Note on Faunal Remains

Abstract

Gotihawa is located in the Nepalese Tarai, the lowland near the Indian border. The site is well-known because of the presence of the stump of an Ashokan pillar (III century B.C.) and because it belongs to a little group of sites directly linked at the begginning of Buddhism. The excavations, organized by the “Istituto per l'Africa e l'Oriente", Rome, have brought to light the pillar’s foundation, the great stupa and, in the earlier layers of the deposit, a settlement (VII-V century B.C.). These researches have the aim to establish a reliable cronological sequence for the archaeology of the middle Ganges valley, so as to clarify some important aspects of the history of Buddhism. The animal remains, the object of this paper, were found in the earlier layers, excavated in the 1998-99 campaigns. The fragments prevalently belong to cattle or buffalos; nevertheless the high percentage of wild animals (about 25%) shows that hunting was important.