V Ciclo di Studi Medievali

The importance of fish and mollusks exploitation during the Middle Ages is a long debated historical topic, as the role of freshwaters in the supply of fish resource. The debate is however mostly focused on written and iconographic sources, with a very low consideration for faunal remains from archaeological sites. The study of these remains provides us important informations about fish exploitation, which often can’t be obtained from other historical sources. The aim of this work is to illustrate the data that can be obtained, using as example three medieval fireplaces in the Templum Pacis (Rome), dated by pottery to the 11th century. Although it is a very circumscribed context, the frequency of fish and mollusks provides interesting information for a period poor of published data about Rome. For example, the taxonomic identification of the faunal remains allows us to recognize a substantial balance between marine and freshwater species, confirming the survival of sea fishing, which is widely underestimated for the Middle Ages. Osteometry and comparison with specimens from anatomical collections show a standardization of sizes, which suggests some kind of selection during the capture and sale of the fish. On the contrary, shellfishing appears more intense and less selective. Finally, the selection of precise anatomical elements and the presence of anthropic traces, allows interesting observation on food preparation. These informations, in the broader context of changes in dietary habits, are a good starting point to observe any possible variation throughout time, which can be considered closely linked to the economic and social transformations of medieval Rome.