Iron Age Pigs: New Evidence on Their Origin and Role in Forming Identity Boundaries

Abstract

This article reviews recent studies of pigs in the Iron Age in the southern Levant. The studies were carried out as part of the European Research Council-funded Ancient Israel project, with the aim of examining questions of identity and ethnic boundaries, with special emphasis on Philistia and ancient Israel. On the Philistine side, the results show a dichotomy in pork consumption between urban centers and the rural sector, and suggest that European domestic pigs were brought to the Levant by the Sea Peoples, most probably to secure the supply of meat. Reviewed with previous evidence, we suggest that economic motivation was the driving force for pork consumption and abandonment. Regarding ancient Israel, new studies show that avoiding pork was a widespread phenomenon of much of the Iron Age in both the highland and the lowlands outside of Philistia. They also point to a rise in pork consumption in lowlands sites of the Northern Kingdom in the Iron IIB and suggest a link between this phenomenon and the early consolidation of the taboo on pigs in Judah in late-monarchic times.

Eastern Mediterranean Mobility in the Bronze and Early Iron Ages: Inferences from Ancient DNA of Pigs and Cattle

“… 48 )]. Indeed, their translocation goes together with immigration by boat 26 , 49 : they reproduce rapidly and thus make it easier to quickly establish herds and produce much meat 50 . A good example is provided by Anglo-Saxon sites in Britain, which show a large percentage of pig remains at the beginning of the settlement process (early 5th century CE).…”

“…Once the community was established, cattle and sheep consumption increased at the expense of pigs 51 . It seems therefore that at least some groups of Sea Peoples came to the southern Levant aiming to establish settlements 50 .…”

The Paleo-Anthropocene and the Genesis of the Current Landscape of Israel

“…An interesting example is the importation of pigs into Israel, probably by migrating Philistines, during the 12 th century BCE. Examination of ancient DNA from pig bones found in various sites from three periods -pre-Philistine (Bronze Age), Philistine (Iron Age I) and post-Philistine (Iron Age II) -indicates a gradual shift from a local, Levantine haplotype to a European one (Meiri et al, 2013, Sapir-Hen et al, 2015. Apparently, domesticated pigs were translocated by the Philistine population, together with several exotic plants (as noted above).…”

Externality and taboo: Resolving the Judaic pig puzzle

“…Consistent with the internalization theory, the Judaic pig ban, which dates to the same period, thus emerged when the number of citizens inclined to foster free ranging swine-and therefore the expected cost of pig externalities-increased in the Southern Kingdom. Although there are debates on the magnitude and pace of the migration (Na'aman, 2014), the migration fits with the pattern of "pig migration" (either by trade or by feral pigs moving) in the Eastern Mediterranean pre-950 BC (Meiri et al, 2017;Sapir-Hen et al, 2015). 17 That was not all.…”