Archaeozoological Materials from the 2023 Excavations on the Ufa-II Settlement: General Description

Purpose. The article publishes the results of the analysis of the archaeozoological collection from the settlement site of the early Middle Ages in the South Ural region – the Ufa-II settlement, located in the historical center of the capital of the Republic of Bashkortostan (excavation of 2023). Results. It was established that the cultural site in this area was subjected to powerful anthropogenic impact in the second half of the 20th century – early 21st century which entailed the destruction / mixing of the layers of the Middle Ages and the New Age. In connection with this circumstance, the results of the archaeozoological study of 2023 do not allow to fully link the osteological material to the cultural groups of the early Middle Ages and to the cultural layer of the New Age. The collection includes bones of mammals, birds and fish. A significant part of mammalian bones belong to domestic animals, the share of wild species is insignificant. Conclusion. The dominant species are cattle and small cattle in all conditional strata. Despite the lack of clear chronological boundaries of the cultural strata of the early Middle Ages and the New Age at the site of archaeological excavations in 2023, the composition and ratio of species are similar to the archaeozoological descriptions of previous years. The main source of meat products for the population of the settlement was livestock. Hunting and fishing made up an insignificant part of the population’s economy.