So many pigs

[Brennus]

Apologies it took so long to respond gents, I have been away for a week indulging in toxic cocktail of drink, camping and heavy metal.

I do not have my books to hand at the moment, however what I can remember on the subject is as follows.

Strabo recounts that of all the animals kept by the Gauls, pigs were the most frequent. On Gallic sites, pig bones make up the majority of zoological remains, followed by cattle, cervids (goats/sheep), horses, dogs, hens and finally wild fauna (who make up less than 2% of archaeozoological remains). No cats, donkeys or rabbits.

For the Pritanoi (or at least the actual Iron Age Britons in that part of the world) the order was as follows; sheep, cattle, pigs, dogs, horses. Almost no wild animals occur on British sites, nor do fish, cats, chickens, donkeys, rabbits or juvenile horses; the ancient Britons captured wild ponies and broke them in.

The Celtiberians preferred sheep/goats, cattle, pigs, horses, dogs and rabbits in that order.

The Irish preferred cattle most of all, but also kept cervids and dogs.

Now, to discuss the Celtic pig in more detail. The Celtic pig, along with all other Celtic domesticates, with the exception of Irish and British hunting dogs, was the smallest prehistoric breed from Europe. The Celtic pig had a reduced number of molars and a smaller head than the wild boar, yet it retained its tusks, hairy back and lean build. It was kept for two primary reasons; as a source of meat and as a means of disposing of household waste, as pigs will eat a wide variety of things. Pig leg bones were also used to produce woodwind instruments. During the day Gallic pigs were let loose in the nearby fields and forests, their foraging method was useful for upturning fallow fields, and they required little care. At night they were stored in corrals. There is evidence that some domestic pigs were cross bred with their wild cousins, but this was infrequent and does not appear to have been an attempt at improving the size of the domestic species.

For a nice introduction to the matter of livestock in Gaul I would suggest reading Patrice Méniel Les Gaulois et les animaux : élevage, repas et sacrifices

Would you like anymore information about Celtic livestock? I would be happy to help.