Etruscan Economics: Forty-Five Years of Faunal Remains from Poggio Civitate

Abstract

Since the mid-1960s, excavations at the Etruscan site of Poggio Civitate have recovered large amounts of faunal material (bone, tooth, and antler fragments). Nearly forty years after excavations began, the first detailed analysis of this material is finally underway. This article presents the initial results of zooarchaeological investigations at Poggio Civitate, with a focus on remains from the 7th century BCE Orientalizing period of occupation at the site. We discuss the functional, economic, and taphonomic implications of the faunal assemblages from three distinct areas of the site, representing elite debris, industrial activities, and possible ritual architecture. Faunal remains from a structure thought to be an elite residence include a higher proportion of cattle, deer, and large wild animals (boar, bear, and wolf) than the rest of the site. These animals would have likely played significant roles in signaling elite status to those who hunted them and/or displayed them as trophies. Although non-elite residences have yet to be identified at Poggio Civitate, an extensive workshop area suggests that a large number of non-elite people worked on the hilltop. The faunal assemblage from the workshop area shows a higher focus on sheep and pigs and a more diverse range of birds than in other areas of the site, possibly related to the various industrial activities that took place in the workshop. Finally, we explore how faunal remains might add to our understanding of a building thought to have a ritual function. By elucidating the various activities that likely occurred in each of the areas of Poggio Civitate, the faunal data also help us to better understand the function of the site in the surrounding region before its intentional destruction in the mid-6th century BCE. The zooarchaeological analyses presented here support the interpretation of Poggio Civitate as a self-sufficient site. Wool exploitation appears to have been part of a complex economy that also involved meat and milk products, onsite butchery, and meat distribution at a local scale. Cattle management was aimed not at keeping cattle to older ages for agricultural exploitation, but at prime-age animals killed for their meat, possibly reflecting elite consumption, such as at banquets and displays of wealth. With future zooarchaeological data collection and analysis at Poggio Civitate, we can explore these initial observations in greater depth.