Aurochs bone deposits at Kfar HaHoresh and the southern Levant across the agricultural transition

Aurochs played a prominent role in mortuary and feasting practices during the Neolithic transition in south-west Asia, although evidence of these practices is diverse and regionally varied. This article considers a new concentration of aurochs bones from the southern Levantine Pre-Pottery Neolithic...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Antiquity 2017-12, Vol.91 (360), p.1469-1483
Main Authors: Meier, Jacqueline S., Goring-Morris, A. Nigel, Munro, Natalie D.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agriculture
Analysis
Animals
Anthropological research
Anthropology
Archaeology
Beef cattle
Bones
Cattle
Cattle industry
Ceramics
Discovery and exploration
Domestication
Excavation
Feasting
Fossils
Historic artifacts
Neolithic
Neolithic period
Pottery
Rites & ceremonies
Surveys
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Summary:Aurochs played a prominent role in mortuary and feasting practices during the Neolithic transition in south-west Asia, although evidence of these practices is diverse and regionally varied. This article considers a new concentration of aurochs bones from the southern Levantine Pre-Pottery Neolithic site of Kfar HaHoresh, situating it in a regional context through a survey of aurochs remains from other sites. Analysis shows a change in the regional pattern once animal domestication began from an emphasis on feasting to small-scale practices. These results reveal a widely shared practice of symbolic cattle use that persisted over a long period, but shifted with the beginning of animal management across the region.
ISSN:0003-598X
1745-1744
DOI:10.15184/aqy.2017.179