Birds in the life of medieval Yaroslavl: domestic and social aspects (based on archaeozoological data)

This paper is the first publication of the bird bone collections from medieval Yaroslavl. It analyzes sets of domesticated and wild bird species as well as their morphological and biological characteristics. The data obtained reflect various sectors of urban citizens' life. It was found that domesticated birds, mainly, geese, prevailed in the urban meat supply system. The paper discusses existence of a yard with mews for falcons which was extremely rich and prestigious in terms of the number and value of hunting birds during the pre-Mongolian period.