I agree with Sonja - we've excavated a large number of Roman road-side settlements and ditches in Britain and we still only have the one camel identified from this period (the one mentioned in the article) which, I'd argue, is far from 'spotty yet telling osteological remains from ... Britain'. No doubt differential disposal may play a part but the evidence at this point would suggest that camels were far from ever being common in Roman Britain.
Best regards,
Lee G. Broderick, MSc, MA, FZS.
Zooarchaeologist
Oxford Archaeology Ltd.
+44 (0)1865 980775
www.oxfordarchaeology.com
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----- Original Message -----
From: "ZOOARCH automatic digest system" <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
Sent: Monday, 20 November, 2017 12:01:15 AM
Subject: ZOOARCH Digest - 17 Nov 2017 to 19 Nov 2017 (#2017-261)
There are 2 messages totaling 1147 lines in this issue.
Topics of the day:
1. Fw: NEWS: Camels in Roman Britain?
2. Fw: NEWS: Camels in Roman Britain?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Sun, 19 Nov 2017 20:50:10 +0000
From: Laszlo Bartosiewicz <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: Fw: NEWS: Camels in Roman Britain?
Dear Carl,
Many thanks, this is a very useful suggestion. The problem with camel remains may be taphonomic: unless they were eaten, their bones may not have been deposited in ordinary settlement refuse but at less investigated places (e.g.roadside and battlefields). In Hungary, thousands of camels are mentioned in reliable Ottoman Period records, but finds are still sporadic. Why should it be different for the time of Roman occupation?
Good luck: Laszlo
________________________________
From: Analysis of animal remains from archaeological sites <[log in to unmask]> on behalf of [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: 17 November 2017 21:12
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [ZOOARCH] Fw: NEWS: Camels in Roman Britain?
This will be of interest to some on this listserv. Please forgive any cross-postings.
Carl Berkowitz
Sent: Friday, November 17, 2017 3:02 PM
Subject: [agade] NEWS: Camels in Roman Britain?
From <https://www.forbes.com/sites/drsarahbond/2017/11/17/were-there-camels-in-roman-britain-new-evidence-suggests-camels-were-common-across-the-empire/>:
===============================
Were There Camels in Roman Britain? New Evidence Suggests Camels Were
Common Across The Empire
Sarah Bond
Were there camels in Roman Britain? Archaeological evidence indicates
that camels were used across the Roman empire well into the early
medieval period. As historian Caitlin Green suggests, this includes
the island province of Britannia.
In Roman antiquity, the camelus (from the Greek word κάμηλος) could
come with one hump or two. The single humped camel is commonly called
a dromedary. The dromedary was usually from the Arabian Peninsula and
the African steppe regions. The two-humped camel was the Bactrian
camel (Camelus bactrianus), which generally hailed from the colder
desert regions of Asia. There is strong evidence to support the
hybridization of these two types as early as the first millennium BCE,
which produced a sturdier one-humped animal that could carry about 100
kg more per day.
Camels were commonly known to be used in North Africa, Egypt, and many
parts of the ancient Near East. They were highly integral to the
incense trade in particular. The elder Pliny (NH 12.32) noted that
frankincense had to go through Sabota—Shabwa, capital city of the
South Arabian kingdom called Ḥaḍramawt—on camels, and pass through a
single gate. Bactrians could carry 220-270 kg between 30-40 km a day,
though the ancient historian Diodorus Siculus (2.54.6) suggests over
400 kg. These Bactrian camels were particularly good for carrying
freight along the Silk Road in caravans from China in the winter, for
instance, but did not do well in heat. They gave hair and milk to
traders in addition to their caravan services, but faunal remains
would suggest they were not usually eaten along the Silk Road.
From the Hellenistic to the Roman period, dromedaries were used to
carry not only freight, but also mail along roads often protected by a
police force; this was a camel mail service model inspired by the
earlier Persian Empire. A number of overland trade routes stemming
from the Red Sea ports used these pack animals to transport freight to
the East, in order to connect to the Nile.
