Level 3 - Life in Roman Sussex - The Countryside

The Countryside

Hunting & Fishing

Hunting and fishing were common pastimes in the countryside of Roman Britain, both for the necessary provision of food and as a private leisure pursuit. Hunting with dogs was particularly popular, and indeed there were specially bred animals (akin to the Irish wolfhound & bull mastiff) that were regularly exported to the empire during the Iron Age and Roman period.

Although much of Sussex would have been under some kind of cultivation, there were still plenty of areas where wild animals could and did roam. Boar's teeth have been found at a number of sites, such as Fishbourne and Bodiam, while roe and red deer bones are also not uncommon finds. Wild species of bird were caught for eating, including partridges and wild ducks. The biggest expanse of hunting land would undoubtedly have been the Weald, where the forests and hills would have contained large volumes of wild game.

Both river and sea fish would have been a regular part of the diet for many people in Roman Sussex (see Food & Drink). Fishing with nets and baskets may have provided for the bulk of such produce, but fishing hooks and tridents, such as those illustrated, accounted for individual pursuits.
Enormous quantities of oysters and other shellfish were eaten, to judge by the numbers of shells found at most Roman sites.