Isotopic Evidence for Early Trade in Animals between Old Kingdom Egypt and Canaan

Arnold, Elizabeth R.; Hartman, Gideon; Greenfield, Haskel J.; Shai, Itzhaq; Babcock, Lindsay E.; Maeir, Aren M.

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0157650

Cited by 34 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…Although plant material is generally accepted to be ideal for forming a bioavailable strontium baseline [49][50][51], exportation of modern botanical samples were not within the purview of this study. Instead, previous 87 Sr/ 86 Sr analysis of Tell el-Dab c a animal bones was used as proxy for the local biosphere [52].…”

Section: Plos Onementioning

confidence: 99%

Who were the Hyksos? Challenging traditional narratives using strontium isotope (87Sr/86Sr) analysis of human remains from ancient Egypt

et al. 2020

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A foreign dynasty, known as the Hyksos, ruled parts of Egypt between c. 1638-1530 BCE. Their origins are thought to be rooted in the Near East, which is supported by architectural features and grave accoutrements of Tell el-Dab c a. In this former Hyksos capital in the Eastern Nile Delta, burial culture is characterized by a blend of Egyptian and Near Eastern elements. However, investigations are still ongoing as to where the Hyksos came from and how they rose to power. The aim of this study is to elucidate the question of possible provenience. We present the results of strontium isotope (87 Sr/ 86 Sr) ratios of human tooth enamel (n = 75) from Tell el-Dab c a, focusing on comparing pre-and during Hyksos rule and sex-based differences. An influx of non-locals can be observed in the pre-Hyksos period (12 th and 13 th Dynasties, c. 1991-1649 BCE) during the constitution of this important harbor town, while the number of individuals already born in the Delta is larger during the Hyksos period. This is consistent with the supposition that, while the ruling class had Near Eastern origins, the Hyksos' rise to power was not the result of an invasion, as popularly theorized, but an internal dominance and takeover of foreign elite. There is a preponderance of non-local females suggesting patrilocal residence. We discuss our findings against the current evidence of material culture and historiography, but more investigation in Near Eastern comparative sites has to be conducted to narrow our future search for the actual origins of the Hyksos.

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Section: Plos Onementioning

confidence: 99%

Who were the Hyksos? Challenging traditional narratives using strontium isotope (87Sr/86Sr) analysis of human remains from ancient Egypt

et al. 2020

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“…The application of isotopic analysis in the study of animal husbandry and the trade in animal products is a rapidly growing area of inquiry. Some isotope systems, such as hydrogen, oxygen, strontium, and lead, record the location in which an animal lived [54], and these techniques have been applied with some regularity in archaeological contexts to address the trade in animal products [55][56][57][58][59]. Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope compositions are not tied to geography in the same way as these other isotope systems, but in certain regions where environmental variation is large over relatively small spatial scales or particular feeding practices that are isotopically unique exist, carbon and nitrogen isotopes can be an effective means of assessing the locality of animals and animal products in the archaeological record [31,32,60].…”

Section: Isotopic Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

Camelid husbandry in the Atacama Desert? A stable isotope study of camelid bone collagen and textiles from the Lluta and Camarones Valleys, northern Chile

Szpak

Valenzuela

2020

PLoS ONE

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Management of camelids in the coastal valleys of the Andes has generated much debate in recent years. Zooarchaeological and isotopic studies have demonstrated that in the coastal valleys of northern and southern Peru there were locally maintained camelid herds. Because of the hyperarid conditions of the northern coast of Chile, this region has been assumed to be unsuitable for the raising of camelids. In this study we report stable carbon and nitrogen isotopic compositions of camelid bone collagen and textiles made from camelid fiber from Late Intermediate Period (LIP) and Late Horizon (LH) occupations in northern Chilean river valleys. The camelid bone collagen isotopic compositions are consistent with these animals originating in the highlands, although there is a significant difference in the camelids dating to the LIP and LH, possibly because of changes made to distribution and exchange networks by the Inca in the LH. There were no differences between the isotopic compositions of the camelid fibers sampled from textiles in the LIP and LH, suggesting that either the production of camelid fiber was unchanged by the Inca or the changes that were made do not present visible isotopic evidence. Several camelid fiber samples from both the LIP and LH present very high δ 13 C and δ 15 N values, comparable to human hair samples from one site (Huancarane) in the Camarones Valley. These data suggest that people in the northern valleys of Chile may have kept small numbers of animals specifically for fiber production. Overall, however, the vast majority of the textile samples have isotopic compositions that are consistent with an origin in the highlands. These data suggest that the hyperarid coastal river valleys of northern Chile did not support substantial camelid herds as has been interpreted for northern Peru.

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“…Later, during the Middle Kingdom (Dynasty 11), another official ( Sinhue ) leads donkey caravans that are transporting goods between Egypt and the southern Levant (in the “Story of the Eloquent Peasant”) [ 5 , 21 , 23 , 33 – 35 ]. Recent isotopic evidence from animals at Safi provides direct evidence of donkeys moving between Egypt and Israel during the Early Bronze Age [ 36 ].…”

Section: Donkeys In the Ancient Near Eastmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Isotopic analysis of the cheek (M1-3) from the Tell eṣ-Ṣâfi/Gath specimen indicate that it was born and raised in Egypt, and only came to Tell eṣ-Ṣâfi/Gath in the last few months of its life [ 36 ]. Given the contemporary Egyptian Old Kingdom historical texts which record caravans consisting of hundreds of donkeys carrying goods to Egypt, it is likely that the donkey came as part of these caravans and was sacrificed shortly after it arrived at the site.…”

Section: The Specimen—description and Archaeological Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

Earliest evidence for equid bit wear in the ancient Near East: The "ass" from Early Bronze Age Tell eṣ-Ṣâfi/Gath, Israel

et al. 2018

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Analysis of a sacrificed and interred domestic donkey from an Early Bronze Age (EB) IIIB (c. 2800–2600 BCE) domestic residential neighborhood at Tell eṣ-Ṣâfi/Gath, Israel, indicate the presence of bit wear on the Lower Premolar 2 (LPM2). This is the earliest evidence for the use of a bit among early domestic equids, and in particular donkeys, in the Near East. The mesial enamel surfaces on both the right and left LPM2 of the particular donkey in question are slightly worn in a fashion that suggests that a dental bit (metal, bone, wood, etc.) was used to control the animal. Given the secure chronological context of the burial (beneath the floor of an EB IIIB house), it is suggested that this animal provides the earliest evidence for the use of a bit on an early domestic equid from the Near East.

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Isotopic Evidence for Early Trade in Animals between Old Kingdom Egypt and Canaan

Cited by 34 publications

References 41 publications

Who were the Hyksos? Challenging traditional narratives using strontium isotope (87Sr/86Sr) analysis of human remains from ancient Egypt

Who were the Hyksos? Challenging traditional narratives using strontium isotope (87Sr/86Sr) analysis of human remains from ancient Egypt

Camelid husbandry in the Atacama Desert? A stable isotope study of camelid bone collagen and textiles from the Lluta and Camarones Valleys, northern Chile

Earliest evidence for equid bit wear in the ancient Near East: The "ass" from Early Bronze Age Tell eṣ-Ṣâfi/Gath, Israel

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