Writing in the Augustan era, the geographer Strabo noted that it was
the king Ptolemy Philadelphus who had opened up a route to Berenice,
so that traders and camels could travel along it. This was done
because the Red Sea was itself often unpredictable and difficult to
navigate. Berenice and Myos Hormos were the most important of the Red
Sea ports, and merchants often used camels to travel to and from
Coptos. Thus camels were a pivotal transport link between the Nile
region and the Red Sea. Remains of an enclosure near the port at Myos
Hormos indicate camels may have been kept there before embarking on
the journey to Coptos. Yet osteological evidence for camels within the
empire has now expanded our view of these animals to include an area
far beyond just the Red Sea region.
Sites with Roman-era camel remains in Europe. Image: C. R. Green,
based on a map of the Roman Empire in the early second century AD by
Tataryn/Wikimedia Commons, with the empire depicted in red and its
clients during the reign of Trajan in pink; click here for a larger
version of this image. The distribution of finds of camel remains in
Europe is based on Pigière & Henrotay 2012, Tomczyk 2016, Bartosiewicz
& Dirjec 2001, Daróczi-Szabó et al 2014, Albarella et al 1993,
Maenchen-Helfen 1973, Moreno-García et al 2007, Vuković-Bogdanović &
Blažić 2014, and Vuković & Bogdanović 2013.
In a new blog post by Dr. Caitlin Green, the historian explores the
prevalence of camels across the Roman Mediterranean, based on a number
of camel remains excavated in areas such as Spain, Italy, France,
Germany, Austria, Hungary, Slovenia and the Balkans. As she notes, the
remains are dated to between the first and fifth centuries CE, with
many coming from the third century or later. Moreover, Dr. Green
remarks on the variant use of different types of camels across the
empire: "Recent surveys by both Pigière & Henrotay and Tomczyk
indicate that, where identification is possible, the evidence points
to dromedaries or Arabian camels being dominant in the western half of
Roman Europe whilst Bactrian camels were mainly found in the east,
although the split was not absolute—for example, a near-complete
skeleton of a Bactrian camel is known from a Roman urban context at
Saintes, France, and dromedary remains have been recovered from
Kompolt-Kistér, Hungary."
These camels were often used for transport and even for military
service, but as Dr. Green points to, could also be used for food and
for shows within the amphitheater. Camel teeth found at Greenwich
Park, near the ancient city of Londinium (now London), likely come
from a temple complex that sat along a busy Roman road. This may
suggest some association between camels and higher-status sites in the
West. In terms of cost, camels are listed in the Price Edict of
Diocletian. This early fourth century price control law provides
insight into the argument between using camels versus a wagon. Camels
were about 20% cheaper in many areas, but could only carry around
around 200 kg. Comparatively, wagons in the later empire could carry
over twice as much, 392 kg.
Considering the spotty yet telling osteological remains of camels
found across the Roman empire and in Britain, Green concludes the
following : "All told, the finds from Greenwich thus seem to fit into
the general pattern of Roman-era finds of camel remains across Europe,
and there consequently seems little reason not to interpret them in a
similar manner, that is to say as evidence of the presence and use of
Roman camels, probably primarily as pack animals/beasts of burden.
Certainly, if the Romans were willing to transport elephants across
the Channel, as they may well have done, then there seems little
reason to think that they wouldn't have done the same with camels,
particularly given that camels were apparently being fairly widely
employed elsewhere in north-western Europe then."
Clearly, our long-held belief that camels were an animal isolated to
use in Egypt, Arabia and other parts of the Near East during the Roman
period deserves a dromed-ic revision.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sarah E. Bond is an Assistant Professor of Classics at the University
of Iowa. For more on ancient and medieval history, follow her
@SarahEBond.
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 20 Nov 2017 00:20:21 +0100
From: Sonja Vukovic <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: Fw: NEWS: Camels in Roman Britain?
