Tails of animism: a joint burial of humans and foxes in Pre-Pottery Neolithic Motza, Israel

Abstract

The recent discovery of a Late/Final Pre-Pottery Neolithic B burial of an adult and two children associated with fox bones at the site of Motza, Israel, demonstrates the broader socio-cultural perspective, and possibly continued animistic world views, of Neolithic foragers at the onset of the agricultural revolution.Recent excavations at the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B mega-site of Motza (7600-6000 BC), central Israel, have revealed a rare human burial with two foxes. The fox bones were dismembered, except for one foot found in articulation, and scattered among the human remains. What could this burial reveal about interactions between humans and small carnivores in the eighth and seventh millennia BC? We propose that Neolithisation entails closer relations between humans and small carnivores, relations that find expression in ritual practice. This is an animistic reflection of an anthropogenic ecology, which is advantageous to such animals and can be related to the general transition to agriculture in the Levant during this period.Motza, located in the Judean Hills west of Jerusalem, is one of the largest sites in the southern Levant, approximately 40ha (Figure 1). It was previously excavated (Khalaily et al. 2007) and is remarkable for its architecture, plaster floors, a lithic assemblage rich in arrowheads, multiple graves and numerous animal bones. As one of the earliest and largest agricultural villages in the Mediterranean phytogeographic zone, Motza has much to

Foxes in Retrospect—Unraveling Human-Fox Relationships through Fox Tooth Ornaments in the Swabian Jura

“…This appears to change, however, during the Pre-Pottery Neolithic and Natufian, when foxes increase in abundance, are commonly depicted in relief (e.g., at Göbekli Tepe, Turkey) [131], and are buried alongside humans (e.g., at Uyun al-Hammam, Jordan) [132]. A continued strengthening of the human-fox relationship is also evidenced in the Neolithic [131,133], with the first possible evidence of fox domestication in the Early-Middle Bronze Age [134].…”

Patagonian partnerships: the extinct Dusicyon avus and its interaction with prehistoric human communities

“…Conversely, research on the relationships between people and wild canids, particularly foxes, has been limited [26][27][28]36]. Foxes probably held significant economic and symbolic roles within South American societies, as indicated by their frequent presence on archaeological sites [5,7,29,37,38].…”

“…This interaction is perhaps best illustrated by the social, symbolic and economic nature of our relationships with the domestic dog (Canis familiaris), which has not only been a hunting aid, guard and companion but has also been part of medicinal and symbolic practices, a source of meat and fur and a hauling animal, among others roles [19][20][21][22][23][24]. Beyond human's best friend, societies have equally maintained diverse relationships with wild canid species sharing their environment [25][26][27][28][29]. Additionally, ancient dogs' remains have also been extensively studied because of their potential as proxies for human palaeodiet [30][31][32][33][34][35].…”

Hunting and the Social Lives of Southern Africa’s First Farmers

“…For example, in the Americas, scholars have argued that the deposition of symbolic or bundled taxa in pits associated with feasting events (Kelly 2000;Kelly and Kelly 2007;Pauketat et al 2002) and ceremonial offerings (Alaica 2018;Wallis and Blessing 2015) provides unique insights into people's social and spiritual relationships with different animal communities. Zooarchaeologists working in Eurasia have also cited evidence of intentional non-human burials and cremations to argue that people afforded personhood and/or symbolic meaning to certain animals in the past (Crabtree 1995;Losey et al 2011;Reshef et al 2019).…”