The animal remains from the LBK and Želiezovce settlement site of Vráble

Linearbandkeramik (LBK) communities across Central Europe exploited domesticated cattle, sheep, goats and pigs for household subsistence. Here, we explore animal exploitation strategies used by LBK farmers in south-western Slovakia, where the modes and types of animal husbandry are less well known. Zooarchaeological analyses of fauna recovered from Vráble ‘Veľké Lehemby’/‘Farské’ (Nitriansky kraj, Slovakia) indicate a heavy focus on domesticated livestock, with only very occasional hunting of wild ungulates. Unlike at other LBK sites in Europe where cattle predominate, animal husbandry systems at Vráble focused on the exploitation of pigs. This may reflect the unusually concentrated settlement at this site, which might have encouraged rapid production of meat and removal of household refuse. Spatial differences in the frequency cattle, ovicaprids and pigs between three different neighbourhoods within the settlement may indicate variation in household or neighbourhood production strategies, but much larger sample sizes are needed
in order to confirm these patterns.