Fishing in Thrace: new insights from the Early Iron Age period at the settlement of Malkoto Kale (Sozopol, Bulgaria)

Carried out in the framework of the Franco-Bulgarian archaeological mission at Apollonia Pontica, the study of the settlement of Malkoto Kale aimed at a better understanding of the impact of the foundation of the Greek city on the Thracian settlement pattern. In 2020, reopening a trench excavated in 1973, excavations uncovered archaeological contexts rich in faunal remains. The archaeozoological study provides the first publication on fish bones in an Early Iron Age context of the South-Western Black seashore. It brings to light the fishery practices of the local population before the arrival of Greek settlers in the area. As such, it constitutes an important contribution to our understanding of Early Iron Age diet in the Balkan Peninsula.