These corgi-like dogs, discovered at an archaeological site in Nescot in 2015, were believed to have been ritually killed during various rites, likely in honour of gods such as Pluto, the lord of the underworld, and Hecate, the goddess of witchcraft and the moon.
International Journal of Paleopathology/a/em, возможно, наконец, проливает свет на некоторые из этих тайн, одновременно поднимая дополнительные вопросы о роли собак в римских и романо-британских религиозных практиках./p h2>Тысячи собачьих костей, найденных в римских жертвоприношениях в карьере Носкота/h2 div id=”attachment_536875″ class=”wp-caption alignnone”img decoding=”async” aria-describedby=”caption-attachment-536875″ src=”https://allthatsinteresting.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/nescot-dog-remains.jpg” alt=”Древние собачьи останки Носкота” width=”700″ height=”917″ class=”size-full wp-image-536875 post-img-portrait” https://allthatsinteresting.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/nescot-dog-remains-229×300.jpg 229w, https://allthatsinteresting.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/nescot-dog-remains-687×900.jpg 687w” sizes=”(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px” />
Ellen GreeneThe dog bones found at Noskot Quarry were mostly of the small, short-legged corgi breed.
In 2015, archaeological excavations at Noscote College in Ewell, Surrey, uncovered an oval shaft about 4 metres long, dating to the late first or early second century AD. Experts determined that the shaft was originally a Roman quarry, but was later converted to store a variety of items, including human remains, coins, gambling tokens and pottery.
The researchers also identified three distinct phases of use of the shaft. The first two phases included significant quantities of animal remains, while the third phase was marked by a sharp reduction in ritual deposits and, apparently, a transition to more mundane use of the pit. However, the large number of dog bones found in the first two phases astonished the archaeologists.
Of the 10,747 animal bones found in the Noskota mine, more than half were dogs. A total of 5,436 dog bones were found. One dog phallic bone with colorful paintings was particularly surprising and unusual.
Although dog sacrifices were not uncommon in the Roman era, the number of burials found here was unprecedented, making it a unique example for researchers.
Dr. Ellen Green certainly thought so, and now her research has been published.
Analysis of remains left from ancient Noskot dog burials
Although modern dog breeds did not exist in the Roman era, previous research has shown that the Romans had “toy dogs” and other specially bred breeds that resembled modern ones. According to Green’s analysis, the dogs buried at Noskot were mostly small breeds, although there was a wide variety.
The study mentions that some of them exhibited chondrodysplasia, a genetic disorder that causes disproportionately small limbs relative to body size, which could have resulted in dogs somewhat resembling modern corgis. Other bones resembled those of modern Maltese, consistent with historical records indicating that ancient Romans kept dogs similar to the Maltese.
The results also showed that many of the dogs had age-related illnesses, indicating that they had lived into their final years. Additionally, the remains were largely free of any signs of injury or butchering, indicating that they were not killed for food or
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