Palaeozoology

The tomb of Kairsu is located north of the pyramid of Neferirkare and is part of a so far unexplored cemetery dating to the
reign of Neferirkare – Nyuserre. The mastaba features several highly unusual characteristics. Basalt blocks had been used for
the pavement in front of the façade and in the chapel. To date, it is the only attestation of such a practice in a non-royal tomb
in the Old Kingdom. Some of the titles of Kairsu show that he was a high ranking official. Kairsu was overseer of all royal
works of the king and foremost of the House of Life. There was a very close link established between this institution, which
was in fact a centre of knowledge and wisdom in the Old Kingdom, and the god of creation Khnum. It is also important that
the House of Life appears from the reign of Nyuserre when Osiris is attested for the first time. Another important feature
of the tomb is the fact that the statue of the tomb owner was placed in front of the sarcophagus. This only confirms the
previous assumption that ancient Egyptians were placing statues not only in different areas of tombs’ superstructures but
also in the burial chambers. There is a strong possibility that the owner of the tomb may be identical to the famous sage
of Egyptian history, who, according to a much later tradition, was author of the Loyalist teaching, Teaching for Kagemni and
Teaching of Kairsu and also father of the early Sixth Dynasty vizier Kagemni.

A new data block concerning diverse palaeoecological / bio-economic aspects, obtained through the use of natural science research methods is introduced to scientific turnover. The block consists of several separate investigations: palaeobotanical one (determination of cultivated plants and weeds, and tree species) and archaeozoological one (teriology, ichthyology, malacology). Materials for the analysis of four of the five areas (except teriological one) obtained thanks to the expanding of traditional archaeological research methods by applying flotation and panning.
A careful analysis of this block and a comparison between natural sciences data obtained independently, and also their comparison with markers of bio-economic activities, provides reliable justification for complex analysis that results in a reconstruction of ecology, environment and bio-economic activities of inhabitants of Severynivka hillfort in Antiquity.
The materials obtained also show the high efficiency and prospects of using thorough research methods on settlements, and owing to these methods the base for the comprehensive interdisciplinary approach to the treatment of various organic remains is accumulated. Such approach allows widening significantly the sources for study bio-economic activity of ancient inhabitants of Severynivka microregion as well as detailing the palaeoecological aspects of their life.
Keywords: Scythians, hillfort, flotation, panning, palaeoecology, palaeoethnobotany, archaezoology, bioresources, comprehensive analysis, bio-economic activity.

The paper presents results of multidisciplinary studies on environmental archaeology undertaken on complex of prehistoric and early historic settlements located at Złotoria village in north-eastern Poland. Relicts of settlements dated to the Stone Age, the Late Bronze Age, the Early Iron Age, the Roman Period and the Early Medieval Period have been uncovered at two sites at Złotoria. On both sites analysis including: archaeological research, geoarchaeological, palaeobotanical (i.e. pollen, macrofossils like fruits, seeds, wood and charcoal) and palaeozoological (Cladocera, bone remains from archaeological contexts) was performed. The profile of organic sediments of palaeochannel fillings has been collected and palaeoecological analyses of sediments have been elaborated as well.
Both sites have been situated on sandy ground, one of them (site no. 53) on deluvial sediments, and the second (site no. 56) on river terrace and slope of the Narew River valley. The settlement complex has been established on the one hand at the most suitable place for crossing the Narew River and on the other hand in the area featured by high geo- and biodiversity.

