Depositions of animals and human individuals at Stillfried

The hillfort site of Stillfried was an economic, political, and religious center in the late Urnfield period (around 1000 to 800 BC). A ring-shaped fortification encircled an area of 18 hectares. Fritz Felgenhauer (University of Vienna) conducted large-scale archaeological investigations between 1969 and 1989, revealing 18 pits with animal depositionssix more pits contained complete human skeletons, skeletal parts, and individual skulls. During the excavation, a cultic background was already suspected of these special features. In their original function, the pits served as grain storage. Most of the deposited animals (seven red deer, seven hares, three wolves, three wild boars, one fox, three domestic pigs, and three dogs) were either in their infancy or were already very old. Particularly striking are the results of archeozoological analyses, which clearly confirmed that the majority of the wild animals had lived in captivity. Red deer, wolves, and roe deer were even successfully bred. This provides evidence of the oldest menagerie in Europe, with no exact analogies so far. The explanatory model offered for the buried wild animals is based on the assumption that large ceremonies and festivities with mythological performances were held at the central site of Stillfried. These impressive manifestations also involved wild animals that had to be caught and trained. Character suitability and special external features (such as coat color and markings) certainly played a role in the selection of animals. This was accompanied by a certain worship, which was linked to a ban on eating for humans and animals and a burial order. The animal infants deposited in the pits are interpreted as evidence of animal sacrifices. This publication provides indisputable proof that wild animal bones from archaeological contexts are not to be regarded exclusively as hunting prey. This gives new impetus to the topic of the interaction between humans and wild animals in prehistory, and future research can, therefore, be looked forward to with great expectations. Among the many features containing human remains are two pits in which 30 bodies (parts) were deposited. The authors attribute all the evidence to one and the same mortuary practice. Thus, in addition to the cremation burial practiced at the Stillfried cemetery, there is evidence of another form of mortuary treatment that is also well-known from neighboring regions (the so-called settlement burials). This richly illustrated work deals with unique pits from Stillfried. PART I presents an archaeological evaluation of the pit features, while PART II contains analyses by experts from various disciplines.