International Journal of Paleopathology 14 (2016) 31–35 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect International Journal of Paleopathology j ourna l ho mepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/ijpp Spavin in red deer: A case study from the Early Neolithic Blagotin, Serbia Jelena Bulatovi ´ c a,∗ , Nemanja Markovi ´ c b , Oliver Stevanovi ´ c c , Darko Marinkovi ´ c d , Ivana Stojanovi ´ c b , Nikola Krsti ´ c d a Laboratory for Bioarchaeology, Department of Archaeology, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade, ˇ Cika Ljubina 18-20, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia b Institute of Archaeology, Kneza Mihaila 35/IV, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia c PI Veterinary Institute of Republic Srpska “Dr. Vaso Butozan”, Branka Radiˇ cevi´ ca 18, 78000 Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina d Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Belgrade, Bulevar Oslobo – denja 18, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia a r t i c l e i n f o Article history: Received 24 December 2015 Received in revised form 21 April 2016 Accepted 27 April 2016 Keywords: Red deer Tarsal joint disease Spavin Early Neolithic Blagotin Serbia a b s t r a c t Pathological modifications are rarely observed in the remains of wild animals from archaeological sites. We present one such specific, pathological change − a case of spavin in a red deer specimen from the Early Neolithic site of Blagotin, in central Serbia. The left tarsal joint presented proliferative new bone formation, which was analyzed macroscopically, then subjected to X-ray and computed tomography (CT) imaging. We assume that the initial degenerative changes in this red deer tarsal joint were probably caused by ageing, although the environment may have likely contributed to the progression of the disor- der. Spavin usually results in stiffness of the joints and in lameness, perhaps contributing in the animal’s capture by Neolithic hunters. This case is important in that it demonstrates that spavin is not necessarily a consequence of riding or traction work. © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction The earliest Neolithic in the central Balkans is represented by Starˇ cevo culture, part of the Starˇ cevo-K ˝ orös-Cris ¸ cultural com- plex (c. 6300–5200 BCE). The vast majority of the Starˇ cevo sites are small, short-term occupations, mostly single-layered and characterized by the presence of large pits, whose function is still debatable (e.g. Bogdanovi ´ c, 1988; Greenfield and Jongsma- Greenfield, 2014). Starˇ cevo communities, the earliest agricultural communities in the region, also practiced farming and animal breeding. Hunting was an important activity (Bökönyi, 1970, 1984; Clason, 1980). In this paper, we present a case of spavin in red deer from the Early Neolithic site of Blagotin, in central Serbia. The site is located 26 km northeast from the present-day town of Trstenik, and approximately 180 km south of Belgrade. The first small-scale excavation of the site was conducted in 1985 (Tomi ´ c, 1988), fol- lowed by several systematic excavation campaigns between 1989 and 2002 (Greenfield, 1995; Nikoli ´ c and Zeˇ cevi ´ c, 2001; Radoman, 1995; Redˇ zi´ c and Zeˇ cevi ´ c, 1995; Stankovi ´ c, 1992a,b; Stankovi ´ c and ∗ Corresponding author. E-mail address: jelena.bulatovic@f.bg.ac.rs (J. Bulatovi ´ c). Lekovi ´ c, 1993; Stankovi ´ c and Redˇ zi´ c, 1996a,b; Stankovi ´ c and Runi ´ c, 1990; Stankovi ´ c et al., 1997). The site covers 6 ha, and presents a cultural layer around 0.8–1.1 m depth (Greenfield, 1995; Nikoli ´ c and Zeˇ cevi ´ c, 2001; Radoman, 1995); however, only 300 m 2 of the site has been excavated (Nikoli ´ c and Zeˇ cevi ´ c, 2001; 4). It is a multi- layered site, which was initially inhabited during the Early Neolithic (end of the VIIth and beginning of the VIth millennium BCE). It was reoccupied in the Early Eneolithic, the Early Bronze Age and the Early Iron Age (Nikoli ´ c and Zeˇ cevi ´ c, 2001). Nine pit features have been partially or completely excavated in the central part of the Early Neolithic settlement at Blagotin. They were arranged in a circular pattern, around the largest cen- tral pit feature (10 × 8 m), which according to the excavator was a shrine (Nikoli ´ c and Zeˇ cevi ´ c, 2001; Stankovi ´ c and Lekovi ´ c, 1993; Whittle et al., 2002). Other pit features were smaller, approxi- mately around 4 × 5 m. All pit features are ellipse or trapezoid in shape (Nikoli ´ c and Zeˇ cevi ´ c, 2001), and they are more or less contemporaneous (Greenfield and Jongsma-Greenfield, 2014, 25). The Early Neolithic settlement of Blagotin has been radiocarbon dated: OxA-8608: 6440–6230 cal. BCE, OxA-8609: 6230–6020 cal. BCE, and OxA-8760: 6220–5990 cal. BCE (Whittle et al., 2002). The economy of the Early Neolithic population at Blagotin was based on animal husbandry, while hunting, fishing and gathering played a minor role in subsistence (Greenfield and Jongsma- http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpp.2016.04.006 1879-9817/© 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.