Hill fort Sverdlovske-1 is located on the right bank of the Desna River on a promontory overlooking the river valley at 45—50 m (Figs. 1; 4). The monument has been known for about 150 years; stationary studies were started in 1968 by O.M. Mel’nikovs’ka, and conducted after by O.Ye. Chernenko from 2014.
As a result of recent research of the hill-fort, a new data regarding its paleoecology and bio-economic specifics were obtained through the use of natural science methods in addition to the classic archaeological techniques. The present paper comprises a number of separate studies: palaeobotanical (definition of cultivated plants and weeds, trees) and archaeozoological (theriology, ornithology, ichthyology). Materials for the analysis were obtained due to the expansion of traditional archaeological techniques through the use of flotation and washing, as well as classical methods of research in archeology (Fig. 2). Filtering of the soil was held in the construction no. 1, investigated on the settlement in 2016 (Fig. 3).
Paleoetnobotanical materials came from three different samples; macrofossils are represented by typical medieval species — grain crops: Secale cereale (rye), Hordeum vulgare (barley), Triticum aestivum s. l. (soft wheat), Triticum dicoccon (emmer wheat), Panicum miliaceum (millet), Avena sp. (oats); also Cerealia (not defined to species or genus level); leguminous plants: Pisum sativum (pea), Lens culinaris (lentil), as well as the small number and variety of weeds, namely Convolvulus arvensіs (field bindweed), Setaria sp. (foxtail). However, the proportion of cultural grain crops in palaeoethnobotanical spectrum by weight is somewhat different from the synchronous counterparts (Figs. 5—7; Tables 1—3). The analysis of all data may indicate not only the high level of farming, but also a good adaptability to natural conditions. An indirect confirmation of agriculture and its role for inhabitants of the Sverdlovske I are holes that could be used for grain storage (Fig. 11, 1) and the finds of pans to dry grain (and maybe for cooking bread; Fig. 12).
Analysis of wood remains suggests the use of trees, which are traditional for this region — oak (Quercus sp.) and pine (Pinus sylvestris). Their wood was used for the production needs such as building and heating (Table 4).
Analysis of bone remains belonging to mammals (Tables 5; 6; 10; Figs. 8; 13—14) indicates the possibility of maintenance of herd in the stall period and, accordingly, the development of animal husbandry, which was typical for Slavs during the 1st millennium AD (the prevalence of cattle in a herd and meat production, the importance of pigs (by number) and horses (for meat); an auxiliary role of small livestock). The findings of spindles indicate the usage of raw materials for the manufacture of tissue from agriculture and / or stockbreeding (Fig. 15).
At the same time, the proportion of hunting, both in the number of individuals and in the meat volume, was about 30 % — it is significantly enough to recognize the important role of hunting in the life of the ancient inhabitants of Sverdlovske-1. It should be also noted that the hunting have had both meat and fur-bearing orientation.
Both industries associated with obtaining or production of meat in large quantities, also supply raw materials for various kinds of crafts. Numerous bone wares were found in the archaeological material from the Sverdlovske-1 (Fig. 17).
Ornithological studies have established the prevalence of wild birds in the number of species and individuals (Anas platyrhynchos, Anas crecca / quercuedula, Clangula hyemalis, Ardea cinerea, Lyrurus tetrix, Perdix perdix — seven individuals) over the poultry (Gallus domestica — four individuals; Anser anser / Anser anser f. domestica — one individual) (Table 7). These data also favor the importance of the appropriating economy.
Fishing (Table 8; 9) is represented by eight fish species (mainly pike Esox lucius, perch Perca fluviatilis, catfish Silurus glanis and zander Sander lucioperca; less numerous were roach Rutilus rutilus, bream Abramis brama, asp Aspius aspius, and carp Cyprinus carpio). Such composition indicates the importance of individual fishing. There were also tackles for mass fish catch, as evidenced by finds of clay weights for nets (Fig. 16), as well as possible tools for their weaving (Fig. 17).
The analysis of bio-economic activity carried out by inhabitants of the Sverdlovske-1 hill fort indicates the maximum and rational use of products from playback economy (agriculture, livestock), and from foraging (hunting, fishing, the role of collecting is not confirmed yet, although its important role is hypothetically undeniable) (Fig. 10). This is also evidenced by the attempt of comparison of food derived from various sectors of the economy (Fig. 18).
Keywords: Slavs, Romny archaeological culture, Sverdlovske-1, flotation, washing, palaeoecology, paleobotany, arhaeozoology, bio-resources, comprehensive analysis, bio-economic activity.

