VEDAT ONAR, Maciej JANECZEK, GÜLSÜN PAZVANT, Nazan İNCE GEZER, HASAN ALPAK, ALTAN ARMUTAK, Alexander CHROSZCZ, Zeynep KIZILTAN

Estimating the body weight of Byzantine dogs from the Theodosius Harbour at Yenikapı, Istanbul

Bu çalışmada, humeral ve femoral orta şaft çevreleri kullanılarak İstanbul Theodosius antik limanından elde edilen köpeklerin vücut ağırlıkları tahmin edildi. Her bir humerus ve femurdan yapılan hesaplamalara göre, Theodosius limanı Bizans köpeklerinin vücut ağırlığı dağılımı 7.953-22.385 kg oldukları tespit edildi. Şehirleşmiş bölgelerde Terrier ebatında (büyüklüğünde) köpeklerin beslenmesinin nispeten daha kolay olduğunun bilinmesi gerçeği Konstantinapolisde bu ırklara benzer köpeklerin bakılmasının tercih edildiği fikrine ulaşmamızı sağlayabilir. Muhtemelen Konstatinapoliste bu küçük ve orta büyüklükteki mezosefalik köpekler bekçi köpeği olarak kullanıldılar. Yenikapı kazı alanındaki fazlaca kemik varlığının Konstantinapolisin günlük yaşantısında köpeklerin ölümlerinden sonra basitçe gömülmüş veya çöp olarak atılmış olduğuna işaret ettiğini düşünmekteyiz.

İstanbul Yenikapı Theodosius limanından Bizans köpeklerinin vücut ağırlığı tahmini

In the present study, humeral and femoral midshaft circumferences were used in the weight estimation of dogs from the ancient site of the Theodosius Harbor in Istanbul. According to the calculations taken on each humerus and femur, body weight distribution of the Byzantine dogs from the Theodosius harbour was observed to be 7.953-22.385 kg. The relative ease to accommodate Terrier-size dogs in urban environments may have led to a preference for such breeds in Constantinople. It is possible that these light- and medium-sized mesocephalic dogs were also used as alarm guards in Constantinople. We suggest that the presence of several bones in the Yenikapı excavation area may indicate that dogs were simply buried or dumped as rubbish after death in everyday life in Constantinople.

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