Zooarchaeological study of a 14th century rubbish dump of Suscinio castle (Morbihan, France)

The faunal remains analyzed come from Suscinio Castle (Sarzeau, Morbihan, France). Archaeological excavations conducted since 2013 have revealed large quantities of bones, especially from a 14th century dump. Sediment samples were collected in order to recover the smallest remains, like fish bones. More than 7,300 remains come from this dump, with a little more than 700 identified. They belong mainly to mammals and fish. Over ten mammalian taxa, both domestic and wild, were recognized. The bones of caprinae dominate the corpus. The remains of wild animals are numerous (15% of the identified remains of mammals), especially those of fallow deer. The presence of the bear and the porpoise is also worth mentioning. The uncommon avian bones correspond mainly to hens. Among the ichthyological remains, more than 20 taxa were identified, mainly marine fish. The family of labridae (wrasses) is particularly well represented. The bones of hake, mullet and various flatfish are also quite numerous. Most of the faunal remains were from consumed species. Diversity is important, particularly in the case of fish. Added to the significant presence of hunted game, especially represented by fallow deer, these two facts reveal the high social status of consumers.