the journal of The British Deer Society Roman fallow CWD on farmland ct'0 disati n ii Scotl.nd Wild Game Guide 3, kr:
THE FALLOW \OF FISHBOVRNE Naomi Sykes examines the evidence for fallow deer in Roman Britain 10 DEER Visit any stately home and somewhere on the grounds you are likely to find a herd of fallow deer (Dania dama). Undoubtedly an elegant sight, they are also one of natural history's puzzles because it is uncertain when and how this species, which is actually native to Turkey, was introduced to Britain. The 'received wisdom' is that the present population of fallow deer found in Britain was introduced by the Normans. It is suggested that the Romans established it here much earlier but the evidence for this has always been weak. The uncertainty surrounding the introduction date of fallow deer would have continued were it not for the new evidence from Fishbourne Roman Palace in Sussex, which is helping us to reconstruct the early history of this exotic creature. The Fishbourne Fallow Deer Fishbourne Roman Palace was discovered in the early 1960s and is now one of the most important Roman sites in Europe. It is thought to have been the residence of an Iron Age King, called Tiberius Claudius Togidubnus, and is certainly the largest Roman villa known north of the Alps. Archaeological excavations of the villa unearthed large quantities of Roman artefacts (pottery, metalwork and a variety of beautiful objects) but also thousands of mammal and bird bones - the remains of animals that were farmed, hunted and eaten by the Palace's residents. Recently, these animal bones have been re-examined by archaeologists from the University of Nottingham who discovered that, whilst most of the remains belonged to domestic
animals, about 30 bones were from fallow deer. Two fallow deer jaw bones were amongst the collection (Figure 1) and these were sent for radiocarbon dating to see if they really were Roman. They were: one was dated to about AD 60, the other slightly later to about AD 90. Not only are these the earliest directly-dated fallow deer specimens for Britain, they are also the only jaw bones to have been recovered from Roman Europe. As such their teeth provided a unique opportunity to undertake strontium isotope analysis (a scientific provenancing technique) to establish whether the deer were imported individuals or locally-raised stock. Strontium Isotope Analysis The principle behind strontium isotope analysis is that different geological terrains contain varying strontium isotope ratios (87Sr/86Sr), which transfer through the food chain to leave a signature in animal skeletal tissues. By analysing the signature in tooth enamel, which is laid down when the tooth forms and preserves well archaeologically, it is possible to determine where an animal was or, more usually, was not from. In order to calculate the strontium signature for Fishbourne, enamel samples were taken from the teeth of animals that we know lived and died in the area: juvenile sheep, goat, pig and - adult dog, red deer and roe deer. For the fallow deer jaws, enamel was then taken from teeth that form during the first few months of life (the M1), but also from those that form 0.711 0.7105 0.71 6.. 0.7095 t. 0.709 0.7085 0.708 0.7075 * 5 a 5 a between 1-2 years of age (the M3 and P4). The samples were prepared and analysed at the School of Ocean and Earth Sciences at the National Oceanography Centre, University of Southampton and Figure 2 shows the results. It can be seen that all the domestic species, as well as the red and roe deer, exhibit similar strontium ratios and the signature for Fishbourne (everything within the area highlighted in blue) is consistent with the underlying geology of marine clays and sands. However, two samples taken from the earlyforming teeth of the AD 60 individual fall significantly outside the Fishbourne range, indicating that the animal must have originated outside the area and was transported to the region within the first few months of its life. The possibility that the AD 60 jaw was transported as a body part (trade in deer elements was common in antiquity) can be entirely discounted because the signature from its lateforming tooth (M3) falls within the local range, demonstrating that the animal lived in the Fishbourne area for some time before its death. But from where was it imported? This is difficult to answer. We can 2 Figure 2 Results of the strontium isotope analysis. Everything except the samples from the early-forming (M1) belonging to the c.ad 60 individual fall within the Fishboume signature be certain that the individual came from beyond the largely calcareous geology of south-east England and, on the basis of Fishbourne's imported pottery and stone assemblage, areas of central and southern France, southern Spain and southern Italy are possible sources: certainly the Roman author Columella, writing around AD 70, believed that fallow deer were maintained in these areas. After arriving at Fishbourne, the AD 60 deer was maintained well into maturity and it is tempting to suggest that this early import formed part of a small herd from which the AD 90 individual was bred. This later animal was clearly born and raised at Fishbourne because the 87Sr/86Sr ratios exhibited by both its early and late-forming teeth are identical to the local signature. This is the first direct evidence for deer husbandry in Roman Britain, demonstrating that breeding populations were established, at least in this area of the country. As desirable exotic creatures it is probably safe to assume that the Fishbourne deer were kept in the type of artificial construction mentioned by,columella (Book IX, I, 1): `wild creatures, such as roe deer, chamois and also scimitar-horned onyx, fallow deer and wild boars sometimes serve to enhance the splendour and pleasure of their owners... Those who keep game shut up for their own pleasure are content to construct a park, on any DEER 11
Figure 3 Fishbourne Roman Palace and the 'southern garden' is it a Roman park? Evidence indicates that fallow deer were introduced to Fishbourne by its Roman occupants suitable site in the neighbourhood' At Fishbourne, such a 'suitable site' did exist. It was in about AD 75, roughly the time-frame in which the earliest fallow deer was imported, that the spectacular formal gardens, together with a larger 'natural' garden, to the south, were laid out as part of major rebuilding programme. The enclosed southern garden (Figure 3) is thought to have contained a stream, a pond and probably some woodland, the perfect setting to have maintained fallow deer. Herein lies the greater significance of the Fishbourne fallow deer - they indicate the existence of a park, or vivarium. Until now there has been no evidence for such a landscape feature in Roman Britain; indeed, within this country, parks are widely considered to be a medieval innovation. Having established the presence of fallow deer in Roman Britain, research is now being undertaken to find out just how widespread populations were in this period - both in Britain and across the rest of Europe. Already new specimens have been identified and, at the time of writing, examples from Roman Kent are being radiocarbon dated and their ancient DNA is being analysed. Watch this space for further results! If you would like further information about this work, contact Naomi.sykes@nottingham.ac.uk To learn more about Fishbourne Roman Palace visit www.sussexpast.co.uk.41100111w, 7c77:17, 12 DEER