Zootherapy: Investigating the interconnection of magic-medicine-religion in Roman archaeology
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Nottingham
Department Name: Archaeology
Abstract
Zootherapy is the practice of using animals, animal parts and animal products to treat or prevent human illnesses (Miller and Sykes 2016). WHO (1993) states that 80% of the world's population uses complementary and alternative medicines (CAM), and this includes zootherapeutic practices. Although practised by societies globally and through time (Lev 2003), 'Western', 'scientific' perspectives have obscured zootherapy and hindered our understanding of it both generally and in the archaeological record.
My proposed research will use evidence from Roman archaeology to investigate where zootherapeutic practices can be seen in the archaeological record, zootherapy's role in understanding Roman attitudes to health, why this has been overlooked in studies to date and how this affects our attitudes towards societies that practice zootherapy. The Roman period is an ideal context for the following research
questions:
- Zootherapy is known from Roman textual sources (for example, Pliny the Elder and Galen), but where can these practices be seen in the physical evidence?
- Where do investigations for zootherapy fit in traditional discussions of Roman medicine in archaeology, which are currently dominated by anthropocentric and archaeobotanical perspectives?
- Zootherapeutic practices cross-cut 'Western' definitions of magic, medicine and religion. What does this post-Enlightenment view tell us about our 'othering' of past and extant societies that practised or practise zootherapy?
My PhD research will build on my M4C Masters work which will consider the role of zootherapy in archaeological theory and outline an anthropologically-defined toolkit for identifying zootherapeutic practices. This will indicate the types of archaeological evidence we should be seeking based on past and extant records of these practices, and will be the basis of the methodology for my PhD research. It is already clear that it will be profitable to target the zooarchaeological evidence of species mentioned in Roman medical texts (for example, Miller and Sykes 2016). My Masters investigation of current zootherapy in Brazil, Nigeria, Asia and the Middle East suggests that exotic animal remains - particularly those exhibiting shaving or grinding - could also indicate zootherapy, as could the lipid residues from ceramics which contain non-food animal proteins.
I will continue to refine this toolkit as I apply it to the Roman archaeological record. Using my findings, I will examine published and unpublished archaeology reports from Roman sites such as Venta Icenorum, Fishbourne Roman Palace and Vindolanda to build a database of zooarchaeological evidence which can be reconsidered through a zootherapeutic lens. This will allow me to address my research questions and
build a case for the existence of zootherapy in Roman Britain.
This research will challenge current anthropocentric ideas of medicine and the past, and identify a new direction for Health Humanities in archaeological practice. It will also enable us to engage more sensitively with societies who use zootherapy and CAM as we attempt to address the balance between traditional customs and the sustainable use of animals.
Timeline:
- Year 1: Literature review, British Museum placement, data collection
- Year 2: Data collection, Boots placement, database building and analysis
- Year 3: Database building and analysis, write-up
My proposed research will use evidence from Roman archaeology to investigate where zootherapeutic practices can be seen in the archaeological record, zootherapy's role in understanding Roman attitudes to health, why this has been overlooked in studies to date and how this affects our attitudes towards societies that practice zootherapy. The Roman period is an ideal context for the following research
questions:
- Zootherapy is known from Roman textual sources (for example, Pliny the Elder and Galen), but where can these practices be seen in the physical evidence?
- Where do investigations for zootherapy fit in traditional discussions of Roman medicine in archaeology, which are currently dominated by anthropocentric and archaeobotanical perspectives?
- Zootherapeutic practices cross-cut 'Western' definitions of magic, medicine and religion. What does this post-Enlightenment view tell us about our 'othering' of past and extant societies that practised or practise zootherapy?
My PhD research will build on my M4C Masters work which will consider the role of zootherapy in archaeological theory and outline an anthropologically-defined toolkit for identifying zootherapeutic practices. This will indicate the types of archaeological evidence we should be seeking based on past and extant records of these practices, and will be the basis of the methodology for my PhD research. It is already clear that it will be profitable to target the zooarchaeological evidence of species mentioned in Roman medical texts (for example, Miller and Sykes 2016). My Masters investigation of current zootherapy in Brazil, Nigeria, Asia and the Middle East suggests that exotic animal remains - particularly those exhibiting shaving or grinding - could also indicate zootherapy, as could the lipid residues from ceramics which contain non-food animal proteins.
I will continue to refine this toolkit as I apply it to the Roman archaeological record. Using my findings, I will examine published and unpublished archaeology reports from Roman sites such as Venta Icenorum, Fishbourne Roman Palace and Vindolanda to build a database of zooarchaeological evidence which can be reconsidered through a zootherapeutic lens. This will allow me to address my research questions and
build a case for the existence of zootherapy in Roman Britain.
This research will challenge current anthropocentric ideas of medicine and the past, and identify a new direction for Health Humanities in archaeological practice. It will also enable us to engage more sensitively with societies who use zootherapy and CAM as we attempt to address the balance between traditional customs and the sustainable use of animals.
Timeline:
- Year 1: Literature review, British Museum placement, data collection
- Year 2: Data collection, Boots placement, database building and analysis
- Year 3: Database building and analysis, write-up
