Zooarchaeological Analysis of Avian Skeletal material in Neolithic and Early Bronze Age Mortuary Contexts, Cis-Baikal, Siberia

Abstract

During the Neolithic and Early Bronze Age in Cis-Baikal, Siberia, human groups inhabiting the region interred their deceased with a variety of objects, including modified and unmodified avian skeletal elements. Archaeological excavation of graves in the Shamanka II, Lokomotiv, and Ust’-Ida cemeteries have yielded quantities of these materials. However, they have been addressed infrequently by previous research, and reasons for their inclusion in human mortuary contexts are unclear. This research focuses on contextual relationships between human interments and avian skeletal material, and examines the nature and patterning of bird inclusion in graves. My results indicate birds were procured especially for mortuary practices, and differential patterns of inclusion in graves suggest the gender and age of the deceased determined the avian materials placed in the grave. Further, these practices changed between the Neolithic and Early Bronze Age, providing additional evidence the region was inhabited by different human groups in these periods.