Structured Deposition of Animal Remains in the Fertile Crescent during the Bronze Age

Although most of the animal remains recorded throughout the archaeological excavations consist usually of large assemblages of discarded and fragmented bones, it is possible to yield articulated animal skeletons in some cases. Most of them have been usually picked up from sacred and/or funerary contexts, but not all of them might fit necessarily in ritual and symbolic interpretations, and not all of the structured deposit of animal remains may be explained due to anthropic factors. In addition, zooarchaeology has traditionally focused on animal domestication, husbandry and economy, and species identification above all, shutting out further discussion about these type of findings. Moreover, the limited condition of the data is also another issue to bear in mind. Thus, the aim of this study has been to draw up a literature review of the structured deposits of animal remains during the third and second millennia BC in the Ancient Near East for its subsequent classification and detailed interpretation. In this survey it has been attested that not only most of the articulated animal remains have been found in ritual and/or funerary contexts but also that all species recorded- but some exceptions-are domestic. Hence there is a broad religious attitude towards the main domesticated animals of human economy in the Ancient Near East, based on the closeness of these animals to the human sphere. Therefore, it seems that domesticated animals were powerful constituents in the cultural landscape of these regions, never simply resources. Table of Contents 1. Introduction 2. Historical and archaeological context 3. Structured deposition of animal remains in the Fertile Crescent during the III Millennium BC 4. Structured deposition of animal remains in the Fertile Crescent during the II Millennium BC 5. Discussion 6. Conclusions Bibliography Appendix A. Number of articulated animal individuals recorded at each site classified by species, region and period Appendix B. Identification of equid species classified by site and period Although most of the animal remains recorded throughout the archaeological excavations consist usually of large assemblages of discarded and fragmented bones, it is possible to yield articulated animal skeletons in some cases. Most of them have been usually picked up from sacred and/or funerary contexts, but not all of them might fit necessarily in ritual and symbolic interpretations, and not all of the structured deposit of animal remains may be explained due to anthropic factors. In addition, zooarchaeology has traditionally focused on animal domestication, husbandry and economy, and species identification above all, shutting out further discussion about these type of findings. Moreover, the limited condition of the data is also another issue to bear in mind. Thus, the aim of this paper has been to draw up a literature review of the structured deposits of animal remains during the third and second millennia BC in the Ancient Near East for its subsequent classification and detailed interpretation. In this survey it has been attested that not only most of the articulated animal remains have been found in ritual and/or funerary contexts but also that all species recorded–but some exceptions–are domestic. Hence, I argue in this paper that there is a broad religious attitude towards the main domesticated animals of human economy in the An-cient Near East, based on the closeness of these animals to the human sphere. Therefore, it seems that domesticated animals were powerful constituents in the cultural landscape of these regions, never simply resources. Cover 1 Copyright Information 2 Contents 3 List of Figures 5 List of Tables 6 Abstract 7 Acknowledgements 8 _GoBack 9 1. Introduction 9 2. Historical and archaeological context 11 Table 1. Chronology of the Bronze Age for the Ancient Near East. 11 Table 2. Chronology of the Bronze Age for Mesopotamia (after Cryer, 1995). 11 3. Structured deposition of animal remains in the Fertile Crescent during the III Millennium BC 12 3. 1. Structured deposition of animal remains in Syria during the III Millennium BC 12 3. 1. 1. Tell Beydar 13 3. 1. 2. Umm el-Marra 14 Equids 14 Bovids 16 Dogs 16 Pigs 16 3. 1. 3. Tell Halawa 16 Equids 16 Ovicaprines 16 3. 1. 4. Tell Banat 16 3. 1. 5. Abu Hamad 17 3. 1. 6. Tall Bi’a 17 3. 1. 7. Nagar (Tell Brak) 18 Equids 18 Dogs 20 Fish 21 3. 2. Structured deposition of animal remains in Mesopotamia during the III Millennium BC 22 3. 2. 1. al-‘Usiyah 22 3. 2. 2. Tell Madhhur 23 3. 2. 3. Uch Tepe (Tell Razuk) 23 3. 2. 4. Tell Abu Qasim 24 3. 2. 5. Kish 24 3. 2. 6. Abu Salabikh 25 Equids 25 Ovicaprines 26 3. 2. 7. Nippur 28 Equids 28 Ovicaprines 29 3. 2. 8. Lagash (Tell al-Hiba) 29 3. 2. 9. Ur 29 3. 2. 10. Additional information about other sites 33 Fig. 1. Map showing some of the sites discussed in section 3. 1. (Author). 12 Fig. 2. Illustration of demoiselle crane anthropoids virgo (after Van Neer, 2000). 13 Fig. 3. Articulated equid skeletons found in Installation G, Upper Layer (after Weber, 2012). 