequences to age
horse teeth. In Wilson B, Grigson C and Payne S (eds),
Ageing and Sexing Animal Bones from Archaeological
Sites. Oxford: BAR, British Series 109, 223–250.
Silver I A 1969 The ageing of domestic animals.
In Brothwell D and Higgs E (eds), Science in
Archaeology. A Survey of Progress and Research (2nd
ed). London: Thames and Hudson, 238–302.
von den Driesch A 1976 A Guide to the Measurement
of Animal Bones from Archaeological Sites. Harvard
University, Peabody Museum of Archaeology and
Ethnology. Peabody Museum Bulletin 1.
Berytus LVI, 2016
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