The pathology of sacrifice: dogs from an early Roman ‘ritual’ shaft in southern England

Green, E. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0006-0621-0553 (2025) The pathology of sacrifice: dogs from an early Roman ‘ritual’ shaft in southern England. International Journal of Paleopathology, 49. pp. 37-49. ISSN 1879-9825 doi: 10.1016/j.ijpp.2025.02.005

Abstract/Summary

Objective To investigate the health of a large assemblage of Romano-British dogs recovered from the first century CE ritual shaft on the Nescot site in Surrey, England. Materials 5463 dog bones comprising an MNI of 140 individuals. Methods Bone fragments were visually inspected for pathology. In the case of suspected fractures, radiographic images were taken. Results Lesions were observed in 2.26 % of skeletal remains and 14.06 % of dentition. Conclusions The Nescot dogs have similar rates of skeletal pathology to those recovered from other ‘ritual’ or cemetery contexts but lower rates than those recovered from Romano-British urban contexts. Significance Nescot represents one of the largest dog assemblages recovered from a ritual context and thus is a valuable for investigating the treatment of dogs. This study has highlighted the importance of standardised recording and quantification of pathology in zooarchaeology, as well as the importance of specialist involvement during excavation. Limitations Limited recording at excavation level and the disarticulated nature of the bone limited examination at an ‘individual’ level. This made comparisons with other Romano-British sites challenging. No comparative data was available to assess the rates of dental pathology. Suggestions for further research Given that the majority of zooarchaeological assemblages are disarticulated, the use of prevalence rates by element would greatly expand the amount of comparative data available.

Item Type	Article
URI	https://centaur.reading.ac.uk/id/eprint/124176
Identification Number/DOI	10.1016/j.ijpp.2025.02.005
Refereed	Yes
Divisions	Science > School of Archaeology, Geography and Environmental Science > Department of Archaeology
Publisher	Elsevier
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