Different Approach to Horses—The Use of Equid Remains in the Early Middle Ages on the Example of Ostrów Tumski in Wroclaw

Abstract

Simple Summary

Wroclaw, the capital of Silesia located in south-western Poland, was one of the most important settlement agglomerations in the Western Slavic region in the period from the mid of the 10th to the 12th/13th century. The center of Wroclaw was a multi-part fortified settlement located on the Ostrów Tumski Island, the seat of the ducal and church authorities in the Middle Ages. Apart from spectacular finds of architectural monuments and elite products from various spheres of material culture, thousands of seemingly less interesting artefacts were found in Ostrów Tumski, among them a series of over 100,000 animal remains. A detailed and multifaceted analysis of the archaeozoological materials from Wroclaw clearly shows various interactions between the inhabitants of the stronghold and the animals living among them or nearby. One of the most important species in everyday life of the settlement was the horse. This animal is primarily associated with horseback riding and knighthood, possibly also with draught purposes. However, were these really the only functions of the horse and other equids? The aim of this article is to show the varied role of the horse, inter alia, its usage as a raw material source for the production of items made of bone, hair and leather, and sometimes even for food.

Abstract

The following article concerns the functional use of horse bones in the early Middle Ages (mainly in the period from the mid of the 10th to the 12th/13th century). The authors try to explain how such remains were used and how common it was. It is also discussed whether the special role of the horse in medieval societies somehow restricted its post-mortem usage, or perhaps there was no difference between the skeletal remains of horses and other species in this regard. For this purpose, statistical calculations on the use of the bones of various mammals were made. Only the remains of the species determined during the archaeozoological analysis were taken into account. The specific use of individual parts of a horse skeleton was also noted. In addition, the analysis also encompasses all other types of horse remains that could be used by humans (hide, hair, etc.). The consumption of horse meat was discussed separately: on the basis of the preserved traces, an attempt was made to determine whether it had happened, and if so, how popular it had been. Overall, such comprehensive analysis aims to show the various roles of the horse. It was not only a mount, but also a beast of burden, a source of food and raw material as well. The main purpose of this study is to describe the role of horses in human medieval societies of Ostrów Tumski on the basis of accessible equid remains. The highlighting of the human–horse relationship in the past allows us to understand the importance and value of the horse both as a life companion and the source of food or leather and bone tools.