Tracing royal consumption and socio-symbolism through faunal remains: Zooarchaeology of Iron Age–Urartu Ayanis citadel, Eastern Turkiye

•This study presents the first comprehensive zooarchaeological datasets within the context of over 150 years of Urartian archaeology in the Lake Van basin.•The faunal assemblage primarily unearthed from a royal midden at Ayanis citadel.•The majority of the assemblage comprised large, adult cattle and caprines, likely provisioned as tax revenues and occasionally used for sacrificial purposes.•The animal bones at Ayanis do not exhibit any of the special treatments observed in enigmatic “bones rooms” found at Bastam, Karmir-Blur, or Toprakkale.•The absence of any single suid (Sus sp.) bones within the 11,977 bones and fragments highlights a deliberate pig taboo at Ayanis citadel. Despite having a research history of more than one and a half centuries, zooarchaeological investigations within Urartian archaeology are still very limited. This study marks a significant contribution presenting a comprehensive zooarchaeological dataset of 11,977 animal bones and fragments, primarily unearthed from a royal midden at the Urartian site of Ayanis citadel, Eastern Turkiye. The analysis encompasses species identification, age estimation, sex determination, and the identification of taphonomic and pathological changes. Rigorous measurements were taken to establish a robust zooarchaeological dataset. Logarithmic Size Index (LSI) was calculated to identify the morphological characteristics of Ayanis sheep, goats, and cattle, as well as potential sex-based exploitation of these animals. Contextualizing the results with faunal remains from contemporary Urartian sites including Bastam in Iran, and Karmir-Blur, Aramus and Horom in Armenia, this study presents hitherto overlooked archaeological evidence of animal-based consumption behavior and rituals, and possible animal taboos practiced by the Urartian royals and elites. It also offers new opportunities for comparative analyses and discussions for the biometric status of domestic livestock and animal-human interactions within the broader context of the Iron Age in the Lesser Caucasus and West Asia.