Recently, archaeologists uncovered the remains of a well-preserved dog during excavations in Velzeke, Belgium. The discovery highlights the ritual sacrifice practices of ancient Rome, where dogs were often sacrificed for various purposes, including land purification. The excavation revealed the dog's intact skeleton, protected under a stone floor. Archaeologist Arne Verbrugge explained that this finding is especially significant as it shows a rare context of dog sacrifice related to building rituals. He linked the practice to ancient texts indicating dogs were seen as guardians of graves and used for sacred purification processes.
Dogs were used in 'various ritual practices' in Roman times, even considered the 'guardian' of a deceased human's grave. The animals were often ritually killed to guide a deceased individual's journey to the afterlife.
From [the Roman scholar] Varro's work 'De Re Rustica,' it appears that dogs were sometimes used in rituals to purify land and houses.
For the building sacrifice of Velzeke, it is likely that before they wanted to erect the building, they first 'purified' the site.
The dog was buried under a foundation of highly calcareous sandstone, allowing the remains to be preserved quite well, unlike most bone found from the Roman period.
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