The article discusses the results of archaeozoological studies of the cultural layer in Yekaterinburg on the site adjacent to the modern “Mytnyi Dvor”. The materials of the research cover the period from the second half of the 18th century to the late 19th century. Traditional archaeozoological methods were used to study the bones of livestock, which form the basis of the collection. The results of the study demonstrate that the analyzed materials are, with a high degree of probability, a reflection of the extensive supplies of livestock for the meat trade of Yekaterinburg and the waste from its functioning. Beef was the main type of meat consumed by the city dwellers. Analysis of the biological parameters of cattle shows that mainly adult and old cattle were sold at the city meat market. X-ray of cattle metapodials revealed adult and old cows, as well as bulls with oxen. Most of the detected changes in cattle bones are age-related. It is possible that some bones of bulls and oxen may have come from working animals. Several metapodia of bulls and oxen with pronounced distal lipping and palmar osteophytes were found. Meat from cows, bulls, and oxen was sold. Analysis of the osteometric parameters of cattle metapodials made it possible to reliably identify a large series of bones from oxen. The discovery of a bone skate and other bone artefacts may reflect the higher status of people who lived in this part of the city. Characteristics of archaeozoological collections of trading zones in the cities of the Urals and Siberia during the 18th and 19th centuries include high rates of unidentifiable bones, as well as fragments of tubular bone walls and cattle horns, which were formed during the activities of butcher shops.
Alexey Rassadnikov (Wed,) studied this question.