Page 289

Bone Summary

Relatively little bone was recovered from T90 in 2022. This season, we recovered 307 fragments of bone. This is in keeping with bone recovery in 2017 and 2018, when we recovered 313 and 190 fragments of bone, respectively, but is significantly less bone than we found in 2019, when we recovered 837 bone fragments.

Nearly all bone recovered from T90 in 2022 was animal bone that did not exhibit evidence of working, cutting, or butchering. We await proper analysis and a breakdown of animal species for these bones, but preliminary analysis indicates that the majority are sheep/goat and pig bones. The one notable exception is what appears to be a human neonatal bone fragment (20220003). This fragment was recovered from Locus 32, a deposit associated with the small, rectilinear hut that was built atop EPOC4’s porch following the structure’s abandonment and has been dated to the late 7^th century

Page 290

Page 291

BCE; this chronology and context is in keeping with other neonatal bone fragments found at Poggio Civitate. Three additional bone fragments that may have belonged to neonates also were recovered from T90 in 2022 (Special Find #55 from Locus 33, Special Finds #127, 128 from Locus 38), although these fragments await analysis. The bone fragment designated Special Find #55 was recovered from a deposit associated with the collapse of EPOC4’s southern wall, while those designated Special Finds #127 and 128 were recovered from a charcoal-rich deposit beneath EPOC4’s floor surface, thereby predating the construction of EPOC4.

The vast majority of bone fragments recovered in 2022 were found in deposits identified as debris fields. In total, 70 fragments of bone were recovered from Locus 33, the deposit identified as the collapse of EPOC4’s southern wall and so is associated with the destruction and abandonment of the structure. Additionally, Loci 38 and 39, which are identical deposits situated stratigraphically beneath EPOC4’s floor surface and appear to be associated with debris from an occupational phase prior to the construction of EPOC4, jointly yielded 122 bone fragments, totaling 39% of all bone found in 2022. Locus 32, a deposit associated with the late 7^th century rectilinear hut, also yielded 51 bone fragments, or 17% of all bone recovered in T90 in 2022. In contrast, deposits associated with various features of EPOC4, such as its plaster-rich earthen floor surface (Loci 34 and 37) or its subfloor (Locus 36) contained little bone; only 27 bone fragments were recovered from EPOC4’s plaster-rich floor surface (Loci 34 and 37),

Page 292

Page 293

totaling 9% of all bone found in 2022, while EPOC4’s subfloor (Locus 36) contained 33 fragments, or 11% of T90’s bone.

Notably, in Loci 38 and 39, the charcoal-rich deposits predating the construction of EPOC4, we began to recover fragments of antler and cut bone. Specifically, one antler fragment was recovered Locus 38 (20220083), along with a cow metacarpal (20220091), while cut bone fragments were found in Locus 37, in EPOC4’s floor (20220092). This change in bone finds necessitates further research in 2023.

Page 204