Póczy Klára: Forschungen in Aquincum 1969- 2002 (Aquincum Nostrum 2. Budapest, 2003)
6. Die Wirtschaft Aquincums im Spiegel der neuen Funde - 6.3. Animals and Roman lifeways in Aquincum (Alice M. Choyke)
microscopic analysis of carved 'bone' objects from Aquincum have shown that antler was quite an important raw material for artisans in Pannónia as elsewhere in the Empire 36 . Organized gathering trips, possibly controlled by the producers of worked bone and antler objects, were probably arranged each Spring to collect antler from particular territories where the red deer stags regularly shed their antler racks. Individual workshops may have had rights to particular gathering territories to insure supplies of this valuable raw material. Another wild species which occurs on Pannonian sites is the European brown hare (Lepus europaeus Pali). Hunting this species became quite popular during the Period of the Roman Empire and its meat was considered tasty. There is evidence from Augusta Raurica that young hares were kept in enclosures called leporaria and hare bone is found from time to time in the material of Pannonian excavations. 37 So far, however, there is no evidence for organized hare keeping in Pannónia. Again, there would be a bias against finding the small bones of this species in the absence of fine excavation techniques. Bones from domestic rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus L.), which the Romans certainly brought into the provinces for the first time, have not yet been recognized in Pannonian Roman faunal assemblages. The 85. Campona is one of the auxilary forts on the Danube river. It was established by the ala I Tungrorum Frontoniana in the 2 nd century, destroyed during the Marcomannic Wars in the end of the 2 nd century and rebuilt afterwards. The workshop comes from this second period and contains several antler roses and rectangles of antler waiting to be worked into various tools. 36 Deschler-Erb, S., Römische Beinartefakte aus Augusta Raurica. Forschungen in Augst 27/1, Augst, 1998, 59-60. This is the first serious attempt to try and distinguish between the raw materials used to make bone, antler and ivory artifacts. 37 TOYNBEE op. cit. 200. Varro describes these enclosures on the country estates of late republican times as being carefully fenced in and carefully planted in grass and shrub in which the hares could hide. Organized hunts with bow and arrow sometimes took place. Hare meat was considered a delicacy and they were sometimes made into pets. Hares are occasionally depicted on Pannonian Samian ware and on stucco molds. Romans themselves did not distinguish between hare and rabbit as separate species. Finally, it is known that larger farm estates in the province had fishponds. Varro describes such freshwater ponds (dulces) on latifundia in Italy. There is a well- preserved dam at Kikeritó in western Hungary which was used to block off a small valley. Another pond bed was found to the north of Tác-Gorsium. Fish were considered delicacies and a staple of Roman cuisine. It is a certainty that wild fish were also caught. Due to rough recovery methods, the only bones usually found come from mature specimens of the larger fish species for example, pike (Esox lucius L.), carp (Cyprius carpio L.) catfish (Silurus glanis L.) and even sturgeon (Acipenseridae) . 38 There are many Roman fish recipes, and given the proximity of marshland and rivers to settlements it does seem likely that with the introduction of screening and flotation techniques a clearer picture of fish exploitation ponds as well as freshwater fishing customs in Pannónia will emerge. Luxury foods such as oysters, and song birds would also have bee consumed by the Roman elite in Pannónia as elsewhere. However, the latter have not yet been found anywhere in Pannónia and will not be until dry and wet screening and even some flotation is seriously and regularly employed on excavations. However, there is an example from Augusta Raurica in Switzerland where the archaeozoologist carefully sampled soil from a elegant house in the town center. Among the bones of the usual meat animals appeared remains from tiny song birds whose tongues were supposedly eaten by the discerning 39 38 Bartosiewicz, L., Animal remains from the fort. In: (D. Gabler ed.) The Roman fort of Acs-Vaspuszta (Hungary) on the Danubian limes. Part II. BAR 531, Oxford, 1989, 600—623, here 614—615. Fish species found at this Castrum located near the Danube river include the common carp (Cyprinus carpio L.), pike (Esox lucius L.), pikeperch (Stizostedion lucioperca L.) and great sturgeon (Huso huso L.). Although, this latter fish species is now found only in the lowermost reaches of the Danube it is known to have been fished extensively in medieval times in Hungary, prior to the construction of mid 20 th century hydroelectric dams. 39 SCHIBLER-FURGER op. cit. 225.
