Y. Lignereux et al., MEAT, POULTRY AND SEA FOOD-CONSUMPTION AT THE ROMAN MILITARY CAMP OF AUNEDONNACUM (AULNAY-DE-SAINTONGE, FRANCE, 20-30 AD) .2. DISCUSSION, Revue de Medecine Veterinaire, 148(5), 1997, pp. 399-412
The Roman military camp (Tiberian period) of Aulnay-de-Saintonge (Char
ente-Maritime, France), produced a large sample of animal remains (num
ber of rests = 7,725, mass = 86,273 g), dated from the third decade AD
. Filteen mammal, 16 bird, 2 fish and 16 mollusc species were identifi
ed. Cattle were quite large (120 to 140 cm) while sheep, goat and pig
were medium-sized (small ruminants : 60-76 cm; pig : 70-80 cm at withe
rs). Generally young animals were slaughtered for consumption, except
for some alder cattle. The animals were slaughtered and dressed within
the camp. Hunting was not unimportant (5 % of N.R., 9 % of weight), t
he prefered game being red deer, as in Germany (where the legions were
transferred from). The distribution of the animal remains in the camp
show that the staff consumed selected pieces of meat, whereas soldier
s received most of the time beef and chicken.