Transformation processes in the osteoarchaeological record between the Iron Age and the Roman times with reference to the civitas Treverorum

This paper discusses transformations in human behavior between the Iron Age and the Roman times in the tribal territory of the Treveri , later civitas Treverorum , located between the Rhine and the Ardennes. This aspect has been examined from two perspectives: first, from an anthropological point of view vis‐a‐vis the historical inhabitants, and second, from an archaeozoological perspective regarding domestic animals. Due to small sample sizes and/or difficulty in dating, both regarding humans and domestic animals, transformations in living conditions and animal‐keeping could mostly be outlined only for the La Tène and Roman times. Only the Celtic‐Roman cemetery of Wederath‐Belginum with continued use from middle La Tène to late antiquity offers a more complex insight into human mortality and animal offerings. People lived longer in the Roman times but had more pathologies compared with the previous La Tène period. Body height remained similar in the La Tène and Roman times. However, differences existed within specific human groups (for example, warriors and craftsmen), compared to the normal population. Sex differences in mortality persisted from La Tène to Roman times. The faunal composition in the burials, settlements, and sanctuaries also shows changes. Since the middle La Tène period, chickens have been present. The first oysters can be found in Augustean times, whereas exotic birds such as crested fowls and peacocks are found only in later Roman times and are quite rare. A new direction in animal‐keeping is demonstrated via an increasing logarithmic size index (LSI) in cattle and sheep. The multivariate methods applied in this study offer further insights into the domain and can serve as helpful tools for osteoarchaeological data analysis

Ancient history · Iron Age · Transformation (genetics · Ancient and Medieval Archaeology Studies · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Archaeology and Historical Studies · Chemistry · History · Medicine

• Demography in Archaeology

  Open Access•A Chamberlain, Andrew T Chamberlain•Demography in Archaeology•2006

  Añadir item

• Demographic Archaeology

  Open Access•Fekri A Hassan•Advances in archaeological method…•1981

  Añadir item

• Mobility and origin of camels in the Roman Empire through serial stable carbon and oxygen isotope variations in tooth enamel

  Open Access•Sophie G Habinger, Bea De Cupere et al.•Quaternary International•2020

  Añadir item

• Archaeology and Zooarchaeology of the Late Iron Age-Roman Transition in the Province of Raetia (100 bc –100 ad)

  Open Access•Simon Trixl, Bernd Steidl et al.•European Journal of Archaeology•2017

  Añadir item

• The biometry of prehistoric Alpine sheep

  Open Access•Simon Trixl•Anthropozoologica•2022

  Añadir item

• Estimateurs en paléodémographie

  Claude Masset, Jean-Pierre Bocquet•L Homme•1977

  Añadir item

• History of Human Life Span and Mortality

  Open Access•J Hos, Jessica Y Ho et al.•Population•1971

  Añadir item