Perspecives of the zooarchaeological research in the Sagan-Zaba bay on lake Baikal (based on the excavation in 2006)

This paper investigates some aspects of the zooarchaeological research in Cis-Baikal based on the analyses of faunal remains from the multilayered habitation site Sagan-Zaba II, with was occupied mainly from the Neolithic to Early Mongolian times. Species identifications and quantitative data are used to reconstruct prehistoric subsistence patterns and their changes through time. Study of people's influence on ancient animal populations is examined by documenting available subsistence resources, analyses of the species diversity and people' dietary choices. The long chronological span of occupation at Sagan-Zaba II (approximately 9000 years) provides the opportunity to investigate changing patterns in subsistence practices and diet, the most significant of which is associated with the beginning of the pastoralism in the region. Faunal remains from Early and Middle Holocene layers at the site consist only of wild fauna, but late layers at the site contain a mix of both wild and domesticated animals, with domesticates being dominant.