Domestication of the Donkey (Equus asinus) in the Southern Levant: Archaeozoology, Iconography and Economy

Milevski, Ianir; Horwitz, Liora Kolska

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-24363-0_4

Cited by 15 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 73 publications

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“…Even though neither were found in secure EB depositional contexts, their decoration, shape (typology), and ceramic fabric suggest that they derive (and were disturbed) from the EB layers. They are very similar to those found at other EB sites in the southern Levant region, such as Azor, Khirbet el-Mahruq, Khirbet ez-Zeraqōn, and elsewhere in the region [ 1 , 45 , 89 , 90 , 91 ]. The presence of similar well-preserved figurines of donkeys (and other domestic animals) recovered in mortuary contexts from other EB sites within the region suggest that they are more than simple toy representations of economic animals [ 1 ].…”

Section: Materials and Results—evidence For Ritual In The Eb At Tell ...supporting

confidence: 84%

“…There are a few rider figurines from sites such as Khirbet ez-Zeraqōn and Jericho, but they are very infrequent. The rider is only schematically portrayed as the emphasis is clearly on the animal being ridden [ 1 , 37 ].…”

Section: Materials and Results—evidence For Ritual In The Eb At Tell ...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The owners of domestic asses would directly benefit. A consequence was the emergence of a new social class—i.e., merchants who had asses/donkeys that could transport goods over near and long distances [ 1 , 45 , 46 ]. Their asses would be the source of their growing wealth and power.…”

Section: Discussion—why Bury a Domestic Ass Under Your Floor?mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Was this practice simply a form of ‘disposal’ for beloved pets and work animals buried without ceremony, or did it have other meanings? While the ritual character of some donkey burials from EB excavations has lately been called into question [ 1 , 2 ], only a holistic treatment of the asinine burials from Tell eṣ-Ṣâfi/Gath may allow for a fuller investigation of the different ritual roles (sacred, symbolic, and economic) of asses in EB III households. Therefore, this paper provides an opportunity to clarify the character of the donkey burials recovered from Area E, with regards to the intersection of ritual life, symbols, and the economy (outside of a temple and funerary setting) in a residential EB neighbourhood.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Household Rituals and Merchant Caravanners: The Phenomenon of Early Bronze Age Donkey Burials from Tell eṣ-Ṣâfi/Gath, Israel

Greenfield

Ross

Greenfield

et al. 2022

Animals

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Most studies of ritual and symbolism in early complex societies of the Near East have focused on elite and/or public behavioural domains. However, the vast bulk of the population would not have been able to fully participate in such public displays. This paper explores the zooarchaeological and associated archaeological evidence for household rituals in lower-stratum residences in the Early Bronze Age (EB) of the southern Levant. Data from the EB III (c. 2850–2550 BCE) deposits excavated at the site of Tell eṣ-Ṣâfi/Gath, Israel, are illustrative of the difficulty in identifying the nature of household rituals. An integrated analytical approach to the architecture, figurines, foundation deposits, and domestic donkey burials found in lower-stratum domestic residences provides insights into the nature of household rituals. This integrated contextual perspective allows the sacred and symbolic role(s) of each to be understood and their importance for EB urban society to be evaluated.

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Section: Materials and Results—evidence For Ritual In The Eb At Tell ...supporting

confidence: 84%

Section: Materials and Results—evidence For Ritual In The Eb At Tell ...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussion—why Bury a Domestic Ass Under Your Floor?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Household Rituals and Merchant Caravanners: The Phenomenon of Early Bronze Age Donkey Burials from Tell eṣ-Ṣâfi/Gath, Israel

Greenfield

Ross

Greenfield

et al. 2022

Animals

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“…Wild ass is thought to have been domesticated in northeast Africa sometime around 6500 BP (Marshall and Weissbrod 2011). Their spread into Southwest Asia occurred about a millennium later, first appearing in the Levant around 5600-5100 BP, and later in Oman around the late 3rd to early 2nd millennium BC (Marshall 2007;Milevski and Horwitz 2019). African wild ass is known from a number of Holocene sites in southeastern Arabia (e.g., Uerpmann 1991;Cattani and Bökönyi 2002), where they persisted until perhaps as recently as 5000 BP (Uerpmann 1991).…”

Section: Species Representationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Taphonomy of an excavated striped hyena (Hyaena hyaena) den in Arabia: implications for paleoecology and prehistory

Stewart

Andrieux

Clark-Wilson

et al. 2021

Archaeol Anthropol Sci

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Studies of modern carnivore accumulations of bone (i.e., neo-taphonomy) are crucial for interpreting fossil accumulations in the archaeological and paleontological records. Yet, studies in arid regions have been limited in both number and detailed taphonomic data, prohibiting our understanding of carnivore bone-accumulating and -modifying behavior in dry regions. Here, we present a taphonomic analysis of an impressive carnivore-accumulated bone assemblage from the Umm Jirsan lava tube in the Harrat Khaybar region, Saudi Arabia. The size and composition of the bone accumulation, as well as the presence of hyena skeletal remains and coprolites, suggest that the assemblage was primarily accumulated by striped hyena (Hyaena hyaena). Our findings (1) identify potentially useful criteria for distinguishing between accumulations generated by different species of hyenas; (2) emphasize the need for neo-taphonomic studies for capturing the full variation in carnivore bone-accumulating and modifying behavior; (3) suggest that under the right settings, striped hyena accumulations can serve as good proxies for (paleo)ecology and livestock practices; and (4) highlight the potential for future research at Umm Jirsan, as well as at the numerous nearby lava tube systems. We encourage continued neo-taphonomic efforts in regions important in human prehistory, particularly in arid zones, which have received little research attention.

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Cultural, Socio-economic and Environmental Influences on Health Status of Chalcolithic Populations in the Northern Negev

Smith

Faerman

Horwitz

2023

Interdisciplinary Contributions to Archaeology

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Domestication of the Donkey (Equus asinus) in the Southern Levant: Archaeozoology, Iconography and Economy

Cited by 15 publications

References 73 publications

Household Rituals and Merchant Caravanners: The Phenomenon of Early Bronze Age Donkey Burials from Tell eṣ-Ṣâfi/Gath, Israel

Household Rituals and Merchant Caravanners: The Phenomenon of Early Bronze Age Donkey Burials from Tell eṣ-Ṣâfi/Gath, Israel

Taphonomy of an excavated striped hyena (Hyaena hyaena) den in Arabia: implications for paleoecology and prehistory

Cultural, Socio-economic and Environmental Influences on Health Status of Chalcolithic Populations in the Northern Negev

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