Animal bones that were excavated with earthenware at the Jongdal-ri shell mound archaeological site Ⅳ on Jeju Island were investigated morphologically and osteometrically. This archaeological site is estimated to date from the late Tamra period to the unified Shilla Dynasty (A.D. 7C) based on the type of earthenware.
The number of animal bones was 3,430 pieces(Quarter B : 758, Quarter C : 2,672). The animal species consisted of Cervus spp., Sus spp., Bos spp and Canivore. The animal bone pieces excavated at Quarter B consisted of those of Cervus(53.3%), Bos(2.8%) and Sus(13.7%). The bones of Cervus(53.3%), Bos(2.8%), Sus(13.7%) and Canivore(4.6%) were found at Quarter C.
The greatest number of heads was unearthed as a whole, and the classification according to animal species showed that the heads were more visible than other bones. Forelimbs and hindlimbs were distributed evenly on the part of Cervus. The skeletons from Bos were identified in the order of heads, forelimbs and hindlimbs, while nearly all the Sus bones were found to be heads.
These data suggests that Cervus, Sus and Bos are major fauna at the estimated period.
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