Food for the Dead, Food For the Living, Food for the Gods According to Faunal Data from the Ancient Near East
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31 juillet 2024
- handle: 10670/1.p9u9b9
- isbn: 978-2-7247-0739-7
- eisbn: 978-2-7247-0915-5
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess , https://www.openedition.org/12554
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Food habits Foraging behavior Foods Feeding behavior FoodsCiter ce document
Jwana Chahoud et al., « Food for the Dead, Food For the Living, Food for the Gods According to Faunal Data from the Ancient Near East », Institut français d’archéologie orientale, ID : 10670/1.p9u9b9
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The study of animal bones from archaeological sites in the Levant and Mesopotamia which date to the Bronze Age (3rd and 2nd millennia BC), such as necropolises and other funerary contexts, enables the reconstruction of food practices carried out for the gods, the dead and the living. Analysis of the species killed, the ages of slaughter, the cuts of meat selected, the culinary preparations, and the consumption practices reveal models for selection, which may vary according to the nature of the deposit. These models reflect the traditional values and norms that dictated range of rituals, locations for ceremonies, food selected and meat offered, depending on the beneficiary.Analysis of the data demonstrates the existence of well-defined rituals for food consumption and for depositing food offerings in funerary contexts in the Levant and in Mesopotamia throughout the Bronze Age. However, the practices were not always consistent. Their heterogeneity suggests the absence of a single secular or religious authority and of common traditions over the long term, as well as the influence of multiple cultures and religions in this region.