The introduction of the domesticated cat in Italy

The excavations carried out by the "Soprintendenza Archeologica di Romà" during these last years in the ancient Fidenae city have led to the identification of a building of the Early Iron Age, dated from the middle of the 8^th century BC. The most remarkable characteristic of this building is its state of good preservation. It is quite likely that the building was destroyed by a  sudden fire while it was Jully in use. This possibility is confirmed by one special feature: in the south-eastern corner of the building, the destruction layer included the calcinated skeletal remains of a domestic cat, which apparently had been trapped inside the building by the fire and by the subsequent collapse. This find is especially signifïcant with regard to the state of the building when the destruction took place; moreover, it constitutes the earliest evidence of the presence of the domestic cat in ltaly, apparently slightly earlier than those found in other Iron Age contexts of Lazio, at Ficana and Cures.