European Pond Turtles from Obříství (Bohemia, Czech Republic)

• Published in: International journal of osteoarchaeology 2016-07, Vol.26 (4), p.732-739
• Main Authors: Kysely, R, Culáková, K, Pecinovská, M, Siroky, P
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Archaeology; archaeozoology; Bohemia; Bronze Age; Elbe (Labe); Emys orbicularis; Hallstatt; Iron Age; Late Bronze Age; radiocarbon dating; reptiles; Reptiles & amphibians
• ISSN: 1047-482X; 1099-1212
• DOI: 10.1002/oa.2466

The paper describes and analyses recent finds of the European pond turtle (Emys orbicularis) from the archaeological sites at Obříství (Mělník District, at the confluence of the Elbe and Moldau rivers in the Bohemian Basin, Czech Republic). Turtle remains were found in three sunken features dated to the Late Bronze Age or to the Hallstatt period, and in one feature dated to the Neolithic. The high number of osteological finds, particularly the number of individuals found in one place, is unique within Bohemia and very rare for the Bronze Age to Iron Age in Europe. A large number of shell remains were identified, from at least 12 individuals in feature 1480, and from at least 5 individuals in feature 1483. The high numbers support the hypothesis that the European pond turtle was once a regular feature of the local fauna, even though the Bohemian basin is surrounded by mountains, which will have presented difficulties for the process of postglacial recolonization by semiaquatic thermophilous reptiles. The findings from Obříství show evidence of the exploitation of turtles for food. Signs of culinary procedures and the human consumption of turtles include anthropogenic chop marks, signs of burning and the apparently intentional segmentation of the turtle bodies. The quantity of turtle bones is still negligible, however, compared with those of mammals. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.