The management and consumption of animals in the Early Middle Ages: the faunal remains of the Torba tower, Castel Seprio (Varese)

This paper reports the early medieval faunal assemblage retrieved during four excavation campaigns which took place in the Torba tower on the castrum of Castel Seprio (Varese). The study outlines the faunal composition and management of animals in this area of the castrum, itself a part of the larger defensive system from Castel Seprio. Most remains represent domestic species with high frequencies of pigs, sheep, goats, cattle, and roosters, and lower values for horses and dogs. Wild animals account for only a small part of the assemblage. The presence of most anatomical portions in the main livestock species and butchery marks suggest that these remains reflect preparation and consumption practices. The disarticulated remains of a male horse were found on the external margin of the tower in what appears to be a burial whose perimeter, along with some bones which are missing on our sample were described in the 1978 excavation report by Alessandro Dejana.