COPENHAGEN, DENMARK—According to a Science Nordic report, chicken and geese served as status symbols in Denmark during the Early and Late Roman Iron Age, ranging from the first through the fourth centuries A.D. Graves in Denmark from the period that contained hens also contained valuable artifacts, while expensive imported Roman goods were only found in graves that contained geese. “In the Roman Empire, hens and geese were a common burial gift, while in Denmark they were new and exotic species,” explained Anne Birgitte Gotfredsen of the Natural History Museum at the University of Copenhagen. Gotfredsen also pointed out that chicken and goose bones were not found among domestic waste. Geese were considered holy in Roman culture, added Mogens Bo Henriksen of Odense City Museums, because they represented the goddess Juno, who was married to Jupiter, the supreme god of the Roman pantheon. To read in-depth about Egyptian animal mummies, go to “Messengers to the Gods.”
