The role of chicken in the medieval food system: evidence from Central Italy

Although domestic fowl is often found at Italian archaeological sites at least from the 6th century BC onwards, it becomes widespread only in the Roman period. Throughout the Middle Ages, chicken played an important role in the Italian food economy as attested by the substantial number of bones of this bird recovered from archaeological contexts. This research is focused on the identification of trends in chicken exploitation that can be linked to production or consumption. The analysis of bone assemblages shows an increase in the frequency of chickens from the 13th century onwards. In urban contexts, which reflect consumption more than production, anatomical parts with a higher meat value are more frequent. Chickens were probably bred at rural sites, as attested by age and sex evidence. From the 9th century onwards, the average size of domestic fowl becomes smaller, probably due to specific market requirements.