In the shadow of Tel Megiddo, a hill with apocalyptic associations dating back to pre-Christian days, a Roman military camp once existed at the center of the empire's eastern frontier. Now, an extraordinary archaeological find – pig jaws - has uncovered potent physical evidence of a unique Roman funerary practice, one that to this point had been indicated only by classical writings.
At the Legio site, permanent base of the Legio VI Ferrata (Sixth Ironclad Legion) during the early 2nd to late 3rd centuries AD, archaeologists discovered the pit of pig jaws -intentionally dumped close to a Roman burial ground.
This discovery might represent the first archaeological evidence in the eastern Roman provinces of the funerary pig sacrifice mentioned by writers such as Varro and Pliny the Elder, an elaborate rite meant to cleanse graves and pay tribute to dead soldiers. This find is the subject of a new study published in ‘Atiqot.
A Legion in the East: The Camp at Legio, The Pit of Pigs
The Legio VI Ferrata, a legionary force initially founded in the late Republic, was stationed permanently close to Tel Megiddo, now northern Israel, from about 117 to 300 AD. The base was among the most important Roman military bases in the area, accommodating over 5,000 troops and acting as a strategic fortress along the empire's eastern boundary.
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Excavations at Legio have already uncovered characteristic hallmarks of a Roman legionary camp—barracks, workshops, graves, and defensive walls. But the recent discovery of a shallow pit with only chosen pig remains—namely, jaws and teeth from a minimum of thirteen domestic pigs—brings an entirely new dimension to our understanding of Roman ritual practices.
The find was approximately 50 meters (164.04 feet) away from the closest cremation burial in the camp cemetery. Significantly, the pit penetrated a single, compacted soil horizon - zooarchaeological examination showed a uniform pattern: mandibles under the jawbone exceeded upper jawbones three to one, and other pig bones or remains of other animals were not seen.
There was no evidence of cooking, no rodent or carnivore gnawing, and no ash deposits indicating cremation. Light cut marks dotted some bones, proof that the animals had been butchered and skinned, but not eaten.
A shallow pit in Area B, containing exclusively mandibles, maxillae, and isolated pig teeth. (JVRP; Legio Expedition /Israel Antiquities Authority)
The pigs, all being domesticated, were between six and eighteen months old, prime meat age, yet also implying deliberate choice for the ritual over the disposal of stock or food surplus.
Silicernium and the Sacred Meal of the Dead
So what does it all add up to?
Ancient Roman literature offers a clue. Writers like Cicero, Varro, and Apuleius detail funerary rituals featuring pigs—particularly a ceremony called the silicernium, a feast conducted alongside the grave of the recently deceased. According to Roman law, graves needed to be cleansed through animal sacrifice, and the pig—as highly prized both as a source of food but also as a representation of vigor, masculinity, and military power—was used most often.
In this regard, the pig's jaw, the component of the creature that came into contact with the altar or sacrificial knife, was charged symbolically. Roman rituals often dissociated ritually "touched" from edible parts. The mourners consumed the more desirable cuts of meat, while ritually meaningful portions—such as jaws—were inferred close to the graves as part of the cleansing practice, reports The Greek Reporter.
This fits perfectly with the Legio discovery: the pig jaw pit seems to be the ritual remains of a silicernium or cena novendialis, the ninth-day dinner that terminated the official period of mourning.
A Military Ritual, Not a Civilian Custom
The Legio pit is exceptional. It's the initial proof of a jaw-only pig sacrifice in a Roman army cemetery in the eastern provinces. This highly indicates that the ritual had legionary character, as opposed to being part of a wider civilian or local tradition.
The ceremony potentially served a symbolic function in cohesion between humans and military identity. Pigs, and particularly boars, carried iconic value in Roman war culture. The boar was the symbol of Legio X, and pigs were frequently invoked in oaths and sacrificial rituals—perhaps cementing the soldiers' and the gods' bond, even in death.
House of Cipius in Pompeii, pig being carried to its fate. (Pompeii Archaeological Park /Israel Antiquities Authority)
The find fills an important gap between what was written by ancient authors and what archaeologists have unearthed. For centuries, scholars were aware of Roman burial feasts, sacrificial pigs, and symbolic interment of animal remains, but no conclusive evidence of how or where this was done had ever been unearthed in the Roman East.
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The researchers predict that Legio is just the beginning of numerous other sites like it, reports LBV Magazine. With this model now established, archaeologists can now go back and revisit other Roman cemeteries and re-analyze bone caches that were previously misinterpreted as trash.
The Ritual Legacy of Rome's Frontiers
As more Roman military settlements are uncovered throughout the Near East, finds such as the pig jaw pit at Legio undermine the idea that frontier troops embraced completely local ways. Rather, these discoveries indicate that legionaries actively preserved Roman religious practices-even in distant locations from Rome-and grafted them into fresh landscapes.
This pig burial is not just a peculiarity; it is a symbol of spiritual continuity, a modest but forceful echo of Rome's effort to impose order, ritual, and identity upon its outermost reaches—even in death.
Top image: Ritual sacrifice of a pig being carried out in the Roman empire. Source: Pompeii Archaeological Park /Israel Antiquities Authority
By Sahir
References
Carvajal, G. 2025. Evidence of a Roman ritual with pig jaws found among remains of a legionary camp. Available at: https://www.labrujulaverde.com/en/2025/05/evidence-of-a-roman-ritual-with-pig-jaws-found-among-remains-of-a-legionary-camp/.
Moeed, A. 2025. First Evidence of Roman Pig-Jaw Funerary Ritual Uncovered in Israel. Available at: https://greekreporter.com/2025/05/14/roman-funerary-pig-ritual-israel/.
Perry-Gal, L, et al. 2025. Pig Sacrifice and Feasting in Roman Funerary Practices: A Case Study of the Roman Legionary Cemetery at Legio. ‘Atiqot: Vol. 117, Article 10. Available at: DOI:doi.org/10.70967/2948-040X.2258.
