Equid-human interactions in Medieval Rome: exploring the role and management of equids through an interdisciplinary approach
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Claudia Minniti CCAMaDC
30th conference of the European Association of Archaeologists, session 3893 - (-) - [2024-11-11; online 2024-08-27]
Equids have exerted a notable influence on the history of humanity. Thanks to the use of horses, people's mobility, cultural exchanges and commercial activities have increased. The success of horses in war is also widely documented in the history of each conquest and expansion. One of the aspects of greatest interest is related to the diffusion of different varieties selected for different functions. Ancient sources attest to the presence of some varieties of horses that should have been widespread from Roman period onwards, linking them to the geographical areas from which they came. More than a simple geographical catalogue, some physical distinctions are also described. Archaeozoological studies are also contributing to defining the history of the evolution of horses, however the difficulty of discriminating between the various equids (horses, donkeys and hybrids) represents a strong bias factor. Rome represents an ideal case study as the excavations and studies carried out for several decades provide a large quantity of remains that can be correlated to a very broad chronological period, allowing to investigate ancient horse husbandry strategies to highlight changes and resilience through time and functions. This paper aims to present the first results of an interdisciplinary study that compares recent aDNA analysis of some equid remains, morphological and biometrical studies and written and ichnographic sources in order to deepen our knowledge on the use of horse in Rome in the medieval and post-medieval periods.