Household Rituals and Sacrificial Donkeys: Why Are There So Many Domestic Donkeys Buried in an Early Bronze Age Neighborhood at Tell eṣ-Ṣâfi/Gath?

A few years ago, a domestic donkey (Equus asinus), or ass, was discovered at Tell eṣ-Ṣafi/Gath in modern Israel and determined to have been sacrificed and buried as a foundation deposit beneath the floor of an Early Bronze III house. Since then, three additional complete domestic donkey burials have...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Near Eastern archaeology 2018-09, Vol.81 (3), p.202-211
Main Authors: Greenfield, Haskel J., Greenfield, Tina L., Shai, Itzhaq, Albaz, Shira, Maeir, Aren M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bones
Bronze age
Cranium
Excavations
Funerary rituals
Introduction
Legs
Religious rituals
Residential buildings
Skeleton
Young adults
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Summary:A few years ago, a domestic donkey (Equus asinus), or ass, was discovered at Tell eṣ-Ṣafi/Gath in modern Israel and determined to have been sacrificed and buried as a foundation deposit beneath the floor of an Early Bronze III house. Since then, three additional complete domestic donkey burials have been revealed beneath the floors of another house in the same Early Bronze neighborhood. These animals were buried within a nonelite domestic neighborhood at the edge of the city. The authors suggest that this urban space may have been the location of the homes and work spaces of merchants who relied upon donkeys as “beasts of burden” to transport their goods regionally and interregionally.
ISSN:1094-2076
2325-5404
DOI:10.5615/neareastarch.81.3.0202