Becoming sedentary? The seasonality of hunting in the Mesolithic-Neolithic Danube Gorges

The Danube Gorges archaeological sequence (c. 9500-5500 cal. BC) offers great possibilities for exploring various aspects of Mesolithic-Neolithic transformations, including the changes of settlement patterns. The more intense building activities in the Late Mesolithic and Mesolithic-Neolithic ‘Transformational’ phase have been interpreted as archaeological indicators of increased sedentism and economic and social changes brought by ‘Neolithic’ lifeways. In this paper, we investigate whether the Danube Gorges sites were occupied seasonally or year-round by looking at animal bones. The hunting seasons of most important game animals have been determined on the basis of skeletal elements which are sensitive to the question of seasonality. This included ageing of red deer and roe deer on the basis of antler growth, and ageing of red deer, roe deer, fox and wild boar on the basis of tooth eruption and wear. The patterns of food resource exploitation seem to indicate a year-round occupation of the settlements, given that red deer, the most important game animal was apparently hunted throughout the year. This data suggests that a significant degree of sedentism existed in the Danube Gorges prior to, and independent from the adoption of animal and plant husbandry, and was largely influenced by favourable hunting conditions.