15 Fig. 4. Section of three main levels of occupation in the public sector at Tell Banat that includes the location of the foundation deposit behind Building 6 (after Porter, 2002b). 18 Fig. 5. Skeletons of donkeys 4 (up) and 5 (down) in the original situation they were found at the site (Clutton-Brock, 2001). 19 (after Clutton-Brock, 2001). 20 Fig. 6. The skeleton of the dog as it was found at Tell Brak (Clutton-Brock, 2001). 20 Table. 3. Age, sex, position and orientation of the donkey skeletons found at Tell Brak 20 Fig. 7 Yellow-fin black porgy. 21 Fig. 8. The seabream skeleton from Tell Brak (Roselló Izquierdo & Morales Múñiz, 2001). 21 Fig. 9. Location of some of the sites discussed in this section (Author). 22 Fig. 10. Tell Madhhur tomb in Trench 5G (after Killick and Roaf, 1979). 23 Fig. 11. Burial 12 at Tell Razuk (after Zarins, 1986). 24 Fig. 12. A reconstruction of Burial II (after Zarins 1986). 25 Fig. 13. Articulated equid skeleton found in ash-tip at Abu Salabikh (after Postgate, 1986). 26 Fig. 14. Equids found at Grave 162 (after Postgate, 1986). 27 Fig. 15 Plan of Grave 162 showing the five equids in what have been considered their original position (after Postgate, 1983). 27 Fig. 16. Plan of Burial 14, Level XIIIB Chamber (after McMahon, 2006). 28 Fig. 17. Equid skeleton at Burial 14 (after McMahon, 2006). 29 Fig. 18. Ovicaprine skeletons located next to skeleton 3 at Burial 14 (after McMahon, 2006). 30 Fig. 19. Articulated onager skeleton found at Lagash (Area C) (after Zarins 1986). 30 Fig. 20. Plan of PG 789 (after Baadsgaard et al., 2012). 31 Fig. 21. Plan of PG 800 (after Baadsgaard et al., 2012). 32 4. Structured deposition of animal remains in the 34 Fertile Crescent during the II Millennium BC 34 4. 1. Structured deposition of animal remains in Mesopotamia during the II Millennium BC 34 4. 1. 1. Tell Ababra 34 4. 1. 2. Isin 34 4. 2. Structured deposition of animal remains in Syria during the II Millennium BC 35 4. 2. 1. Umm el-Marra 35 4. 3. Structured deposition of animal remains in the Levant during the II Millennium BC 36 4. 3. 1. Azor 36 4. 3. 2. Sasa 37 4. 3. 3. Tell ‘Akko 37 4. 3. 4. Megiddo 37 4. 3. 5. Sidon 38 4. 3. 6. Shechem 38 4. 3. 7. Jericho 40 Equids 40 Ovicaprines 40 4. 3. 8. Gezer 40 4. 3. 10. Jebel Qa’aqir 41 4. 3. 11. Tell el-‘Ajjul 41 4. 3. 12. Tell Jemmeh 41 4. 3. 13. Tel Haror 41 4. 3. 9. Tell Beth-Shemesh 41 4. 3. 14. Additional information about other sites 42 Table. 4. Age ratio of animals found in Shaft 1 (after Schwartz, 2013). 35 Fig. 22. Some of the sites discussed in this section (Author). 36 Fig. 23. Bovid skeleton found in Tomb 903 at Megiddo (after Guy, 1938). 37 (after Doument-Serhal, 2013). 38 Fig. 24. Sheep skeleton in Burial 99, Sidon 38 Fig. 25. Ovicaprine skeleton found at Shechem in locus 6:18 39 Fig. 26. Equid skeleton found at Shechem (after Campbell, 2002). 39 in Room 8 (after Campbell, 2002). 39 Fig. 27. Equid skeleton found at Locus 10066 (after Leger & Zeder, 1988). 40 Fig. 28. Raven skeleton found at loculi 8430/82091 at Tel Haror, associated with the 42 mandible of a lamb (after Klenck, 2002). 42 Fig. 29. Articulated puppy skeleton found in loculi 8430/82443 at Tel Haror (after Klenck, 2002). 43 Fig. 30. Articulated skeleton of a juveline dog associated with the fragmented remains of a 43 raven at Tel Haror (after Klenck, 2002). 43 5. Discussion 44 5.1. Classification of the explained evidence 44 Animal burials inside human graves 44 Animal burials related to human graves 45 Animal deposits unrelated to human graves 45 Animal remains in non-ritual contexts 46 Animals in sacred/ritual contexts 46 Foundation deposits 46 5. 2. Analysis and interpretation of taxa 46 5. 2. 1. Equids 47 Donkey 47 Kúnga 49 Mule 49 Onager 49 5. 2. 2. Dogs 50 5. 2. 3. Sheeps and goats 53 5. 2. 4. Bovids 54 5. 2. 5. Pigs 54 5. 2. 6. Birds 55 5. 2. 7. Fish 56 5. 3. Ritual and sacrifice in the frame of structured deposition of animal remains 56 5. 4. Conclusions 58 (after Littauer & Crouwel, 1979). 49 Fig. 31. Some kúnga pulling from battle wagons depicted in the Standard of Ur (2600 BC) 49 6. Conclusions 60 Bibliography 61 Appendix A. 64 Number of articulated animal individuals recorded at each site classified by specie, region and period. 64 Appendix A. A. Number of articulated animal individuals recorded at each site in Syria in the third millennium BC. 64 Appendix A. B. Number of articulated animal individuals recorded at each site in Mesopotamia/Iraq in the third millennium BC. 64 Appendix A. C. Number of articulated animal individuals recorded at each site in Mesopotamia/Iraq in the second millennium BC. 64 Appendix A. D. Number of articulated animal individuals recorded at each site in the Levant in the second millennium BC. 65 Appendix B. 66 Identification of equid species classified by site and period. 66 Appendinx B. B. Specie identification of equid individuals from sites dated to the second millennium BC. 66 Appendix B. A. Specie identification of equid individuals from sites dated to the third millennium BC. 66 Deposition,Animal Remains,Fertile Crescent,Bronze Age