Based on materials from Monastyrok hill-fort, fishery of the Early Slavs from the Dnipro River (middle region) is analyzed in this paper. A comprehensive study of the circumstances in which ichthyological remains and fishing tackle were uncovered, as well as the comparative analysis of the latter was conducted. As a result, a conclusion is made that the fish-hooks belong to the Early Slavonic period of the hill-fort. In addition, owing to the work with the collections of the N national Museum of Natural history of the national Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, uncovered and attributed was the ichthyologic material from the site describing the industrial fish species in the Early Slavonic period.
Ichthyologic identification showed that at least 10 fish species of 9 genera and 5 families were encompassed into the fishery. The majority of these remains belong to fish of prey: pike, catfish, zander, and perch; sturgeons and carp fishes are represented by single bones. numerous findings of cranium bones are indisputable evidence for fishery, but not fish import. The method of reconstruction the weight and body size of single fish individuals showed that big mature fishes prevailed in catch. O owing to this reconstruction, it is ascertained that both tackle for individual (with hooks), and mass (with nets) catch were used.
The data obtained convincingly prove the importance of fishery in vital activity of population at the Monastyrok hill-fort and of all the East Slavs habituating the middle region of the Dnipro River in the period from the 8th to the 13th centuries AD. The species and size diversity of industrial fish is an indirect evidence for the usage of both tackle types: of individual (with hooks) and mass (with nets) catch. Analysis of the context of the hooks’ finds testifies for their usage mainly in the Early Slavonic period of the Monastyrok hill-fort existence.

Peatlands are important records of past environmental changes. Based on a multiproxy analysis, the main factors influencing the evolution of a peatland
can be divided into autogenic and allogenic. Among the important allogenic factors, apart from climate change, are deforestation and drainage, which
are directly associated with human impact. Numerous consequences arise from these processes, the most important of which are physical and chemical
denudation in the catchment and the related hydrological disturbances in the catchment and peatland. The present study determined how human
activities and the past climatic variability mutually influenced the development of a small peatland ecosystem. The main goals of the study were: (1) to
trace the local changes of the peatland history over the past 600 years, (2) to investigate their relationship with changes in regional hydroclimate patterns,
and (3) to estimate the sensitivity of a small peatland to natural and human impact. Our reconstructions were based on a multiproxy analysis, including
the analysis of pollen, macrofossils, Chironomidae, Cladocera, and testate amoebae. Our results showed that, depending on the changes in water level,
the history of peatland can be divided into three phases as follows: 1/the phase of stable natural conditions, 2/phase of weak changes, and 3/phase of
significant changes in the catchment. Additionally, to better understand the importance of the size of catchment and the size of the depositional basin in
the evolution of the studied peatland ecosystem, we compared data from two peatlands – large and small – located close to each other. The results of
our study indicated that “size matters,” and that larger peatlands are much more resilient and resistant to rapid changes occurring in the direct catchment
due to human activities, whereas small peatlands are more sensitive and perfect as archives of environmental changes.

Ein Jahrtausend lang (395-1453 n. Chr.) prägte das Byzantinische Reich den östlichen Mittelmeerraum. Die gut erhaltenen Ruinenstädte von Caričin Grad, Ephesos oder Palmyra mit ihren Kirchen und Mosaiken führen uns eindrucksvoll seine Pracht und Wirkmächtigkeit vor Augen. In diesen urbanen Zentren spielte sich aber nur ein Bruchteil des byzantinischen Lebens ab. Der größte Teil der Bevölkerung arbeitete in der Landwirtschaft, der Fischerei, dem Handwerk und dem Handel.
Diese Tätigkeiten waren weitgehend mit Tieren oder tierischen Rohstoffen verbunden und führten die Menschen hinaus auf die steinigen Äcker, in die Auwälder, in die Berge und auf das Meer. Dieses Buch geht der Frage nach, wie Menschen im Byzantinischen Reich Tiere nutzten und damit ihre Umwelt prägten und veränderten. Aber auch der Aspekt, wie sich Tiere den Aktivitäten der Menschen anpassten, wird beleuchtet. Wie nutzten sie die menschlichen Infrastrukturen? Historisch-archäologische Forschungen, naturwissenschaftliche Methoden, schriftliche Quellen und bildliche Darstellungen geben einen Eindruck vom fächerübergreifenden Instrumentarium, das uns heute zur Verfügung steht, um dieses zukunftsweisende Feld der Altertumskunde zu untersuchen. Und auch der byzantinischen Umwelt wird auf diesem Wege wieder etwas Leben eingehaucht.

