The early history of the turkey ( Meleagris gallopavo ) in the Czech Republic
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ORIGINAL PAPER
The early history of the turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) in the Czech Republic René Kyselý 1
&
Petr Meduna 2
Received: 11 October 2018 / Accepted: 20 June 2019 # Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2019
Abstract The article evaluates all early archaeological osteological finds of turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) dated to the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries AD in what is today the Czech Republic and offers an analysis and discussion of written historical sources. Altogether, 45 bones of turkey (Meleagris) from ten archaeological sites and a further six bones probably also of turkey (cf. Meleagris) are known from both sub-regions of the Czech Republic, that is, Bohemia and Moravia, and from a variety of contexts. Many of the bones originate from contexts of high social status (especially those from Prague Castle); interestingly, four of the ten contexts represent a clerical or monastic setting. The extensive sample from a range of geographical and sociocultural contexts enables various analyses. Osteometrically, the early Czech turkeys, which probably weighed between 3 and 9 kg, resemble their wild ancestor. The management of breeding and slaughtering is reflected in the variety of ages and sexes. Cut marks undoubtedly suggest butchering and subsequent eating. The written sources from the end of the sixteenth and in the seventeenth century prove that turkey was on the menu of those of high social class, which we see from the earliest reliable written Czech record from 1578, which describes a festal menu for the wedding of Vilém of Rožmberk (Rosenberg), one of the most powerful men in Bohemia. Different sources suggest that either 450 or 600 turkeys were served at the feast. From as early as 1583, we have a written record, although an isolated one, which suggests the early spread of the turkey into the rural environment and among the lower nobility. Considering archaeological dating, historical records from 1578, and their absence from earlier records, the domestic turkey was probably introduced to and spread across the Czech lands as late as between the 50s and 80s of the sixteenth century. The history of the peacock—although later it would be replaced on the dining table by turkey—is longer; the first written record of its being bred in Bohemia dates from around 1125–1140. According to other records, the pheasant, another imported Galliform bird, was known in Bohemia in 1330. The keeping of the wild form of turkey is documented much later; certainly in 1801, but very probably already in 1781. Keywords Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) . Peafowl (Pavo cristatus) . Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) . Bone finds . Osteometry . Diet . Historical sources
Introduction: turkey in a wider context Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (https://doi.org/10.1007/s12520-019-00891-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. * René Kyselý [email protected] Petr Meduna [email protected] 1
Institute of Archaeology of the Czech Academy of Sc
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