Michael MacKinnon

Cattle 'breed' variation and improvement in Roman Italy: connecting the zooarchaeological and ancient textual evidence

Abstract Integrating zooarchaeological and ancient textual datasets for cattle provides a more comprehensive picture of breed developments for Roman Italy. Widespread increases in cattle sizes do not occur until Republican and Imperial times, coincident with marked agricultural and demographic changes in the country. Distinct clusters of cattle ‘breeds’ develop during these periods. The ancient Latin texts describe physical traits for several types of cattle, separated geographically (e.g. Umbrian, Campanian, Ligurian, Latium, Etrurian, Alpine, north-plain and south-mountain and -plain). Available zooarchaeological metric data confirm modifications to cattle breeds that are generally consistent with these recordings. Several factors interplay to cause size and shape changes, including an augmented market and military demand for grain and other foodstuffs, as well as the import and export of cattle brood-stock from other areas of the Empire into and out of Italy.

‘Sick as a dog’: zooarchaeological evidence for pet dog health and welfare in the Roman world

Abstract A survey and analysis of skeletal pathologies from dog remains at Roman archaeological sites in the Mediterranean context reveals patterns of osteological health and welfare that in turn provide an indication of human treatment and care for pet animals during Roman times. Common pathological conditions include dental complications, especially pre-mortem tooth loss, healed limb fractures, osteoarthritis and infection, in patterns and frequencies similar to dog samples from other temporal and spatial contexts. Generally, Roman dogs seem to be in good condition, as regards skeletal health, with minimal osteological evidence for human abuse or maltreatment, but also no conclusive data for splinting any broken bones. Smaller ‘toy’ breeds of dogs in Roman times appear more susceptible to multiple pathological conditions, but also display signs of greater human care, especially in terms of pampering and feeding.

Zooarchaeology Method and Practice in Classical Archaeology: Interdisciplinary Pathways Forward

The discipline of classical archaeology provides a fertile environment for the application of a diverse array of methodological and practical tactics from zooarchaeology. Moreover, this dynamic is reciprocal, with contributions from zooarchaeology variously affecting the questions asked and trajectories pursued within classical archaeology. This paper reviews the relationship between these two fields and how contributions garnered from developments in zooarchaeological method and practice are reshaping and refining our knowledge of how animals factored in the world of antiquity. Attention focuses on several key issues: (1) zooarchaeological input to the complicated debate centering upon “sacred” and “secular” reasons behind why meat was consumed in Greek antiquity, with particular focus upon the value of enhanced recovery techniques and greater taphonomic understanding; (2) the interrelationships of ancient textual, iconographic, and zooarchaeological sets of information to our knowledge of livestock “breed” diversity in antiquity; and (3) advancements in zooarchaeological method and practice, including isotopic research, that are refashioning the questions asked and directions pursued in classical archaeology as a whole. Examples are drawn from various sites within the ancient Greek and Roman Mediterranean context to explore themes.