Ritual use of dogs and wolves in the Late Bronze and Early Iron Age in the South-Eastern Alpine region. New evidence from the archaeo(zoo)logical perspective

Abstract

The paper explores the ritual use of dogs and wolfs in south-eastern Alpine region (Slovenia) in Late Bronze and Iron Age from different archaeological contexts: graves, settlements and hoards. Archeo(zoo)logical analysis showed that dog and wolf bones were seldom put into the Early Iron Age graves. Recent excavations on the prehistoric settlement of Tribuna (Ljubljana, Slovenia) revealed that dog bones were sometimes placed in the foundations of the prehistoric dwellings. According to the analogies from the Italian archaeological sites, we could interpret this ritual practice as foundation offerings and for the protection of the buildings. Wolf and dog bones were also found in the prehistoric hoard in Skeletna cave near fikocjan on the Kras plateau. Beside the mentioned archeo(zoo)logical records, dogs and wolfs appeared as a frequent iconographic motive on the products of the so called “situla art”. As dogs were often linked with the death and underworld (graves, caves, iconography), we might interpret here presented archaeological contexts as dog sacrifices being part of the “rites de passages”. Further insights into the role of canids has been inferred by stable isotope analyses (δ13C and δ15N) of main animal species as well as man.

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