The development of new husbandry and economic models in Gaul between the Iron Age and the Roman Period: New insights from pig bones and teeth morphometrics

The Roman conquest of Gaul is usually perceived as the trigger of morphological changes in livestock and, more widely, the origin of an important agropastoral evolution. However, recent studies suggest that the economic transition between the Iron Age and Roman periods occurred much earlier than previously thought and was partially disconnected from Italy. This article, based on the morphometric analysis of pig teeth and bones, sheds new light on this transition. It reveals a more complex agropastoral change process, in two distinct phases, from the Middle La Tène period and after the creation of the Roman Empire. Moreover, it identifies two large economic models, around the Mediterranean platform and in the temperate part of Europe, with different paces of change, production objectives, and agricultural and market strategies.