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Archaeologists uncover earliest evidence for equid bit wear in the ancient Near East
EurekAlert! ^
| May 16, 2018
| Elana Oberlander, Bar-Ilan University
Posted on 07/28/2019 11:19:33 AM PDT by SunkenCiv
An international team of archaeologists has uncovered the earliest example of the use of a bridle bit with an equid (horse family) in the Near East. The discovery provides first evidence of the use of the bit (mouth piece) to control an animal long before the appearance of the horse in the Near East.
Evidence of the bridle bit was derived from the skeleton of a donkey dating to the Early Bronze Age III (approximately 2700 BCE) found at the excavations of the biblical city Gath (modern Tell es-Safi) of the Philistines, the home of Goliath, located in central Israel. The donkey was laid as a sacrificial offering before the construction of a house in a domestic neighborhood.
The international team, including archaeologists from Bar-Ilan University, the University of Manitoba (St. Paul's College), University of Saskatchewan (St. Thomas More College), Ariel University and Grand Valley State University published their findings today in the journal PLOS ONE...
The donkey is one of four that were found buried under neighborhood houses, which indicates the importance of the donkey in this society -- most likely as a beast of burden used in trade, the researchers said.
In a previously-published study the researchers provided evidence, based on isotopic analyses, that this very donkey was born in Egypt and... brought to the site only in the last few months of its life, before it was sacrificed and buried beneath the floor of the house as it was being rebuilt. Domestic horses were not yet present in the Near East at that time. As a result, donkeys were not only used as beasts of burden, but also were used to pull and be ridden by the newly emerging elites in these early city-states.
(Excerpt) Read more at eurekalert.org ...
TOPICS: History; Science; Travel
KEYWORDS: agriculture; animalhusbandry; donkey; donkeys; equid; equids; gath; godsgravesglyphs; helixmakemineadouble; huntergatherers; philistines; tellessafi
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A photograph of mesial/anterior face of both left and right LPM2 teeth that shows evidence of erosion of the enamel that is characteristic of bit wear on the 4700-year-old donkey skeleton excavated from Israel. Photo: Greenfield et al.

1
posted on
07/28/2019 11:19:33 AM PDT
by
SunkenCiv
2
posted on
07/28/2019 11:20:21 AM PDT
by
SunkenCiv
(Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie.)
To: SunkenCiv
3
posted on
07/28/2019 11:20:28 AM PDT
by
trisham
(Zen is not easy. It takes effort to attain nothingness. And then what do you have? Bupkis.)
some relevant sidebars from the Philistines keyword:
4
posted on
07/28/2019 11:21:06 AM PDT
by
SunkenCiv
(Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie.)
To: StayAt HomeMother; Ernest_at_the_Beach; 1ofmanyfree; 21twelve; 24Karet; 2ndDivisionVet; 31R1O; ...
5
posted on
07/28/2019 11:21:40 AM PDT
by
SunkenCiv
(Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie.)
To: trisham
Bit wear happens in flash drives today..
6
posted on
07/28/2019 11:22:03 AM PDT
by
SunkenCiv
(Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie.)
To: SunkenCiv
7
posted on
07/28/2019 11:28:45 AM PDT
by
trisham
(Zen is not easy. It takes effort to attain nothingness. And then what do you have? Bupkis.)
To: SunkenCiv
8
posted on
07/28/2019 12:04:21 PM PDT
by
ComputerGuy
(Heavily-medicated for your protection)
To: ComputerGuy
We should keep in mind that computers are white supremacist and sexist because they are based on binary.
9
posted on
07/28/2019 12:33:03 PM PDT
by
SunkenCiv
(Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie.)
To: SunkenCiv
10
posted on
07/28/2019 1:13:08 PM PDT
by
CJ Wolf
(Free-Wwg1wga and enjoy the show.)
To: SunkenCiv
You’re right of course. Most women think in trinary - yes/no/maybe.
11
posted on
07/28/2019 2:22:19 PM PDT
by
ComputerGuy
(Heavily-medicated for your protection)
To: ComputerGuy
No, they just talk that way.
12
posted on
07/28/2019 2:33:38 PM PDT
by
SunkenCiv
(Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie.)
To: CJ Wolf
13
posted on
07/28/2019 2:34:17 PM PDT
by
SunkenCiv
(Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie.)
To: SunkenCiv
That’s true. Yes means no, no means no and maybe means no.
14
posted on
07/28/2019 2:40:59 PM PDT
by
TigersEye
(This is the age of the death of reason.)
To: SunkenCiv
Equid bit wear sounds like a progressive rock band.
15
posted on
07/28/2019 4:08:49 PM PDT
by
Albion Wilde
(It is fatal to enter any war without the will to win it. --Douglas MacArthur)
To: Albion Wilde
Landfall of the Dragon Ships was the name of their first album.
16
posted on
07/28/2019 10:14:36 PM PDT
by
SunkenCiv
(Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie.)
To: SunkenCiv
17
posted on
07/29/2019 5:17:50 AM PDT
by
Albion Wilde
(It is fatal to enter any war without the will to win it. --Douglas MacArthur)
To: Albion Wilde
18
posted on
07/29/2019 2:00:30 PM PDT
by
SunkenCiv
(Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie.)
To: Albion Wilde
19
posted on
07/29/2019 2:29:07 PM PDT
by
SunkenCiv
(Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie.)
To: SunkenCiv
Public Foot the Roman - When You Lay it Down 1973What a great band! Don't know how I missed out on them at the time. Reminds me of Yes, whom I saw in concert several times and totally loved.
20
posted on
07/29/2019 5:26:14 PM PDT
by
Albion Wilde
(It is fatal to enter any war without the will to win it. --Douglas MacArthur)
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