Cattle ‘breed’ variation and improvement in Roman Italy: connecting the zooarchaeological and ancient textual evidence

Abstract

Abstract Integrating zooarchaeological and ancient textual datasets for cattle provides a more comprehensive picture of breed developments for Roman Italy. Widespread increases in cattle sizes do not occur until Republican and Imperial times, coincident with marked agricultural and demographic changes in the country. Distinct clusters of cattle ‘breeds’ develop during these periods. The ancient Latin texts describe physical traits for several types of cattle, separated geographically (e.g. Umbrian, Campanian, Ligurian, Latium, Etrurian, Alpine, north-plain and south-mountain and -plain). Available zooarchaeological metric data confirm modifications to cattle breeds that are generally consistent with these recordings. Several factors interplay to cause size and shape changes, including an augmented market and military demand for grain and other foodstuffs, as well as the import and export of cattle brood-stock from other areas of the Empire into and out of Italy.