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‘Where the Wild Things Are’: Etruscan Hunting and Trophy Display at Poggio Civitate (Murlo), Italy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 August 2022

Sarah Whitcher Kansa Open the ORCID record for Sarah Whitcher Kansa [Opens in a new window]  and
Anthony Tuck
Sarah Whitcher Kansa
Affiliation:
The Alexandria Archive Institute, San Francisco, USA
Anthony Tuck
Affiliation:
Classics Department, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, USA
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Abstract

An integrated study of the zooarchaeological, iconographic, and artefactual data from the Etruscan site of Poggio Civitate (Murlo, Italy), inhabited from the eighth to the sixth century bc, reveals intra-site differences in the distribution and disposal of animal body parts and species represented, including wild animals. Smaller mammals and birds that would be trapped are encountered more frequently in the site's workshop area and larger prey (deer, wolf, bear, and aurochs) that would be hunted are found more often in the area of the elite residence. We suggest that some of these remains are evidence that hunting was for the purpose of trophy display by the elites of Poggio Civitate and we discuss the social implications of such an activity in this community.

Une étude concertée des restes de faune, de l'iconographie et des objets découverts sur le site étrusque de Poggio Civitate (commune de Murlo, Toscane), occupé entre le VIIIe et le VIe siècle av. J.-C., révèle des différences dans la répartition de déchets d'ossements et d’éléments de squelettes animaux et dans la composition des espèces représentées, y compris certains animaux sauvages. Les petits mammifères et les oiseaux piégés sont plus nombreux dans la zone artisanale que dans la zone occupée par les résidences de l’élite, qui contient davantage de restes de grands animaux chassés (cerf, loup, ours, aurochs). Selon les auteurs, ces restes de faune indiquent que l’élite chassait pour exhiber des trophées. L'article conclut sur une discussion des conséquences sociales pour les habitants de Poggio Civitate. Translation by Madeleine Hummler

Eine umfassende Untersuchung der Tierknochenreste, der Ikonografie und der Gegenstände, die auf der etruskischen Siedlung des 8. bis 6. Jahrhundert v. Chr. von Poggio Civitate (Gemeinde Murlo, Toskana) geborgen worden sind, zeigt, dass die entsorgten Tierknochen, Skelettteilen und Tierarten (inklusiv Wildtiere) unterschiedlich verbreitet sind. Die üblicherweise in Fallen gefangenen Kleinsäuger und Vögel kommen öfters im Areal der Werkstätten vor, während größere Jagdtiere (Hirsch, Wolf, Bär, Auerochse) sind mehrheitlich im Wohnsitz der Eliten vertreten. Nach den Verfassern zeigen diese Angaben, dass die Elite Tiere jagte, um Trophäen zur Schau zu stellen. Der Artikel schließt mit einer Bewertung der sozialen Auswirkungen solch einer Tätigkeit auf die Einwohner von Poggio Civitate. Translation by Madeleine Hummler

Keywords

Etruriafaunal remainshuntingeconomyritual behaviourspatial distributionÉtrurierestes de faunechasse économierituelrépartition spatialeEtrurienTierknochenJagdWirtschaftRitualVerbreitungsbild
Type
Article
Information
European Journal of Archaeology , Volume 26 , Issue 1 , February 2023 , pp. 81 - 100
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the European Association of Archaeologists

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