Dear Carl,
Thank you for forwarding those interesting observations. Although, I agree
with Laszlo that taphonomic loss should be taken into consideration, I
believe, taking into account the amount of known/published faunal
assemblages from Roman Britain, that the camels actually were less common
and to a lesser extent introduced in Roman Britain then in other parts of
the Empire. There are many non - eaten animals, such as pets, cats and
dogs, in Roman faunal assemblages. So, I would rather ask Why (the camels
were less common in Roman Britain) than Where (are the camels).
Best,
Sonja.
On Sun, Nov 19, 2017 at 9:50 PM, Laszlo Bartosiewicz <
[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Dear Carl,
>
>
> Many thanks, this is a very useful suggestion. The problem with camel
> remains may be taphonomic: unless they were eaten, their bones may not have
> been deposited in ordinary settlement refuse but at less investigated
> places (e.g.roadside and battlefields). In Hungary, thousands of camels are
> mentioned in reliable Ottoman Period records, but finds are still sporadic.
> Why should it be different for the time of Roman occupation?
>
>
> Good luck: Laszlo
> ------------------------------
> *From:* Analysis of animal remains from archaeological sites <
> [log in to unmask]> on behalf of [log in to unmask] <
> [log in to unmask]>
> *Sent:* 17 November 2017 21:12
> *To:* [log in to unmask]
> *Subject:* [ZOOARCH] Fw: NEWS: Camels in Roman Britain?
>
> This will be of interest to some on this listserv. Please forgive any
> cross-postings.
>
> Carl Berkowitz
>
>
> *Sent:* Friday, November 17, 2017 3:02 PM
> *Subject:* [agade] NEWS: Camels in Roman Britain?
>
> From <https://www.forbes.com/sites/drsarahbond/2017/11/17/were-
> there-camels-in-roman-britain-new-evidence-suggests-camels-
> were-common-across-the-empire/>:
> ===============================
>
> Were There Camels in Roman Britain? New Evidence Suggests Camels Were
> Common Across The Empire
> Sarah Bond
>
> Were there camels in Roman Britain? Archaeological evidence indicates
> that camels were used across the Roman empire well into the early
> medieval period. As historian Caitlin Green suggests, this includes
> the island province of Britannia.
>
> In Roman antiquity, the camelus (from the Greek word κάμηλος) could
> come with one hump or two. The single humped camel is commonly called
> a dromedary. The dromedary was usually from the Arabian Peninsula and
> the African steppe regions. The two-humped camel was the Bactrian
> camel (Camelus bactrianus), which generally hailed from the colder
> desert regions of Asia. There is strong evidence to support the
> hybridization of these two types as early as the first millennium BCE,
> which produced a sturdier one-humped animal that could carry about 100
> kg more per day.
>
> Camels were commonly known to be used in North Africa, Egypt, and many
> parts of the ancient Near East. They were highly integral to the
> incense trade in particular. The elder Pliny (NH 12.32) noted that
> frankincense had to go through Sabota—Shabwa, capital city of the
> South Arabian kingdom called Ḥaḍramawt—on camels, and pass through a
> single gate. Bactrians could carry 220-270 kg between 30-40 km a day,
> though the ancient historian Diodorus Siculus (2.54.6) suggests over
> 400 kg. These Bactrian camels were particularly good for carrying
> freight along the Silk Road in caravans from China in the winter, for
> instance, but did not do well in heat. They gave hair and milk to
> traders in addition to their caravan services, but faunal remains
> would suggest they were not usually eaten along the Silk Road.
>
> From the Hellenistic to the Roman period, dromedaries were used to
> carry not only freight, but also mail along roads often protected by a
> police force; this was a camel mail service model inspired by the
> earlier Persian Empire. A number of overland trade routes stemming
> from the Red Sea ports used these pack animals to transport freight to
> the East, in order to connect to the Nile.
