The use of animals in ritual offerings in Messapian area. Some examples from recent discoveries

In this paper the animal remains from several sites of Messapia are discussed in view of our understanding of the dynamics of animal exploitation in the region from the 8th to the 3rd century BC. Zooarchaeological data were obtained from a great variety of different context types, the most common being residential, suburban and ritual features. Those from residential features observed in many settlements provide significant information on animal management and diet practiced by Messapic communities particularly in view of the relative interaction between local and introduced cultural elements as a consequence of Greek colonisation of southern Italy at the end of the 8th century BC. The scenario presented by ritual contexts enlightens about the interaction between man and animals in an abstract symbolic system consisting of beliefs, myths, and doctrines of religion, in which the emphasis of one of animal species than the other, difference in the composition of the animals offered, their ages and anatomical parts would seem strictly tied to the rituals that were practiced.