At this time, rabbits are found throughout Britain. However, they are not native to the British Isles. For many years, scientists believed that the first rabbits were brought to Britain when the Normans invaded in 1066. A bone discovered at an old Roman ruin has now shown that rabbits came to Britain much earlier than 1066.
In 1964, there was a major excavation of an ancient Roman site located in Chichester. The ruin is known as the Fishbourne Roman palace. It is believed to be the largest Roman structure used as a residence in Britain. The structure was built in approximately 75 AD, and the people who lived there are believed to have been very wealthy.
One of the bones uncovered at the Fishbourne Roman palace was a small bone that went unexamined until recently. The bone is only four centimeters in length and was recognized as a rabbit bone. Scientists performed radiocarbon dating on the bone, and the test demonstrated that the bone belonged to a rabbit that lived in the first century AD.
Scientists did not find any evidence on the bone that indicated that the rabbit was butchered in order to be eaten. They did perform additional testing that demonstrated the rabbit was kept in confinement. Scientists conjecture that the rabbit was kept as a pet.
There is skeletal evidence from the Roman site that an entire array of exotic pets were kept by the residents. It is possible that rabbits from this site, or other Roman sites, escaped and are the progenitors of the current rabbit population in Britain.
Scientists plan to conduct more testing on the rabbit bone including genetic testing. Scientists believe that with this new discovery, museums will be checking their collections to see if there may be any other overlooked items that will change the thinking on how certain animals came to be in Britain.
