449 ROMAN OCCUPATION AND ITS ECONOMIC CONSEQUENCES IN THE NORTHERN PART OF SWITZERLAND Renate EBERSBACH* and Sabine SCHRÔDER * Summary Résumé Zusammenfassung During the first century AD, the Celts L'occupation romaine et ses consé­ Die romische Eroberung des nordli­ of Switzerland were incorporated into quences économiques en Suisse du nord. chen Alpenvorlandes und ihre wirt­ the Roman empire. This study shows the Au cours du 1er siècle après J.-C., les schaftlichen Auswirkungen. changes in the consumption of meat Celtes de Suisse ont été incorporés à lm Laufe des 1. Jh. n. Chr. wurde die which were an expression of the new l'Empire romain. Cette étude montre les keltische Bevolkerung der Schweiz in economic system established during the changements survenus dans la consom­ das romische Reich integriert. lm vorlie­ two following centuries. The evidence mation de la viande, expressions d'un genden Artikel werden die Veriinderun­ stems from approximately 200,000 ani­ nouveau système économique qui s'éta­ gen im Fleischkonsum aufgezeigt, die in mal bone fragments from over 140 strat­ blit durant les deux siècles suivants. Ceci den folgenden beiden Jahrhunderten als ified and reliably dated complexes from est mis en évidence par l'analyse de Ausdruck eines neuen wirtschaftlichen areas north of the Alps. The inhabitants quelque 200000 restes osseux animaux Systems beobachtet werden konnen. Die of Celtic settlements subsisted on exten­ provenant de plus de 140 ensembles Aussagen basieren auf der Auswertung sive agriculture. The great increase in stratifiés et bien datés du nord des Alpes. von über 200 000 Tierknochenfragmen­ population during Roman times led to Les habitants des établissements cel­ ten aus mehr ais 140 stratifizierten und an intensification of agriculture. ln tiques vivaient en autosuffisance grâce à datierten Fundeinheiten aus dem Alpen­ Celtic settlements, cattle bones are une agriculture extensive. La forte aug­ vorland. Die Bewohner der keltischen found less frequently than in Roman mentation de la population à l'époque Siedlungen waren autark auf der Basis ones whereas sheep and goat bones romaine a conduit à une intensification einer extensiven Landwirtschaft. Das occur more often. There are hardly any de l'agriculture. Dans les établissements starke Bevolkerungswachstum in romi­ discernible differences between late celtiques, les restes de bovins sont moins scher Zeit führte zu einer lntensivierung Celtic and early Roman military settle­ fréquents que dans les sites romains, où der Landwirtschaft. In den keltischen ments, which may however be due to the les restes de moutons et de chèvres sont Siedlungen sind Rinderknochen seltener way in which the evidence has been pre­ plus abondants. Il n'y a pratiquement als in den romischen, wiihrend Knochen sented. During the course of the first pas de différences entre les derniers sites von Schaf und Ziege hiiufiger vorkom­ century AD, first changes in the meat celtiques et les premiers sites militaires men. Zwischen spiitkeltischen Siedlun­ diet can be observed in the newly estab­ romains, ce qui peut être dû à la façon gen und romischen Militiiranlagen las­ lished Roman settlements. Beef became dont les données sont présentées. Au sen sich keine Unterschiede beobachten. considerably more important in the sec­ cours du 1er siècle après J.-C., les pre­ lm Verlauf des 1. Jh. n. Chr. treten erste ond and third centuries whereas sheep miers changements dans l'alimentation Veriinderungen im Fleischverzehr in den and goat meat became less important. carnée sont observés dans les nouvelles neu gegründeten romischen Siedlungen installations romaines. Le bœuf prend auf Rindfleisch wurde im 2. und 3. Jh. une place beaucoup plus importante au n. Chr. wesentlich wichtiger in der Ile et JW siècles, alors que l'importance Erniihrung, wiihrend die Bedeutung von du mouton et de la chèvre diminue. Schafen und Ziegen abnahm. Key Words Mots clés Schlüsselworte Ce/tic, Roman, Switzerland, Celtes, Romains, Suisse, Agriculture. Keltisch, Romisch, Schweiz, Agriculture. Landwirtschaft. * Labor.für Ur- und Frühgeschichte, Osteologische Abteilung, Petersgraben 9-11, 4051 Base!, Switzerland. ANTHROPOZOOLOGICA, 1997, N° 25. 26 450 Introduction On the longer term, the newly established colonial With the Roman conquest of the area north of the towns and the larger roadside villages (vici), inhabited Alps, the local Celtic society was fundamentally changed. mainly by a romanized native population, made their deci­ These changes affected not only political and social aspects sive mark on the economic structure. of daily life, but also the economic system. One new form of settlement are the farms (villae rusti­ Archaeozoological studies can shed light on prehistoric cae) which became densely scattered over the whole coun­ economic systems and highlight any possible change. try in a short space of time, and which probably consider­ Basing our studies on stratigraphically clearly differentiat­ ably increased agricultural activity in previously thinly ed complexes of animal bones from several sites in the populated areas. The farms were concentrated above