The excavations carried out hy the "Soprintendenza Archeologica di Romà" during these last years in the ancient Fidenae city have led to the identification of a building of the Ear/y Iron Age, dated from the middle of the 8 1 h centurv BC. The most remarkable characteristic of this building is its state of good preservation. It is quite likely that the building was destroyed br a sudden fire while it was Jully in use. This possibility is con-fi rmed by one special feature: in the southeastern

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... rner of the building, the destruction layer included the calcinated skeletal remains of a domestic cat, which apparently had been trapped inside the building by the fire and by the subsequent collapse. This find is especially signifï-cant with regard tu the state of the building when the destruction took place; moreover, it constitutes the earliest evidence of the presence of the domestic cat in ltaly, apparent/y slightly earlier than those found in other Iron Age contexts of Lazio, at Ficana and Cures.