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The role of birds in Roman imperial funerary rituals at La Magdalena (Alcalá de Henares, Spain): osteoarchaeological and symbolic analysis

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Abstract

The archaeological site of La Magdalena, located in Alcalá de Henares (Madrid), has a large necropolis area related to different chronological phases. This study was based on the bone remains found in three Roman tombs that date back to the second and third century AD and a votive offering. The three tombs were located in different places far from one another and have special features on their structure pits and their grave goods. We conducted anthropological and archeozoological analyses on the individuals and bird-associated remains. The anthropological results indicated that there was one adult male, one adult female, and a child, each one associated with a Common Pheasant which presents the same relative age and sex as the corpse they were accompanying. Moreover, all these pheasants were placed inside the grave next to the right tibia of the indicated human remains. We found another bird interred as an offering for the Early Roman cremations, but it was not associated with any particular grave. We consider that the presence of these bird remains is a votive offering related to a religious funeral ritual, but we could not determine if it belongs to a pagan religion or Christianity.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Geography and History, Department of Prehistory, Ancient History and Archeology, Complutense University of Madrid, Profesor Aranguren Str., s/n, Ciudad Universitaria, 28040, Madrid, Spain

    Rocío Bernal-García & José Yravedra

  2. Trébede Patrimonio y Cultura, S.L., 12 Mayor Str., 28813, Torres de la Alameda, Spain

    Rocío Bernal-García, Felipe Gómez-Moreno & César Heras

  3. Spanish Royal Academy of Sciences, 22 Valverde Str., 28004, Madrid, Spain

    Francisco J. Serrano

  4. Dinosaur Institute, Los Angeles County Natural History Museum, 900 Exposition Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA, 90007, USA

    Francisco J. Serrano

  5. IUICP, Alcalá University, Campus Universitario, Km 33,600 Madrid-Barcelona Road, 28805, Alcalá de Henares, Spain

    César Heras

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  1. Rocío Bernal-García
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Bernal-García, R., Gómez-Moreno, F., Serrano, F.J. et al. The role of birds in Roman imperial funerary rituals at La Magdalena (Alcalá de Henares, Spain): osteoarchaeological and symbolic analysis. Archaeol Anthropol Sci 13, 67 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12520-021-01317-0

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