al! north and west of Switzerland and the adjacent areas of close to larger settlements (within 6-8 km), which had France and Germany, we wish to look at how and when reached a size that made self-sufficiency in terms of basic changes in agriculture took place under Roman influence. foodstuffs unlikely. lt can be assumed that the villas were oriented towards producing an excess of foodstuffs (UFAS, The historical context: some general 1975: 70). This mutual dependence of various forms of set­ remarks tlement came about as a direct result of the Roman con­ Our starting point is the following published hypothe­ quest, not having existed in this form before. sis (Duval, 1979 ; Kaenel et Curdy, 1992). The Celts lived in small villages and larger settlements Material basis (oppida) as well as isolated farms. Even the larger oppida For this study, it has been possible to draw on numer­ can scarcely have had more than a few thousand inhabitants. ous, still unpublished data from recent excavations as well The most important basic foodstuffs were produced and con­ as published reports11 l. The study was undertaken on the sumed locally. Only luxury items, above ail wine, garum basis of percentage of piecesl2l. Insufficient data were (fish sauce) and luxury crockery (Hecht et al., 1991), were available for an analysis using percentage of weight. imported by the higher ranks of society from the already W e were able to study a total of 7 sites from the late Romanized lands of the Mediterranean. The phase under Celtic and 10 sites from the Roman period (fig. 1). Each study here (archaeologically speaking Latène Dl and Latène site had several bone complexes which could be differenti­ 02) thus represents the end of developments lasting several ated stratigraphically and chronologically, so that more hundred years. The phase begins around 150 BC and ends than 140 units could be distinguished for analysis. The with the Roman conquest which, in this area, was finally majority of the sites have also been studied archaeological­ completed by around 15 BC with the alpine campaign of ly. Our analysis is on the basis of almost 200,000 animal Augustus. After the Rhine frontier was militarily secured, bone fragments of the four most important domestic ani­ the actual process of colonization began with the deliberate mais, cattle, sheep/goat and pig (fig. 2). settlement of army veterans in towns (co/onia), villages (vici) or villas. The native population was integrated into the Procedure new administrative system (Collectif, 1988: 40f). All the material was divided into six periods, defined The conquest by Roman troops necessitated the supply as closely as possible, between ca. 150 BC (beginning of of highly nutritions foodstuffs to a large number of people the Latène Dl period) and ca. 300 AD. In addition, we within a short period of time. One legionary camp held at looked at the early Roman military stations from 15 BC least 6000 soldiers as well as an unknown number of civil­ until the middle of the first century AD as one black. The ians. This could lead to short supplies, since local produc­ literature repeatedly indicates that the latter are distin­ tion was at first not sufficient to feed the soldiers. The con­ guished by a high percentage of pig bones (King, 1984; sequences may have been a tightly organized system of Deschler-Erb et al., 1991: 128). Care was taken that only self-provision and the associated importation of food those stations were used for comparison which shared (King, 1990: 116). broadly the same geographical factors. Small variations in \IJ We thank especially G. Breuer, P. Lehmann, P. Morel and B. Stopp for data from ongoing analyses (P. Morel, 1994; Lehmann and Breuer, in preparation; Stopp in preparation). 12l We derived data from the following publications: Uerpmann (1977); Arbinger-Vogt (1978); Karrer (1986); Moser (1986); Wiesmiller (1986); Schibler and Furger ( 1988); Ménie! (1992). ANTHROPOZOOLOGICA. 1997, W 25, 26 Section IV Postpalaeolithic Europe I 451 ~4 0 7 Fig. la: Map of research area. Late Celtic settlements. 1 Basel-Gasfabrik CH, 5 Breisach-Münsterberg D, 6 Bern-Engehalbinsel CH, 7 Besançon F. e~ ~3 1 2 4 0 7 Fig. lb: Map of research area. Roman settlements. 6 0 : civilian vi llages and cities 0 : villae 1 Basel-Münsterhügel CH 2 AUG USTA RAUR ICA - Augst CH 3 Dangstetten D 4 Tenedo - Zurzach CH 5 A VENTIC UM - A venches CH 6 LOUSONNA - Lausanne-Yidy CH 7 YESONTIO - Besançon F 8 YITUDURUM- Oberwinte11hur CH 9 Neftenbach CH 10 Triengen-Murhubel CH ANTHROPOZOOLOGICA. J 997. N° 25, 26 452 n Number of Analyzed Units (n = 147) n Number of Analyzed Bones (n = 221, 276) 35 __ 3~---------------------------------------------- 80000 7543-9--------------------- - 0 ----------------, -b_f_ 30 -------------- - - - -- --- - -~--------------- - 70000 ------------------------- -------------------- 25 25 60000 20 50000 20 -- - -------- 17 40000 -----------------------39524 -J5102 ------- ---- - ---- 15 --:_rr_---------- 30000 ---------------- _________2.7.~4L IO 10 22431 20000 --------- __1 _6860_- 5 10000 --------- 3376 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 u ..