Thinking with Dogs in Roman Britain

Lived Experience, Inequality, and Ritual in a Roman Province
Thinking with Dogs in Roman Britain argues that in Roman Britain some aspects of the past are more visible when we look not at people, but at the dogs nipping at their heels. It provides evidence of real dogs in the province, sheds light on issues of hierarchy, inequality, and enslavement, and explores the role of dogs within ritual practice.
Thinking with Dogs in Roman Britain: Lived Experience, Inequality, and Ritual in a Roman Province argues that in Roman Britain, where little written evidence survives, some aspects of the past are more visible when we look not at people but instead focus on the dogs nipping at their heels. By examining the evidence of more than 1,700 Roman-period dogs preserved in structured deposits that Fleming suggests are the remnants of ritual acts, she provides a history of the relationships between canines and people living in a provincial context. The book begins by investigating the lives of real dogs in Britain under Rome, some of which were pampered working or personal animals, but many of which had hard lives and had to fend for themselves. It then explores how the period's authors used both pampered dogs and strays as metaphors, shedding light on issues of hierarchy, inequality, and enslavement. Finally it then turns to the widespread use of dogs as a material of religion, investigating their role as sacrificial animals and ritual agents, first in temple and shrine rituals and then in everyday household religion. Fleming concludes by asking what dogs did for ritual and what they can tell us about the making of Roman provincial culture.

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