Mesolithic fish and fishermen of the Lower Danube (Iron Gates)

This study analyzes the importance of fishing as part of the survival strategies of the Mesolithic and Early Neolithic groups of the Danube Iron Gates. It considers the species of fish present in the archaeological record of the Iron Gates sites, ecology, and possible fishing tools and techniques, i...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Alexandru Dinu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Znanstvena založba Filozofske fakultete Univerze v Ljubljani (Ljubljana University Press, Faculty of Arts) 2010-12-01
Series:Documenta Praehistorica
Subjects:
Online Access:https://revije.ff.uni-lj.si/DocumentaPraehistorica/article/view/1985
Description
Summary:This study analyzes the importance of fishing as part of the survival strategies of the Mesolithic and Early Neolithic groups of the Danube Iron Gates. It considers the species of fish present in the archaeological record of the Iron Gates sites, ecology, and possible fishing tools and techniques, in order to determine if the quantities caught during favorable seasons could have also insured food reserves for the winter. The author concludes that the presence of large species like sturgeon may be misleading with regard to how intensively these fish were caught, and that besides common species such as carp and catfish, the bulk of the harvest was mainly of smaller species that had fewer chances of being well preserved in the archaeological record.
ISSN:1408-967X
1854-2492