The skeletons of a cock & a hen, + a few v ery immature bones so possibly a
chick, were part of a "special deposit" at Houghton Down (Danebury environs)
dated to Early Iron Age (Danebury ceramic phase 3, c.470-360 BC), which is
the earliest fowl I know of in Britain - any advance on that?
Julie Hamilton
34 Ulfgar Rd
OXFORD
OX2 8AZ
Tel: 01865 510800
Mobile: 07814 433424
e-mail: [log in to unmask]
----- Original Message -----
From: Jacqui Mulville <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, June 26, 2003 10:41 AM
Subject: Re: [ZOOARCH] Roman domestic fowl
> Best paper I have found about roman ritual behaviour is Fulford, M. 2001
Links
> with the past: Pervasive 'Ritual' Behaviour in Roman Britain. Britannia
Vol
> XXX11 199-218
>
> - a fine exploratoin of roman pit weirdness that includes the odd
chicken -
> examples from Neatham, Baldock and Portchester are discussed in a paper
that
> traces the native IA special deposit tradition into 'roman' times. Of
course
> the difference between 'home grown' and imported roman ritual is an
interesting
> and possibly difficult topic to consider. There are bird burials in the
IA of
> course mostly wild - not sure when chickens get involved though - anyone
know of
> the earliest chicken burial?
>
> jacqui
>
> Jacqui Mulville
> Lecturer in Bioarchaeology
> School of History and Archaeology
> Cardiff University
> Cardiff
> CF10 3XU
>
> 02920 874247
>
>
> >>> Paul Westron <[log in to unmask]> 06/24/03 01:56pm >>>
> Dear Zooarch
>
> I have recently received an assemblage of bone from a Roman villa site
> on the Isle of Wight, Britain. Although the bulk of the assemblage was
> too small to be of interest there was one interesting occurrence.
>
> This was the burial of a single fully articulated domestic fowl in a
> pit. The pit was 40cm in diameter and appeared to have been expressly
> dug for the purpose of this burial. It was located just outside the
> Villa wall.
>
> There was no pot or other datable finds from the pit however it was
> caped by the rubble of the wall once it had collapsed and is therefore
> thought to be Roman in date.
>
> The remains have been identified as domestic fowl however it is a very
> large specimen for the Roman period, it is probably male (no medullary
> bone, has spurs) and there is no sign of butchery.
>
> The villa is known for its bird associations, a peacock on a fragment of
> wall plaster and a mosaic depicting a cockerel headed man, the pit was
> just outside this room.
>
>
> Has anyone else found a similar deposit with the burial of a single
> bird?
>
> Of any species Dom fowl or Peacock/hen
>
> Either in Britain or abroad
>
> I would be very grateful for any references or parallels
>
> Paul Westron
>
> Bio Archaeological Services
>
>
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