[Viggen]

In a forthcoming report in the Journal of Archaeological Science, Belgian archeologists Fabienne Pigière and Denis Henrotay, report on the discovery of the bones of a Roman-era dromedary camel in Arlon, Belgium. And they inventory 22 sites in Northern Europe that have turned up camel bones from the Roman era.

...full article at USA Today

[Melvadius]

Currently I cannot read the full article so have had to rely on the USA Today report. I wonder if by looking at individual locations of finds there may be alternative explanations for this discovery.

We know that the Romans had specialist camel units or at least mixed camel/ horse and/or foot units in some parts of the eastern Empire so movements of units previously based in the eastern Empire and subsequent camels use for either pack animals or any other military function may explain the military connections.

However an alternative explanation may have been the importation of specimen camels for display/ use in amphitheatres, whether military or civilian, especially since several of the locations listed so far as I can tell froma quick search seem to also have had amphitheatres within a few miles of the find sites.

The full report if or when I can read it well may provide useful information on how extensive the finds were including if it was partial or complete skeletons, a single or multiple animals represented and what evidence there is for how they may have died.

However at present the USA today item leaves more questions than it answers. :(