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Birds in burials: the role of avifauna in Eneolithic Tripolye mortuary rituals

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Abstract

Bird remains are rare at Tripolye sites; therefore, researchers hypothesize that they were not an important economic resource for the Tripolye. The use of ornithographic iconography, vessels, and figurines suggests avifauna were important symbolically in Tripolye ideology. Here, we investigate the role of birds in a Tripolye burial context to assess their symbolic and/or economic significance in mortuary behaviours. We analysed bird remains from the Verteba Cave cemetery, located in western Ukraine and occupied by the Tripolye during phase BII through CII. Bird remains (n = 178) comprise approximately 2% of the faunal sample excavated among human burials from the cave. In contrast to species represented symbolically in Tripolye art, water and marsh birds are majorly underrepresented. The bird assemblage is dominated by grouse (Tetrao spp.), and common quail (Cortunix cortunix), but also includes birds of prey, corvids, and many songbirds. The large number of gamebirds leads us to conclude that the avifauna from Verteba Cave are likely the remains from funeral feasts or food grave offerings. It also supports the idea that birds were a seasonal and local economic resource. The presence of birds of prey, corvids, and male black grouse also suggests that feathers may have been a desired resource.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Dr. Jeremy Kirchman (New York State Museum) and Lydia Garetano (American Museum of Natural History) for their assistance with museum comparative collections. We would also like to thank Alexander Dudar for his expertise during excavations. Finally, we wish to acknowledge the work of the students who participated in the field seasons between 2008 and 2015, and diligently excavated and collected the small passeriform and quail bones.

Funding

Funding to support this work was provided in part by the University at Albany Dissertation Fellowship Award and the UAlbany Benevolent Research Grant.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anthropology, University at Albany – SUNY, Albany, NY, USA

    Sarah Heins Ledogar

  2. Department of Biology, New York State Museum, Albany, NY, USA

    Sarah Heins Ledogar

  3. Department of Archaeology and Palaeoanthropology, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, Australia

    Sarah Heins Ledogar

  4. Department of Religious Studies and Anthropology, University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, Oshkosh, WI, USA

    Jordan K. Karsten

  5. Borschiv Regional Museum of Local Lore, Borschiv, Ternopil O’blast, Ukraine

    Mykhailo Sokhastskyi

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  1. Sarah Heins Ledogar
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Correspondence to Sarah Heins Ledogar.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Avian Zooarchaeology: Prehistoric and Historical Insights

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Ledogar, S.H., Karsten, J.K. & Sokhastskyi, M. Birds in burials: the role of avifauna in Eneolithic Tripolye mortuary rituals. Archaeol Anthropol Sci 11, 6339–6352 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12520-017-0567-5

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