>
> Writing in the Augustan era, the geographer Strabo noted that it was
> the king Ptolemy Philadelphus who had opened up a route to Berenice,
> so that traders and camels could travel along it. This was done
> because the Red Sea was itself often unpredictable and difficult to
> navigate. Berenice and Myos Hormos were the most important of the Red
> Sea ports, and merchants often used camels to travel to and from
> Coptos. Thus camels were a pivotal transport link between the Nile
> region and the Red Sea. Remains of an enclosure near the port at Myos
> Hormos indicate camels may have been kept there before embarking on
> the journey to Coptos. Yet osteological evidence for camels within the
> empire has now expanded our view of these animals to include an area
> far beyond just the Red Sea region.
>
> Sites with Roman-era camel remains in Europe. Image: C. R. Green,
> based on a map of the Roman Empire in the early second century AD by
> Tataryn/Wikimedia Commons, with the empire depicted in red and its
> clients during the reign of Trajan in pink; click here for a larger
> version of this image. The distribution of finds of camel remains in
> Europe is based on Pigière & Henrotay 2012, Tomczyk 2016, Bartosiewicz
> & Dirjec 2001, Daróczi-Szabó et al 2014, Albarella et al 1993,
> Maenchen-Helfen 1973, Moreno-García et al 2007, Vuković-Bogdanović &
> Blažić 2014, and Vuković & Bogdanović 2013.
>
> In a new blog post by Dr. Caitlin Green, the historian explores the
> prevalence of camels across the Roman Mediterranean, based on a number
> of camel remains excavated in areas such as Spain, Italy, France,
> Germany, Austria, Hungary, Slovenia and the Balkans. As she notes, the
> remains are dated to between the first and fifth centuries CE, with
> many coming from the third century or later. Moreover, Dr. Green
> remarks on the variant use of different types of camels across the
> empire: "Recent surveys by both Pigière & Henrotay and Tomczyk
> indicate that, where identification is possible, the evidence points
> to dromedaries or Arabian camels being dominant in the western half of
> Roman Europe whilst Bactrian camels were mainly found in the east,
> although the split was not absolute—for example, a near-complete
> skeleton of a Bactrian camel is known from a Roman urban context at
> Saintes, France, and dromedary remains have been recovered from
> Kompolt-Kistér, Hungary."
>
> These camels were often used for transport and even for military
> service, but as Dr. Green points to, could also be used for food and
> for shows within the amphitheater. Camel teeth found at Greenwich
> Park, near the ancient city of Londinium (now London), likely come
> from a temple complex that sat along a busy Roman road. This may
> suggest some association between camels and higher-status sites in the
> West. In terms of cost, camels are listed in the Price Edict of
> Diocletian. This early fourth century price control law provides
> insight into the argument between using camels versus a wagon. Camels
> were about 20% cheaper in many areas, but could only carry around
> around 200 kg. Comparatively, wagons in the later empire could carry
> over twice as much, 392 kg.
>
> Considering the spotty yet telling osteological remains of camels
> found across the Roman empire and in Britain, Green concludes the
> following : "All told, the finds from Greenwich thus seem to fit into
> the general pattern of Roman-era finds of camel remains across Europe,
> and there consequently seems little reason not to interpret them in a
> similar manner, that is to say as evidence of the presence and use of
> Roman camels, probably primarily as pack animals/beasts of burden.
> Certainly, if the Romans were willing to transport elephants across
> the Channel, as they may well have done, then there seems little
> reason to think that they wouldn't have done the same with camels,
> particularly given that camels were apparently being fairly widely
> employed elsewhere in north-western Europe then."
>
> Clearly, our long-held belief that camels were an animal isolated to
> use in Egypt, Arabia and other parts of the Near East during the Roman
> period deserves a dromed-ic revision.
>
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Sarah E. Bond is an Assistant Professor of Classics at the University
> of Iowa. For more on ancient and medieval history, follow her
> @SarahEBond.
>
>
>
--
Sonja Vuković - Bogdanovic, PhD
Assistant Professor
Laboratory for bioarchaeology, Archaeology Department
Faculty of Philosophy
University of Belgrade
Serbia
www.bioarchlab.org
------------------------------
End of ZOOARCH Digest - 17 Nov 2017 to 19 Nov 2017 (#2017-261)
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