The Żabieniec kettle hole is the first peatland in central Poland analyzed quantitatively with four biotic proxies (plant macrofossils, pollen, testate amoebae and chironomids) to reconstruct the past environmental change. Palaeoecological data were supported by historical and archaeological records. We focused on autogenic vegetation change and human impact in relation to climatic effects. The aims of our study were (a) to describe the development history of the mire during the last 2,000 years, (b) to date and reconstruct the anthropogenic land-use changes and (c) to discuss a possible climatic signal in the peat archive. The combination of proxies revealed dramatic shifts that took place in the peatland since the Roman Period. Żabieniec was a very wet telmatic habitat until ca. AD 600. Then, the water table declined, and the site transformed into a Sphagnum-dominated mire. This dry shift took place mainly during the Early Medieval Period. Human impact was gradually increasing, and it was particularly emphasized by deforestation since AD 1250 (beginning of the Late Medieval Period). Consequently, surface run-off and aeolian transport from the exposed soils caused the eutrophication of the mire. Furthermore, chironomids and testate amoebae reveal the beginning of a wet shift ca. AD 1350. Openness considerably increased in the Late Medieval and the Modern Periods. The highest water table during the last 1,000 years was recorded between AD 1500 and 1800. This wet event is connected with deforestation, but it could be also associated with the Little Ice Age. Our study shows plant succession in the Żabieniec peatland, which can be explained with the recent landscape transformation. However, such changes are also possibly linked with the major climatic episodes during the last two millennia, such as the Medieval Warm Period and the Little Ice Age.

The assemblages of vertebrate microfauna gained from the owl’s pellets can tell us not only about the composition of the owl’s diet, but also about the composition of the surrounding environment. Our remains came from the Old Kingdom mastaba (AC 29) located in the Abusir necropolis (Egypt); they were unearthed during the spring season of 2013 from the bottom of a burial shaft and an adjacent burial chamber. The tomb was robbed and partially destroyed during the First Millennium B.C. – it seems that niches in the shaft and the burial chamber were used as a nesting place by owls in this period until the shaft was filled by deserts and again. Fortunately, several owls’ pellets were uncovered in
a good state of preservation and can be determined as belonging to the Common Barn-owl (Tyto alba). The dominant part of the assemblage (ca 2/3 of individuals) was formed by small and medium-sized rodents (mainly the House Rat and House Mouse, occasionally also gerbils and the Three-toed Jerboa). A substantial part of the assemblage was also made by the white-toothed shrews (18.32 %) and frogs (10.79 %). A small amount of small birds(singing birds and quails) and sporadic finds of beetles, bats or snake were also recorded. 
The species composition reflects an environment strongly influenced by human occupation, with an admixture of species of semi-deserts/deserts, species of grassland/fields and species of river banks/shallow waters. Compared to a recent assemblage of the barn-owl pellets, the species composition of the older diet is more diverse, with the occurrence of poorly known species, and reflecting changes in the surrounding environment.

The Żabieniec kettle hole is the first peatland in central Poland analyzed quantitatively with four biotic proxies (plant macrofossils, pollen, testate amoebae and chironomids) to reconstruct the past environmental change. Palaeoecological data were supported by historical and archaeological records. We focused on autogenic vegetation change and human impact in relation to climatic effects. The aims of our study were (a) to describe the development history of the mire during the last 2,000 years, (b) to date and reconstruct the anthropogenic land-use changes and (c) to discuss a possible climatic signal in the peat archive. The combination of proxies revealed dramatic shifts that took place in the peatland since the Roman Period. Żabieniec was a very wet telmatic habitat until ca. AD 600. Then, the water table declined, and the site transformed into a Sphagnum-dominated mire. This dry shift took place mainly during the Early Medieval Period. Human impact was gradually increasing, and it was particularly emphasized by deforestation since AD 1250 (beginning of the Late Medieval Period). Consequently, surface run-off and aeolian transport from the exposed soils caused the eutrophication of the mire. Furthermore, chironomids and testate amoebae reveal the beginning of a wet shift ca. AD 1350. Openness considerably increased in the Late Medieval and the Modern Periods. The highest water table during the last 1,000 years was recorded between AD 1500 and 1800. This wet event is connected with deforestation, but it could be also associated with the Little Ice Age. Our study shows plant succession in the Żabieniec peatland, which can be explained with the recent landscape transformation. However, such changes are also possibly linked with the major climatic episodes during the last two millennia, such as the Medieval Warm Period and the Little Ice Age.

