Animal exploitation and subsistence on the borders of the Sasanian Empire: From the Gorgan Wall (Iran) to the Gates of Alans (Georgia)

This chapter is based on our recent investigations into the sub- sistence economy at a military fort in the northern Caucasus (in modern Georgia), in comparison with sites along the Gorgan Wall in the north-east of Iran. The latter include forts and settlements in the hinterland. These studies highlight the diversity of animal consump- tion during the Sasanian era, in uenced by the environmental setting of the sites, general agro-pastoral practices in the study regions and different cultural traditions. In all cases, however, herded animals (sheep/goats and cattle) provided most of the animal protein, com- plemented by the exploitation of other resources such as poultry, sh and wild birds. The huge quantity of animal remains from Dariali Fort in Georgia and the other Sasanian-era sites presented here shed new light on animal exploitation at the frontiers of one of antiquity’s largest empires and provide a solid foundation for future archaeozoological studies in this part of the ancient world.