The rooster stares down its opponent, wings outstretched, eyes glowing. Suddenly, it launches forward. The metal spurs attached to its legs glint in the sunlight. As the cockerels' claws clash in an epic battle, the watching crowd erupts with joy. 

This is what life looked like for a chicken in Roman Britain, according to leading archaeologist Naomi Sykes. 

Today, you are more likely to encounter a chicken wrapped in plastic on a supermarket shelf than clucking powerfully in front of a braying crowd. 

Now Sykes, an expert in human-animal interactions at the University of Exeter, wants to change the image of the humble chicken.

Sykes uses bones to track the chicken - a descendant of feathered dinosaurs - from its native Asia and across Europe throughout the Iron Age.

The results are surprising. Early burials show that chickens were not bred and butchered for meat. Instead, cockerels were buried whole, sometimes even alongside humans. 

For Sykes, it is proof: chickens were sacred, perhaps even magical, beings. As early as the 7th Century BC, cockfights appeared on ceramics in Palestine, Egypt and Israel. In Ancient Greece, cockfighting was a symbol of warfare and sexuality. And in East TimorCockfighting still takes place in East Timor in Southeast Asia. Cockfighting is banned in many countries, including the UK and USA. , where cockerels represent ancestors, men use cockfighting to commune with the supernatural. 

It is not just through cockfighting that chickens become cosmic. Followers of ZoroastrianismAn ancient Persian religion. It is one of the oldest monotheistic religions in the world.  believed that the rooster's dawn crow was a symbol of the cosmic struggle between light and darkness. The Romans took chickens to war as fortune-tellers: in the writings of CiceroConsidered one of the greatest orators of all time, he had defeated Catiline in the consular election., an angry consul throws a flock of chickens overboard when they refuse to eat before a sea battle. 

But at some point, everything changed for the chicken. As the population grew, chickens lost their exotic status. "Familiarity breeds contempt," Sykes summarises. 

Today, there are more chickens on earth than people. Many are packed into tiny cages. Every 0.05 seconds, 97 are slaughtered for meatToday, chickens are the largest source of protein on the planet through both meat and eggs.  worldwide. 

In Western culture, chickens are associated with cowardice and panic. Phrases such as "chickening out" and "running around like a headless chicken" show the scale of the derisionRidicule or mockery. The word originates from the Latin deridere, meaning to scoff at. .

When Sykes and her team began working on "The Chicken Project" in 2014, they faced ridicule. Newspaper columnists called the research "bird-brained". 

The criticism confirmed the team's suspicions: there is a "widely held perception that chickens are just a cheap meat, that they are stupid and meaningless". Undeterred, they fought the ridicule, even hiring a comedianThe team's comedian-in-residence used jokes about chickens to present their research. to present their research. 

And archaeologists are not the only ones calling for change. When neuroscientist Lori Marino studied chicken cognition, she discovered something extraordinary. Chicks as young as five-days-old can do basic addition and subtraction. 

One thing is clear: chickens have shaped human society in the past. Now, some believe that if we can put aside our prejudices cockerels could rule the roost once more. 

Yes: For centuries, chickens were revered worldwide as sacred beings. But today these intelligent creatures are packed into crowded cages. It is time we learnt to respect the chicken again.

No: Over time, cultures and priorities change. The chicken's power came from its status as a rare and exotic bird. Now, few believe the commonplace chicken has any magical powers.

Or... All animals are deserving of respect, whether they are birds or mammals or insects. Many today believe it is wrong to farm chickens intensively, but hens and roosters do not need special status.

East Timor - Cockfighting still takes place in East Timor in Southeast Asia. Cockfighting is banned in many countries, including the UK and USA. 

Zoroastrianism - An ancient Persian religion. It is one of the oldest monotheistic religions in the world. 

Cicero - Considered one of the greatest orators of all time, he had defeated Catiline in the consular election.

Meat - Today, chickens are the largest source of protein on the planet through both meat and eggs. 

Derision - Ridicule or mockery. The word originates from the Latin deridere, meaning to scoff at. 

Comedian - The team's comedian-in-residence used jokes about chickens to present their research.