Plant and animal use in late medieval and modern religious contexts in central Italy

Excavations carried out between 1996 and 2016 in Latium and Umbria (Central Italy) allowed the recovery of faunal and, sometimes, plant remains from religious contexts spanning from the 13th to the 17th century. The analysis of these organic materials, as well as their comparison, allowed us to investigate how these resources were used not only by the monastic communities but also by laypeople who lived in and around these religious complexes. The examined assemblages represent, in most cases, food waste but also include plants and animals employed for other purposes. The diet was, of course, influenced by religious rules; however, it differed, for example, according to the monastic order, the chronological period, the local availability of resources, and the social status. In this sense, noteworthy is the retrieval of Cucurbita sp. (pumpkin) seeds and a Cavia porcellus (Guinea pig) pelvis in Early Modern contexts from the Santi Quattro Coronati complex (Rome), products imported from the newly discovered Americas, thus available only to the elite.