Ceramic pigeon-nests

Pigeons and doves breeding has always been a significant agropastoral activity. It has been important for two main subsistence purposes: meat supply and fruitful crops, thanks to continuous fertile dung supply. The birds are bred in specific structures, the dovecotes, which are usually circular or square towers with built-in niches, in many cases, with immured ceramic pots as nests. These vessels are either made intentionally for pigeon nesting or are “recycled”; they are re-used jars, amphoras or pipes. A few finds from excavations, along with ethnographic parallels from northern Africa and the wider Mediterranean, as well as a unique, Early Byzantine mosaic representation bear testimony to this admirable aspect of ancient and traditional pottery.