Cattle health in the Iron Age and Roman Netherlands.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate diachonic and regional trends in the occurrence of pathologies in cattle in the Iron Age and Roman Netherlands. A key objective is to investigate whether the intensification of cattle husbandry in the Roman period was associated with an increase in pathology.

MATERIALS

The data set consists of 167 sites with a combined total of 127,373 individual specimens for cattle, sheep/goat, horse, and pig.

METHODS

A quantitative approach was used, investigating the frequency of pathologies over time and per region. For cattle, pathology frequencies were also investigated per type. Several multi-period sites were considered in more detail.

RESULTS

Pathology frequencies increased during the Iron Age and Roman period. In cattle, joint pathology was most common, followed by dental pathology.

CONCLUSIONS

The overall frequency of pathology aligns with frequencies in other regions. Some pathological conditions in cattle can tentatively be linked to intensification, such as joint pathology at two sites in the Middle and Late Roman periods, an increase in dental pathology and trauma).

SIGNIFICANCE

This review revealed diachronic trends and linked them to developments in animal husbandry and highlights the importance of recording and publishing pathological lesions.

LIMITATIONS

The multi-causal origin of joint and dental pathology makes it difficult to relate them to the intensification of cattle husbandry.

SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH

It is hoped that this review will stimulate further paleopathological research globally, especially systematic studies into foot pathologies.