Bird eggs in the diet of ancient Pompeii: An SEM analysis of archaeological avian eggshell

Abstract

The presence of avian eggshell is often interpreted generally as evidence of food consumption. When avian eggshell is identified taxonomically it can be used as a parallel line of evidence to gain a clearer picture of ancient subsistence practices (Beacham and Durand, 2007). The Pompeii Archaeological Research Project: Porta Stabia (PARP:PS) conducted excavations in Insula VIII.7 of Pompeii, a non-elite neighborhood, between 2005 and 2012. Insula VIII.7 is located near the so-called entertainment district which includes two theaters and the quadriporticus that also may have served entertainment or leisure functions. We predicted that domesticated chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus) eggs would play an important role in the non-elite diet, as chickens were frequently mentioned in primary sources, were prevalent in the PARP:PS avian bone assemblage, and are often noted as being cheaper alternatives to other meat sources. We found that while chicken eggs made up the bulk of the eggshell assemblage, partridge (Perdix perdix) eggs made up a significant portion as well.