Feasting on Wild Boar in the Early Neolithic. Evidence from an 11,400-year-old Placed Deposit at Tappeh Asiab, Central Zagros

Pernille Bangsgaard; Lisa Yeomans; Hojjat Darabi; Kristian Murphy Gregersen; Jesper Olsen; Tobias Richter; Peder Mortensen

doi:10.1017/S095977431900009X

Feasting on Wild Boar in the Early Neolithic. Evidence from an 11,400-year-old Placed Deposit at Tappeh Asiab, Central Zagros

Pernille Bangsgaard
, Lisa Yeomans
, Hojjat Darabi
, Kristian Murphy Gregersen
, Jesper Olsen
, Tobias Richter
, Peder Mortensen

Department of Physics and Astronomy

Research output: Contribution to journal/Conference contribution in journal/Contribution to newspaper › Journal article › Research › peer-review

24 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The contents of a pit located in the centre of a large communal structure at Asiab in the central Zagros mountains provides rare evidence for ritual food practices during the Early Neolithic (∼9660-9300 cal. bc). This pit contained the skulls of at least 19 wild boars carefully placed inside and subsequently sealed. Antler from red deer and the skull of a brown bear were also concealed within the pit. The boars included both male and female animals varying in age and some of the larger canines were deliberately removed. Such a unique collection of remains is unlikely to be the result of day-to-day activities; instead, this represents a group of ritually interred bones. This new evidence strengthens views that activities reinforcing social cohesion were important as human society was approaching a juncture leading towards agricultural subsistence strategies.

Original language	English
Journal	Cambridge Archaeological Journal
Volume	29
Issue	3
Pages (from-to)	443-463
Number of pages	21
ISSN	0959-7743
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1017/S095977431900009X
Publication status	Published - 1 Aug 2019

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title = "Feasting on Wild Boar in the Early Neolithic. Evidence from an 11,400-year-old Placed Deposit at Tappeh Asiab, Central Zagros",

abstract = "The contents of a pit located in the centre of a large communal structure at Asiab in the central Zagros mountains provides rare evidence for ritual food practices during the Early Neolithic (∼9660-9300 cal. bc). This pit contained the skulls of at least 19 wild boars carefully placed inside and subsequently sealed. Antler from red deer and the skull of a brown bear were also concealed within the pit. The boars included both male and female animals varying in age and some of the larger canines were deliberately removed. Such a unique collection of remains is unlikely to be the result of day-to-day activities; instead, this represents a group of ritually interred bones. This new evidence strengthens views that activities reinforcing social cohesion were important as human society was approaching a juncture leading towards agricultural subsistence strategies.",

author = "Pernille Bangsgaard and Lisa Yeomans and Hojjat Darabi and Gregersen, \{Kristian Murphy\} and Jesper Olsen and Tobias Richter and Peder Mortensen",

year = "2019",

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doi = "10.1017/S095977431900009X",

language = "English",

volume = "29",

pages = "443--463",

journal = "Cambridge Archaeological Journal",

issn = "0959-7743",

publisher = "Cambridge University Press",

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Feasting on Wild Boar in the Early Neolithic. Evidence from an 11,400-year-old Placed Deposit at Tappeh Asiab, Central Zagros. / Bangsgaard, Pernille; Yeomans, Lisa; Darabi, Hojjat et al.
In: Cambridge Archaeological Journal, Vol. 29, No. 3, 01.08.2019, p. 443-463.

Research output: Contribution to journal/Conference contribution in journal/Contribution to newspaper › Journal article › Research › peer-review

TY - JOUR

T1 - Feasting on Wild Boar in the Early Neolithic. Evidence from an 11,400-year-old Placed Deposit at Tappeh Asiab, Central Zagros

AU - Bangsgaard, Pernille

AU - Yeomans, Lisa

AU - Darabi, Hojjat

AU - Gregersen, Kristian Murphy

AU - Olsen, Jesper

AU - Richter, Tobias

AU - Mortensen, Peder

PY - 2019/8/1

Y1 - 2019/8/1

N2 - The contents of a pit located in the centre of a large communal structure at Asiab in the central Zagros mountains provides rare evidence for ritual food practices during the Early Neolithic (∼9660-9300 cal. bc). This pit contained the skulls of at least 19 wild boars carefully placed inside and subsequently sealed. Antler from red deer and the skull of a brown bear were also concealed within the pit. The boars included both male and female animals varying in age and some of the larger canines were deliberately removed. Such a unique collection of remains is unlikely to be the result of day-to-day activities; instead, this represents a group of ritually interred bones. This new evidence strengthens views that activities reinforcing social cohesion were important as human society was approaching a juncture leading towards agricultural subsistence strategies.

AB - The contents of a pit located in the centre of a large communal structure at Asiab in the central Zagros mountains provides rare evidence for ritual food practices during the Early Neolithic (∼9660-9300 cal. bc). This pit contained the skulls of at least 19 wild boars carefully placed inside and subsequently sealed. Antler from red deer and the skull of a brown bear were also concealed within the pit. The boars included both male and female animals varying in age and some of the larger canines were deliberately removed. Such a unique collection of remains is unlikely to be the result of day-to-day activities; instead, this represents a group of ritually interred bones. This new evidence strengthens views that activities reinforcing social cohesion were important as human society was approaching a juncture leading towards agricultural subsistence strategies.

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85062943085

U2 - 10.1017/S095977431900009X

DO - 10.1017/S095977431900009X

M3 - Journal article

AN - SCOPUS:85062943085

SN - 0959-7743

VL - 29

SP - 443

EP - 463

JO - Cambridge Archaeological Journal

JF - Cambridge Archaeological Journal

IS - 3

ER -

Feasting on Wild Boar in the Early Neolithic. Evidence from an 11,400-year-old Placed Deposit at Tappeh Asiab, Central Zagros

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