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Židovar is situated in the vicinity of the village Orešac, Southern Banat district, Serbia, on the loess plateau above the valley of the river Karaš. In the past Židovar’s surroundings used to be a wetland. The Karaš used to flood wide areas along its banks up to the moment when the Danube-Tisa-Danube irrigation system was established. On the other side is Deliblatska peščara, the largest European desert that was inaccessible until the mid 19th century AD, when the sand was ultimately stabilized by forestry activities. Židovar is a prehistoric tell site, one of the best preserved multilayered prehistoric settlements in the Serbo-Croatian part of the mid-Danube basin, which is comprised of significant stratigraphic sequences of the Bronze and Iron Ages. The cultural layer from the Late La Téne period (1st century BC- 1st century AD) is the period of interest of this paper. In this layer three building horizons were clearly distinguished. The latest horizon is characterised by the material of Roman provenance that indicates frequent commercial contacts, which preceded Roman invasions and conquest of the barbarian lands on the left Danube bank. With its dominant position in the South Pannonian landscape, Židovar undoubtedly played an important role in this period. Present knowledge of the La Téne settlements at Židovar is scarce. This is particularly the case with our knowledge of the subsistence strategies of the inhabitants of these settlements. For that reason the goal of this paper is to present preliminary results of archaeozoological analysis with focus on the wild animals. Given that Židovar can be recognized as a meeting place in the vibrant world of fast circulating goods and ideas, question about role of game animals in the life of the residents of this settlement which is located 20 km from the Roman frontier, should be asked. |
