Fauna exploitation and animal hard tissue manufacturing during the Middle-Recent Bronze age in the Verona area: the site of Bovolone (Verona, Italy).

From 1996 to 2001, the excavation of two areas of Bovolone (VR), in the North-Eastern Italy, revealed a settlement and its fauna, dated by pottery to the Middle-Late Bronze Age. The investigation have been carried out by the Soprintendenza per i Beni archeologici under the scientific direction of L. Salzani. Faunal remains come from two adjacent sectors: one at Via Pascoli and the second at Via Crosare, both referable to a single moment of occupation of the village dated to Medium-Recent Bronze Age. The fauna assemblage is mainly composed by domestic taxa but also wild animals are present. The most represented animals are the cattle followed by pigs and caprovines. The presence of horse and dog is documented. Among wild animals deer, roe deer and wild boar, some birds, and only one fragment of carapace of lacustrine turtle have been identified. Domestic animals have been represented by all age classes. Traces of anthropic actions have been identified mainly on the ungulates bones. Bone and antler manufacturing has been attested by the presence of objects with defined typology that are the result of specific débitage and façonage techniques. Bone elements, which have been exploited to obtain tools, belongs to cattle, caprovines, horse and red deer. Bone artefacts are in the most of the case well-finished products and present perforations, polishing and smoothing along the surfaces. Antler artefacts assemblage is composed by unfinished tools and some waste.