The Roman goose is an Italian breed of

domestic goose A domestic goose is a goose that humans have domesticated and kept for their meat, eggs, or down feathers. Domestic geese have been derived through selective breeding from the wild greylag goose (''Anser anser domesticus'') and swan goose (''Anse ...

. It is said to be one of the oldest breeds of goose, bred more than 2000 years ago and originally sacred to the goddess

Juno Juno commonly refers to: *Juno (mythology), the Roman goddess of marriage and queen of the gods *Juno (film), ''Juno'' (film), 2007 Juno may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional characters *Juno, in the film ''Jenny, Juno'' *Ju ...

History

Sometime in the late 4th century BC, as the

Gauls The Gauls ( la, Galli; grc, Γαλάται, ''Galátai'') were a group of Celtic peoples of mainland Europe in the Iron Age and the Roman period (roughly 5th century BC to 5th century AD). Their homeland was known as Gaul (''Gallia''). They s ...

attempted to sneak into Rome under cover of night, it is said that the honking of Roman geese alerted the

Romans Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

and saved the capitol. In honour of this, the Romans later founded a temple to Juno, to whom the geese were considered sacred. Geese were also revered in the ''

supplicia canum The ''supplicia canum'' ("punishment of the dogs") was an annual sacrifice of ancient Roman religion in which live dogs were suspended from a ''furca'' ("fork") or cross ''(crux)'' and paraded. It appears on none of the extant Roman calendars, b ...

'' annual sacrifice.

Uses

In the modern period, it is kept for a range of purposes such as for meat and eggs depending on location. It is a popular exhibition breed in North America, where it is more commonly known as the tufted Roman goose and possesses a crest. In Europe, it is primarily kept as a utility

meat Meat is animal flesh that is eaten as food. Humans have hunted, farmed, and scavenged animals for meat since prehistoric times. The establishment of settlements in the Neolithic Revolution allowed the domestication of animals such as chic ...

breed, while in Australia, they are used for both purposes. Crests are optional in Europe and Australia.

Eggs

Roman geese can live up to 25 years and lay between 25 and 35 eggs per year. An egg takes 28 to 30 days for incubation.

References

Goose breeds Goose breeds originating in Italy Juno (mythology) {{Poultry-stub

History

Uses

Eggs

See also

References