The dog of Tassignano (Capannori, Lucca): a possible Roman Age foundation ritual

In 2018, in the locality of Tassignano (Capannori, LU) the skeleton in anatomical connection of a dog was discovered during the excavation of a rural building, whose frequentation lasted from the 2nd/1st century BC to the 6th/7th century AD. A structure interpreted as a balneum was brought to light, equipped with a brick floor (opus figlinum) and a small basin. A perimeter wall of this room, dismantled by a late antique spoliation, originally covered the remains of the animal: these, intercepted following the emptying of the spoliation pit, lay partially below the brick floor. The dog is an adult male and its skeleton is complete, except for part of the neurocranium and some cervical vertebrae, probably destroyed by the spoliation trench. The fragmented skull did not allow in-depth morphological analysis, while it was possible to make some comparisons based on the mandible. The taphonomic study revealed the presence of butchering marks, linked to skinning, on the dorsal surface of a metatarsus, indicating that the carcass had been treated before deposition. This evidence, together with the context of its deposition, would lead to the hypothesis that the carcass was used as part of a foundation ritual of the building.