Fauna (Volume I)

Produced at a time when faunal studies were still uncommon on most excavations, this book may seem methodologically rather out of date now. However, the descriptive sections provide surprising insights into the lives of the inhabitants of Bronze Age Lerna, perched on the edge of the Gulf of Argos. The author suggests, for example, that most dogs on the site were eaten, that pigs were the earliest domesticate, and that the horse arrived in the settlement in the Middle Helladic period. Fragments of tuna and Great Blue Shark suggest deep sea fishing, while remains of bear, badger, otter, marten and lynx suggest a surrounding environment rich in animal life. The author's detection of a proliferation in bird species (from marsh and sea birds in the Early Bronze Age, to additional dry country birds like rock partridge, chicken, bustard, pigeon, raven, and crow in the Middle Bronze Age) is of even wider significance, suggesting possible climate change.