The Role of Domestic and Wild Mammals in the Economy of the Russian Village in the South of Western Siberia in the 17th – 18th Centuries (Based on the Materials From Ananyino)

This article describes the nature of animal husbandry and the fishing activities of the inhabitants of the village of Ananyino, as well as trends in the economic structure of the settlement over time. The object of the study is a collection of animal bone remains from the excavations of a complex of five residential buildings in the village of Ananyino, dated to the 17th – 18th centuries and located in the Tara district of the Omsk region. A total of 25,192 bones from 8 species of domestic and 14 species of wild mammals were identified. A high degree of fragmentation of the bone material was noted. Based on lengths of the bones, it was determined that all domestic ungulates were small in stature. Based on the analysis of tooth wear, the age structure of the livestock herd was reconstructed. Cattle, pigs, and sheep were raised primarily for meat and were slaughtered as soon as they reached sufficient weight. Based on the representation of skeletal elements, about half of the meat products from animal husbandry and the meat of wild ungulates were exported outside the settlement, probably to Tara. In the early stages of the establishment of the economy, from the beginning to the middle of the 17th century, the villagers raised mainly pigs. Roe deer, elk, hare, and birds were hunted with the help of dogs in the vicinity of the village. The recorded volumes of fur trapping were not large. By the end of the 18th century, there was a significant reduction in fishing activities against the backdrop of the development of animal husbandry. The basis of the economy became cattle breeding and, to a lesser extent, the raising of pigs and sheep. It is possible that in Ananyino there was a certain specialization in meat production within animal husbandry to serve the needs of the urban population of Tara.