Sacrifice, Meat Consumption, and Bone Working at the Curiae Veteres: Zooarchaeological Findings from the Sixth- and Fifth-Century BCE Levels of the Palatine-Pendici Nord-Est Excavations in Rome, Italy

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Animal Bones to Human Behavior" session, at the 86th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Recent archaeological projects, such as those of the Palatine-Pendici nord-est excavation, are bringing new materials and new clarity to the processes of social change that lead to urbanism in Rome, Italy. The Curiae Veteres sanctuary, located in the heart of Rome on the northern slopes of the Palatine Hill, gives exceptional insight into the earliest rituals of Rome. Here, the large deposits of animal remains dating to the sixth and fifth centuries BCE mostly relate to three activities: animal sacrifice, communal consumption, and bone working. These faunal materials are evidence for early Roman ritual, social structure, and economy. The remains are mostly from the common domesticates across early Roman sites, including pig, cattle, and sheep/goat. However, dog crania and paws, complete cattle skulls with perforations for affixing the skulls to walls, and a range of wild animals such as owl, vulture, crow, and seabass show the diversity in the offerings and significance of animals at the site. Partially worked cattle metapodials and deer antlers were abundant, showing the development of a new industry in the area. The activities conducted at the Curiae Veteres during the birth of Rome laid the groundwork for the city that followed.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Animal Bones to Human Behavior   •
• Society for American Archaeology 86th Annual Meeting, Online (2021)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 32208