Title : A Zooarchaeological Approach to Romanisation : Cross-cultural Synthesis or One-Way Traffic ?

Abstract :

Recently, the axiom that Romans brought civilisation to native Britons has been challenged : did ’Romanisation’ dictate how trade, economics and religion functioned, or was there a greater degree of interaction between Romans and Britons ?

Zooarchaeology holds the key to understanding certain aspects of Romanisation ; recent findings have pointed to distinct differences in the perception and utilisation of animals across the Empire.

This session draws on all aspects of faunal research to illustrate how the economic exploitation and perceptual importance of animals offers insight into the process of Romanisation. By highlighting case studies and methodologies where the analysis of animal material culture has gone beyond the purely economic this session aims to aid in our understanding of the possible cultural, and indeed cross-cultural affects, involved in Romanisation. We would encourage research that uses all related aspects of faunal studies, including figurines and other iconographic representations.