Date:

Iron Age Britain worshiped brown hares and chickens like “gods”

Brown hares and chickens were considered “gods” rather than food when they first arrived in Britain in the Iron Age, new research shows.

Archaeological evidence shows that the first brown hares and chickens to arrive in Britain were buried with care and intact. There are no signs of butchery on bones examined and the ongoing research suggests the two animals were not imported for people to eat.

- Advertisement -

Work by experts from the Universities of Exeter, Leicester and Oxford is revealing when brown hares, rabbits and chickens were introduced to Britain, and how they became incorporated into modern Easter traditions.

The team has previously studied the earliest surviving example of rabbit bones discovered in the UK, which dates to the first/second century AD. New radiocarbon dates for bones found on sites in Hampshire (Houghton Down, Weston Down, Winnal Down and Winklebury Camp) and Hertfordshire (Blackhorse Road) suggests brown hares and chickens were introduced to Britain even earlier, arriving simultaneously in the Iron Age, between the fifth and the third century BC.

The discovery of buried skeletons fits historical evidence that neither animal was eaten until the Roman period, which began hundreds of years later.

Julius Caesar’s De Bello Gallico says: “The Britons consider it contrary to divine law to eat the hare, the chicken, or the goose. They raise these, however, for their own amusement and pleasure”. The third-century AD author, Dio Cassius reported that Queen Boudicca released a live hare in order to divine the outcome of her battle with the Romans, calling upon the goddess Andraste to secure their victory.

- Advertisement -

During the Roman period, both species were farmed and eaten, and rabbits were also introduced. But in AD 410 the Roman Empire withdrew from Britain causing economic collapse. Rabbits became locally extinct, while populations of chickens and brown hares crashed. Due to their scarcity at this time, chickens and hares regained their special status.

Professor Naomi Sykes, from the University of Exeter, who is leading the research, said: “Easter is an important British festival, yet none of its iconic elements are native to Britain. The idea that chickens and hares initially had religious associations is not surprising as cross-cultural studies have shown that exotic things and animals are often given supernatural status.

“Historical accounts have suggested chickens and hares were too special to be eaten and were instead associated with deities – chickens with an Iron Age god akin to Roman Mercury, and hares with an unknown female hare goddess. The religious association of hares and chickens endured throughout the Roman period.

“However archaeological evidence shows that, as their populations increased, they were increasingly eaten, and hares were even farmed as livestock. Rather than being buried as individuals, hare and chicken remains were then disposed of as food waste.”

After the Romans had left Britain, people stopped hunting hares and this may explain why archaeologists have found few remains of the animal until the medieval period. By contrast, chicken populations increased. This is likely because, in the sixth century Saint Benedict forbade the consumption of meat from four-legged animals during fasting periods such as Lent. His rules were widely adopted in the tenth and eleventh centuries, increasing the popularity of chickens and eggs as fast-day foods.

Historical and archaeological evidence show rabbits were reintroduced to Britain as an elite food during the thirteenth century AD. Rabbits were increasingly common in the nineteenth-century landscape, likely contributing to their replacement of the hare as the Easter Bunny when the festival’s traditions were reinvigorated during the Victorian period.

UNIVERSITY OF EXETER

Header Image – Public Domain

- Advertisement -

Stay Updated: Follow us on iOS, Android, Google News, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Threads, TikTok, LinkedIn, and our newsletter

spot_img
Mark Milligan
Mark Milligan
Mark Milligan is a multi-award-winning journalist and the Managing Editor at HeritageDaily. His background is in archaeology and computer science, having written over 8,000 articles across several online publications. Mark is a member of the Association of British Science Writers (ABSW), the World Federation of Science Journalists, and in 2023 was the recipient of the British Citizen Award for Education, the BCA Medal of Honour, and the UK Prime Minister's Points of Light Award.
spot_img
spot_img

Mobile Application

spot_img

Related Articles

Roman-Era settlement unearthed in Alès

A recent excavation led by Inrap has uncovered a remarkably well-preserved Roman-era settlement on the slopes of the Hermitage hill overlooking Alès, southern France.

Excavations in Olympos reveal ancient mosaics and sacred inscriptions

Excavations in Olympos, Antalya province, have uncovered mosaic floors and inscriptions within a 5th-century church, part of a year-round project backed by Türkiye’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

Mammoth bones uncovered during road construction works

The Construction of the S17 Piaski–Hrebenne highway near the Arabunie village in Zamość County has revealed the remains of what is believed to be either a woolly mammoth or a forest elephant.

Hidden Medieval tower unearthed in Lublin reveals forgotten chapter of city’s past

Archaeologists have uncovered the remains of a previously undocumented medieval tower within the grounds of the former Pobernardine monastery complex, near the Church of the Conversion of Saint Paul on Bernardyńska Street.

Sinkhole reveals lost remains of medieval hospital

A sinkhole that formed outside the York Theatre Royal has led to the discovery of what could be one of England’s largest medieval hospitals.

Chalcolithic cultural treasures unearthed in Caucasus

Archaeologists from the Institute of Archaeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences have uncovered 13 Chalcolithic-era sites, each yielding a wealth of cultural artefacts and material evidence.

Study reveals East Asia’s earliest gold-inlaid spear sheath

In 1954, a bronze spear sheath dating from Japan’s Kofun period (AD 300–538) was found beneath a rock on Okinoshima, a sacred island located off the coast of Munakata, Fukuoka.

Cache of military helmets from both World Wars discovered during roadworks

Road construction works in the Polish city of Wroclaw have unearthed an unusual cache of military objects from WWI and WWII.