Arnold Elizabeth R, Greenfield Haskel J, Hartman Gideon, Greenfield Tina L, Albaz Shira, Boaretto Elisabetta, Regev Johanna, Maeir Aren M
Grand Valley State University, Department of Anthropology, Allendale, Michigan, United States of America.
Department of Anthropology and St. Paul's College, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada.
PLoS One. 2025 Jul 9;20(7):e0326421. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0326421. eCollection 2025.
Archaeological excavations of an Early Bronze Age III (c. 2900-2600/2550 BCE) domestic neighborhood at the site of Tell eṣ-Ṣâfi/Gath, Israel, uncovered four complete skeletons of young female donkeys that were buried immediately below house floors as ritual foundation deposits. Multi-isotope analyses (carbon, oxygen and strontium) of their teeth document that each of the donkeys was born and raised in Egypt before being brought to Tell eṣ-Ṣâfi/Gath where they were slaughtered and buried beneath house floors in a non-elite domestic neighborhood. In contrast, isotopic analysis of teeth from a single isolated donkey mandible and additional sheep and goat teeth that displayed evidence of being used for food consumption and not associated with a complete burial, identify the donkey as born and raised among local livestock in the vicinity of Tell eṣ-Ṣâfi/Gath. The intentionally buried of specifically imported and highly valued young jennies reveal what appears to be a ritually charged characteristic when constructing domestic residences at the site.
在以色列泰勒埃斯萨菲/加思遗址进行的早青铜时代三期（约公元前2900年至2600/2550年）家庭社区考古发掘中，发现了四具年轻雌性驴的完整骨架，它们被作为仪式性基础沉积物埋在房屋地板正下方。对它们牙齿的多同位素分析（碳、氧和锶）表明，每头驴都是在埃及出生并长大，之后被带到泰勒埃斯萨菲/加思，在那里它们被宰杀并埋在一个非精英家庭社区的房屋地板下。相比之下，对一个单独的驴下颌骨以及另外一些显示出被用于食用迹象且与完整埋葬无关的绵羊和山羊牙齿进行的同位素分析，确定这头驴是在泰勒埃斯萨菲/加思附近当地牲畜中出生并长大的。特意埋葬特意进口且备受珍视的年轻母驴，揭示出在该遗址建造家庭住宅时似乎具有仪式意味的特征。
