Ecologia e sfruttamento delle risorse animali in un sito bassomedievale d’alta quota: Tor dei Pagà (Vione, BS),

Since 2011, the site of Tor dei Pagà (Vione, BS) in the upper Valcamonica has been the subject of archaeological investigations promoted by the Municipality of Vione in collaboration with the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Milan-Brescia. It is a fortified area located at an altitude of approximately 2250 m, defined by two distinct nuclei, each characterised by a tower (G and B) and other buildings. Based on the materials and C14 dating, the site was built and inhabited in a short period between the end of the 13th and the beginning of the 14th century, a period characterised by fierce struggles between the noble families of Camonica and the Municipality of Brescia. The book “Tor dei pagà. Protostoria e medioevo di un sito d’alta quota” edited by G. Bellandi, M. Sannazaro, Vione 2017, focused on the results of investigations in the area of tower G, which yielded thousands of animal bones, mainly near a hearth, interpreted as food waste. these finds and the botanical macro-remains recovered during sifting have made it possible to identify the diet of the residents, as well as the environmental context, the animal resources available and the strategies of exploitation. The sample consists almost exclusively of domestic animals in fairly balanced proportions between the various species, and it can be assumed that the group of armed residents enjoyed a good quality and varied meat diet, supplemented by eggs, milk and dairy products. In addition to cuts of animals available locally, others came from supplies provided by the valley floor. The intervention updates the documentary record on the basis of the 2018-2024 excavation campaigns in the area of Tower B, which yielded a substantial core of animal bones associated with a hearth. There are similarities and differences in the dietary habits of those who frequented the two sites; particular practices of reusing discarded bones are also reported, such as the processing of large animal diaphyses to produce game dice.