Abstract
The archaeological excavation carried out in Bajč (Komárno District), at the location Medzi kanálmi, uncovered one of the largest early medieval settlements in Slovakia. The site, formerly located on asand peninsula or an island surrounded by the Žitava River, was explored by the Institute of
Archaeology of Slovak Academy of Sciences in 1987-1994. More than five hundred features including sunken huts, exterior clay ovens, storage and roasting pits, channels and human graves were explored. The evaluation of artefacts attests the long-term occupation of the site (6/7th -10/11th c.
AD) and its rural character. The bone analysis shows that the local (Slavonic) population exploited a wide range of domestic and wild animals (40 species identified yet). Their subsistence and economy were based on agro-pastoralism with the focus on cultivation of cereals and cattle/caprines herding. Equids, poultry and pigs were of smaller economic importance, although the representation of the first two significantly increased with the time of settlement's existence. The main shift in the diet and/or herd management occurred in the 9th century AD, when the ageing indicated that the meat exploitation model changed towards the milk/wool oriented husbandry. The lowland setting of the settlement and vicinity of streams, river, bogs and floodplain forests offered plenty of natural resources including aquatic or semi-aquatic taxa such as mammals (Lutra lutra, Castor fiber), birds (Asio flammeus, Anas querquedula, Botaurus stellaris), terrapins (Emys orbicularis), molluscs (Unio) and the fishes (Cyprinus carpio, Esox lucius, Stizostedion lucioperca, Silurus glanis, Leuciscus idus, Acipenser ruthenus). Their presence is the direct evidence on fishing and hunting activities of the locals. The question on their role in the subsistence and economy of the early Middle Ages is one of the research goals of the ongoing PhD project aimed at Bajč archaeozoology and the national archaeological project VEGA 2-0083-21 aimed at the study of economic strategies of the medieval and post-medieval communities from archaeological sites in Slovakia. In contrast to the adjacent countries, the fishing subject or the archaeological fish remains stay overlooked by the local researchers. Therefore, our analysis of fish bones and scales from Bajč, complements scarce artefactual evidence and brings the first complex view on the fish exploitation by inhabitants of this part of the Middle Danube area. The taxonomic and element structure of the assemblage, the estimation of fish size and preliminary assessment of the catch season widens our knowledge on fishing and importance of fish within the diet in rural setting of the Early Middle Ages. The quality of retrieved information, however, heavily relies upon the field recovery methods used and the preservation of finds.