Case of the Wounded Beast: a Red Deer Tibia with Projectile Trauma from Viminacium

Abstract

During the excavations of Viminacium in 2016, a red deer tibia, with what seemed like a trauma caused by a weapon, was found in the vicinity of the amphitheatre. Consequently, the aim of this research was to determine whether that was the case and to attempt to reconstruct the potential hunting moment. The analysis of the wound suggested that the animal was hit from its right side with a deltoid or leaf-type long-range weapon, such as throwing spears or arrows. The irregular shape of the trauma on the lateral side of the bone was due to the socket that went through it along with the tip of the weapon. Since this wound is located just beneath the knee of the deer, it would not have been enough to kill the animal instantly, but there are no indications of any bone healing, which leads to an assumption of multiple hits, and thus multiple huntsmen involved in the hunt, which was a common practice. There is also a possibility that this particular animal took part in a venatio, that is, the beast hunt in the arena, since it was found in a trench related to the amphitheatre, alongside a large number of other wild animals, which undoubtedly participated in the spectacles.