Early Arrival of New World Species Enriching the Biological Assemblage of the Santi Quattro Coronati Complex (Rome, Italy)

started after the partial closure of a staircase, and from a mortar surface within a former porch in the
Santi Quattro Coronati complex in Rome, Italy. The two contexts were in use in the Early Modern
Age, when the complex served as a cardinal seat. The element that distinguishes the Santi Quattro
Coronati from other contemporaneous contexts is the presence of New World species, until now only
hypothesized based on a letter sent by the first resident bishop in Santo Domingo to Lorenzo Pucci, then
cardinal with the titulus of the Santi Quattro Coronati. Pumpkin seeds (Cucurbita pepo and C. maxima/
moschata) were found in the pit, while a pelvis of guinea pig (Cavia porcellus) was found in a former
porch. Numerous archaeobotanical remains preserved by mummification, identified mostly as food,
and many archaeozoological specimens were found in the pit. Based on the data, it is hypothesized
that the pit was used mainly as a deposit for table waste. The results as a whole help towards the
investigation of the eating customs and daily habits of a Renaissance high-status clerical community.