Abstract
In 2001 and 2002 an excavation conducted in the town of Alphen aan den Rijn in the Netherlands revealed the vestiges of a Roman fort, Castellum Albaniana, situated along the historical Rhine delta and used for centuries during the Roman occupation (41 AD − 275 CE). Among the animal bones retrieved from the surrounding defensive ditches, remains of Lynx lynx bones were found. Lynx is currently not native to the Netherlands but might have been in historical times and it could have been transported to the Limes region by the Romans or caught in the direct surroundings of the castellum. In the present study, we describe the retrieved lynx bones initially identified based on morphology. We performed ancient DNA amplification, sequencing and alignment to confirm species identification and to determine the haplotype. Previous haplotyping of lynx from various sites reported by other studies has shown that lynx distribution in Europe during Roman times was very different from its current distribution. DNA analysis of cytochrome oxidase I and cytochrome B confirmed the identification of the animal species as Lynx lynx. Sequencing of the mitochondrial control region revealed that the animal carried a DNA haplotype, different from those from North Sea fossil lynx remains, but comparable to a haplotype found in southern France. Analysis of stable isotope of the bone materials, to determine the region where the animal lived, suggests the provenance of the animal from a region which comprises southern and central Europe including a part of the Netherlands.
Highlights
In the years 2001–2002, the remains of a Roman fort, Castellum Albaniana, were unearthed during an archaeological excavation in the Dutch town of Alphen aan den Rijn, situated along the historical Rhine delta in the Netherlands (Polak et al, 2004)
The chronology of the castellum can be divided into three distinctive periods, identified stratigraphically and dendrochro nologically: a first castellum period was marked by the presence of a wooden construction (41–69 AD) which was followed by a specific distinctive wooden construction in the second period and followed by the third period marked by the presence of various stone constructions
The aim of this study was to present the zooarchaeological remains found at Alphen aan den Rijn and to determine genetically whether the retrieved lynx skeletal remains belonged to a Lynx lynx (Eurasian lynx) or to another species, like the closely related Lynx pardinus (Iberian lynx), or even to another genus
Summary
In the years 2001–2002, the remains of a Roman fort, Castellum Albaniana, were unearthed during an archaeological excavation in the Dutch town of Alphen aan den Rijn, situated along the historical Rhine delta in the Netherlands (Polak et al, 2004). It was one of around 20 known forts in the Netherlands that formed part of the Rhine Limes, the northwestern frontier of the Roman Empire from ca. The lynx re mains found at Alphen aan den Rijn concern postcranial remains most likely in anatomical position.
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