Project team:

Principal Investigator: PD Dr. Maaike Groot

Post-doctoral researcher: Dr. Fabienne Pigière

Collaboration partners:

• Dr. Wouter Vos (Vos Archeo)
• Dr. Lisette Kootker (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam)
• Prof. Dr. Ludovic Orlando (CAGT, Toulouse)
• Dr. Roshan Paladugu (Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig)
• Dr. Florent Rivals (IPHES, Tarragona)
• Prof. Dr. Alice Toso (Bonn Center für Archaeosciences)
• PD Dr. Simon Trixl (Landesamt für Denkmalpflege, Baden-Württemberg)
• Prof. Dr. Sabine Deschler-Erb † & Dr. Claudia Gerling (IPNA, Basel)

Project start: 01.06.2026

Project funding: DFG (project number 564558860) 

 

Project description

Introduction

The economic and political success of the Roman Empire is clear: in its heyday, the Roman Empire covered most of Europe, an occupation that lasted around 400 years. Some local revolts occurred and especially in the Late Roman period, invasions of tribes from north of the border, but in general this was a stable time. Typical for this period are extensive trade networks and long-distance supply of food and other products. The Roman Empire achieved and maintained its geographic extent and longevity mainly due to the Roman army.

Since their domestication, horses have offered people mobility and an advantage in battle, and in some cultures meat and milk. For the Roman army, horses allowed the fast movement of troops and military campaigns, while horses, donkeys and horse-donkey hybrids were used to transport goods. Horses were also important in civilian and rural contexts. Provincial administrators would have used horses for transport, while fast, long-distance communication also relied on horses. Horse breeding as a relative specialization in animal husbandry has been suggested for the Fens in eastern England and the civitas Batavorum, the central eastern part of the Netherlands.

Despite the vital role of the horse and other equids for the Roman army and the Roman Empire, these animals have not received enough attention and many questions regarding equid supply and management remain open. This project will therefore address the management, supply and mobility of horses and other equids in the northwestern Roman provinces, using a range of state-of-the-art methods.

Objectives and research questions

The main objectives of the project are to investigate the organization of equid supply to the army in the provinces of Germania Inferior and Germania Superior – specifically whether supply from local sources occurred –, the role of horses in rural and civilian communities and the management of equids. To answer these objectives, the project will address the following research questions:

• What was the composition of equids in different sites (i.e. military, civilian, rural)? In other words, what was the ratio of horses, donkeys and mules?
• Is there any evidence for mobility of equids in different contexts (fig. 1)? If this is the case, what does it say about the – local or non-local – supply of equids to the army, the movement of army units, import of and trade in horses and mobility of civilians?
• Does aDNA analysis show any evidence for interbreeding of local and imported horses, and/or for an indigenous genetic fingerprint of military and civilian horses? Were horses bred in large numbers and improved through inbreeding? What was the magnitude of selection for larger sizes? Did military and civilian horses show different trait characteristics, i.e. coat coloration?
• What was the sex and age composition of equids found in different site types? Is there evidence for castration?
• What chronological developments in size and shape can be observed for equids from different site types and different parts of the provinces of Germania?
• How were equids managed in terms of food and grazing? Can different management strategies be identified for different site types, and can diachronic changes be recognized?
• To what extent was horse meat consumed in rural settlements in the provinces of Germania? Changes in horse meat consumption may reflect a change in economic meaning of the horse, for example breeding as a surplus.

 

Fig. 1. Results from strontium isotope analysis (laser ablation) from A. a third molar from a military horse skeleton from Kesteren, the Netherlands. This individual shows several episodes of mobility; B. a third molar from a horse skeleton from the rural settlement Geldermalsen-Hondsgemet, the Netherlands. This horse shows no isotopic evidence for mobility during formation of the tooth (Groot et al. 2024).

Approach and methods

The project will take two approaches at different scales: first, a large-scale archaeozoological review of fragmented horse remains from Germania Inferior and Germania Superior; and second, a life history approach applied to 50 complete or near complete equid skeletons.

The first approach will investigate equid proportions compared to other livestock species, mortality profiles and developments in size and shape. In addition, ZooMS will be used to establish the species (horse, donkey, mule) for a selection of fragmented remains. ZooMS will also be used to identify species for the 50 selected skeletons. The skeletons will then be subjected to standard archaeozoological analysis (age, size, pathology). Stable and radiogenic isotope analysis will be used to investigate mobility and diet. Diet will also be studied through dental meso- and microwear. Finally, aDNA analysis can provide insight into population size and affinity, sex, castration, and selection of specific traits.

The project will have access to equid remains from older and recent excavations in frontier regions in the Netherlands and Germany. The application of innovative and complementary methods allows a detailed analysis that was not possible until recently, providing different perspectives or information for different time scales. The project will lead to a thorough understanding of the ways in which equids were bred, traded and managed in the northwestern provinces of the Roman Empire.

Related publications

• Groot, M., 2025: A regional analysis of horse frequency and size in the Iron Age and Roman Netherlands, in B. De Cupere/K. Deforce/K. De Groote/K. Haneca (eds), Alle dieren groot ende clene. Studies over natuurwetenschappen en archeologie, Brussel (Relicta Monografieën 20), 85-97. https://doi.org/10.55465/LVYU7136
• Groot, M./C. Gerling/A.W.G. Pike, 2024: The economic importance and mobility of horses in the Roman Netherlands, Journal of Roman Archaeology 37, 535-556. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1047759424000230
• Groot, M., 2012: Animal bones as a tool for investigating social and economic change: horse-breeding veterans in the civitas Batavorum, in I. Schrufer-Kolb (ed.), More than Just Numbers? The role of science in Roman archaeology, Portsmouth, Rhode Island (Journal of Roman Archaeology Supplementary Series 91), 71-92.
• Groot, M., 2011: Household specialisation in horse breeding: the role of returning veterans in the Batavian river area, in R. Wiegels, G.A. Lehmann, G. Moosbauer (eds): Fines imperii - imperium sine fine? Römische Okkupations- und Grenzpolitik im frühen Prinzipat, Rahden/Westfahlen, 203-218.