The Ner River valley (central Poland) underwent substantial transformation during the Weichselian–Holocene transition as a result of fluvial processes and climate changes, resulting in the establishment of its present shape in the Holocene. A multiproxy study based on organic deposits from a palaeochannel fill (Lutomiersk– Koziówki) shows that after the channel was cut off during the late glacial termination, it became a shallow oxbow, fed by local springs. In the Boreal period, the oxbow lake was also fed by precipitation and became a telmatic environment overgrown by rush and swamp vegetation. Finally, it was covered by overbank deposits. The first flooding phase (9900–9600 cal. BP) was followed by the accumulation of overbank sediments (after 9500 cal. BP) and flooding increased after ca. 9300–9000 cal. BP. Pollen data provide information on the regional vegetation context for local and regional changes. In the Atlantic period, an increase in both summer and winter temperatures is inferred from the pollen data, corresponding to an expansion of thermophilous deciduous forests. While in general, flooding phases of the Early Holocene are poorly recognised in Eastern Europe, the Lutomiersk–Koziówki site may be considered as one of the reference points for this phenomenon in the region.

The Żabieniec kettle hole is the first peatland in central Poland analyzed quantitatively with four biotic proxies (plant macrofossils, pollen, testate amoebae and chironomids) to reconstruct the past environmental change. Palaeoecological data were supported by historical and archaeological records. We focused on autogenic vegetation change and human impact in relation to climatic effects. The aims of our study were (a) to describe the development history of the mire during the last 2,000 years, (b) to date and reconstruct the anthropogenic land-use changes and (c) to discuss a possible climatic signal in the peat archive. The combination of proxies revealed dramatic shifts that took place in the peatland since the Roman Period. Żabieniec was a very wet telmatic habitat until ca. AD 600. Then, the water table declined, and the site transformed into a Sphagnum-dominated mire. This dry shift took place mainly during the Early Medieval Period. Human impact was gradually increasing, and it was particularly emphasized by deforestation since AD 1250 (beginning of the Late Medieval Period). Consequently, surface run-off and aeolian transport from the exposed soils caused the eutrophication of the mire. Furthermore, chironomids and testate amoebae reveal the beginning of a wet shift ca. AD 1350. Openness considerably increased in the Late Medieval and the Modern Periods. The highest water table during the last 1,000 years was recorded between AD 1500 and 1800. This wet event is connected with deforestation, but it could be also associated with the Little Ice Age. Our study shows plant succession in the Żabieniec peatland, which can be explained with the recent landscape transformation. However, such changes are also possibly linked with the major climatic episodes during the last two millennia, such as the Medieval Warm Period and the Little Ice Age.

The Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous Tendaguru Beds (Tanzania, East Africa) have been well known for nearly a century for their diverse dinosaur assemblages. Here, we present sedimentological and palaeontological data collected by the German-Tanzanian Tendaguru Expedition 2000 in an attempt to reconstruct the palaeo-ecosystems of the Tendaguru Beds at their type locality. Our reconstructions are based on sedimentological data and on a palaeoecological analysis of macroinvertebrates, microvertebrates, plant fossils and microfossils (ostracods, foraminifera, charophytes, palynomorphs). In addition, we included data from previous expeditions, particularly those on the dinosaur assemblages.The environmental model of the Tendaguru Beds presented herein comprises three broad palaeoenvironmental units in a marginal marine setting: (1) Lagoon-like, shallow marine environments above fair weather wave base and with evidence of tides and storms. These formed behind barriers such as ooid bar and siliciclastic sand bar complexes and were generally subject to minor salinity fluctuations. (2) Extended tidal flats and low-relief coastal plains. These include low-energy, brackish coastal lakes and ponds as well as pools and small fluvial channels of coastal plains in which the large dinosaurs were buried. Since these environments apparently were, at best, poorly vegetated, the main feeding grounds of giant sauropods must have been elsewhere. Presumably, tidal flats and coastal plains were visited by dinosaurs primarily during periods of drought. (3) Vegetated hinterland. Vegetation of this environment can only be inferred indirectly from plant material transported into the other depositional environments. Vegetation was dominated by a diverse conifer flora, which apparently formed part of the food source of large herbivorous sauropods. Evidence from various sources suggests a subtropical to tropical palaeoclimate, characterised by seasonal rainfall alternating with a pronounced dry season during the Late Jurassic. In Early Cretaceous times, sedimentological and palaeontological proxies suggest a climatic shift towards more humid conditions.Die Tendaguru-Schichten von Tansania in Ostafrika (Oberjura bis Unterkreide) sind als Lagerstätte oberjurassischer Dinosaurier seit nahezu einem Jahrhundert weltweit bekannt. Anhand von sedimentologischen und paläontologischen Daten, die während der Deutsch-Tansanischen Tendaguru Expedition 2000 im Typus-Gebiet der Tendaguru-Schichten gewonnen wurden, werden Paläo-Ökosysteme rekonstruiert. Grundlage der Rekonstruktionen sind die Auswertung sedimentologischer Daten sowie die paläo-ökologische Analyse von Makroinvertebraten, Mikrovertebraten, pflanzlichen Fossilien und Mikrofossilien (Ostrakoden, Foraminiferen, Charophyten, Palynomorphen). Darüber hinaus werden Informationen über Dinosaurier berücksichtigt, die bei früheren Expeditionen gewonnen wurden.Das hier vorgestellte Ablagerungsmodell der Tendaguru-Schichten umfaßt drei Teilbereiche eines randlich marinen Sedimentationsraumes, die wie folgt gekennzeichnet werden können: (1) Lagunen-artige, marine Flachwasserbereiche, die oberhalb der Schönwetter-Wellenbasis lagen und unter deutlichem Einfluß von Gezeiten und Stürmen standen. Sie waren vom offenen Meer durch Barrieren, wie Ooidbarren und siliziklastischen Sandbarrenkomplexen, getrennt und wiesen einen leicht schwankenden Salzgehalt auf. (2) Ausgedehnte Wattgebiete und flache Küstenebenen. Dort befanden sich niedrig-energetische, brackische Strandseen und Teiche sowie Tümpel und kleinere Flußrinnen, in denen die großen Dinosaurier eingebettet wurden. Da diese Lebensräume bestenfalls dürftig bewachsen waren, müssen die Nahrungsquellen und der eigentliche Lebensraum der riesigen Sauropoden anderswo gelegen haben. Vermutlich wurden die Wattgebiete und Flachküsten von Dinosauriern vorrangig in den Trockenzeiten aufgesucht. (3 ) Bewachsenes Hinterland. Die Vegetation dieses Lebensraumes kann nur indirekt aus Pflanzenresten erschlossen werden, die in die anderen Ablagerungsraume transportiert wurden. Die Vegetation wurde von einer diversen Koniferenflora dominiert, die zumindest teilweise die Nahrungsgrundlage der großen, herbivoren Sauropoden bildete. Sedimentologische und paläontologische Indikatoren sprechen für ein subtropisches bis tropisches Klima wahrend der späten Jurazeit mit einem jahreszeitlichen Wechsel von Regenfällen und ausgeprägten Trockenzeiten. In der frühen Kreidezeit deutet sich ein Wechsel zu starker humiden Bedingungen an.

The _ Zabieniec kettle hole is the first peatland in central Poland analyzed quantitatively with four biotic proxies (plant macrofossils, pollen, testate amoebae and chironomids) to reconstruct the past environmental change. Palaeoecological data were supported by historical and archaeological records. We focused on autogenic vegetation change and human impact in relation to climatic effects. The aims of our study were (a) to describe the development history of the mire during the last 2,000 years, (b) to date and reconstruct the anthropogenic land-use changes and (c) to discuss a possible climatic signal in the peat archive. The combination of proxies revealed dramatic shifts that took place in the peatland since the Roman Period.