Animals in Roman Religion

Abstract

Abstract Much has been written about the role of animals in Greco-Roman religion. Arguments surrounding the symbolism inherent in animal sacrifice and the social and political functions these actions served, as well as debates about the secular/sacred nature of meat consumption in antiquity dominate the bulk of this scholarship. Less attention, however, has been placed upon the seemingly practical and economic side to animal sacrifice and ritual. What types of animals were used, and how did this vary among public and private ritual ventures? What costs were involved in maintaining, selecting, acquiring, transporting, processing, and ultimately sacrificing animal victims? Who bore these expenses, and how might these be negotiated among different individuals or networks? How did such costs balance, or otherwise compare, with the ‘benefits’ (be these, tangible/intangible; social/spiritual) that accrued from animal sacrifice? This chapter explores these components through an integrated assessment of ancient textual, iconographical, and zooarchaeological evidence for animal sacrifice in Roman antiquity, with particular focus upon the Mediterranean context. Data reveal relatively cost-effective decisions often underscored the choice of animal sacrificed or dictated the actions involved in feasting upon the victim (in sacrifices involving feasting), or in interring the victim (in some burial and funerary contexts). Pigs and domestic fowl often were central among familial-sponsored rituals, even in areas where cattle or sheep and goats might be more plentiful or important as regards to husbandry and dietary aspects. Larger livestock were typically selected at public events. Finally, the seemingly unremunerative nature of animal burial, notably in the case of whole livestock or cuts of meat that might otherwise be consumed, need not be labelled as such when a broader spectrum of practical and economic factors is considered.