Peasant economy in Late Roman Alava: Zooarchaeology of Zornoztegi

Abstract

Zornoztegi is a rural settlement located in the Alava plateau (Basque Country, Spain), and it was occupied between the Bronze Age and the Late Middle Ages. During a recent archaeological project, a small settlement consisting of two dwellings dated to the 4th-5th centuries was found. The archaeological evidence suggests that this site was probably a small rural settlement dependent on a higher rural centre, perhaps a Roman villa. In this paper, the results of the analysis of the animal remains recovered in this chronological phase are shown. The faunal assemblage is one of the biggest analysed samples dated to the 4th- 5th centuries in the Basque Country. The taxonomic composition, the kill-off patterns, the butchery patterns, the body part frequencies and the biometric data constitute good evidence for understanding peasant economy during Late Roman times. Finally, the faunal evidence will be discussed together with other types of archaeological records for analysing peasant activity in Late Roman Alava.