Animal husbandry in the Roman and medieval Lagoon of Venice, Italy
The biometric evidence
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 24020705 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Mauro Rizzetto (0000-0003-2409-792X, Ca' Foscari University of Venice, corresponding author), Silvia Garavello (0009-0008-3198-8679, Ca' Foscari University of Venice), Sauro Gelichi (0000-0002-7544-8892, Ca' Foscari University of Venice) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Pages | 110363-110363 |
| Publication date | 2026-08-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Quaternary International (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1040-6182 • E-ISSN: 1873-4553 |
| Publisher | Elsevier BV (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.quaint.2026.110363 |
| OpenAlex | W7201830286 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 34 |
This study investigates animal husbandry in the Roman and medieval Lagoon of Venice, relying on zooarchaeological evidence. It draws on taxonomic frequencies and ageing data, while placing particular emphasis on biometric analyses. In the Roman period, settlement concentrated in the city of Altino. As in other western regions of the Empire, along the endo-lagoonal coast cattle husbandry played a major role in agricultural work and large-scale meat production; cattle were particularly large and robust, and only culled well into adulthood. In the Early Middle Ages settlement focus shifted to the lagoon islands and animal husbandry practices changed, in part as a consequence of inevitable adaptations to spatial constraints. Animal husbandry now focused on pigs, which could be kept in small spaces, had a flexible diet, and were particularly prolific. Their rearing was probably integrated within the broader local food economy, especially orchard and vegetable cultivations, wildfowling, and fishing, and all these activities permeated community life. Pigs slightly increased in size as a result of herding conditions and possibly selective breeding; the few cattle introduced to the islands from the mainland were considerably smaller than their Roman counterparts, as the pressure to produce agricultural and meat surpluses had been lifted. In the Later Middle Ages, cattle and caprines undergo a further slight decrease in size, although their frequency and importance increase, with the appearance of specialised production, consumption, and redistribution sites. This biometric approach to the reconstruction of animal husbandry in the Roman and medieval Venetian lagoon offers new perspectives on human settlement choices, resource availability, zootechnical knowledge, and the long-term evolution of human-animal-wetland relationships.
Agriculture · Animal husbandry · Herding · Human settlement · Livestock · Mainland · Resource (disambiguation) · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Archaeology and Historical Studies · Maritime and Coastal Archaeology
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| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |