עצמות בעלי החיים מהשוק בחנות תגרים (ח'אן א־תוג'אר)

The salvage excavation conducted near Khan et-Tujjar in Lower Galilee (see Dalali-Amos,this volume) yielded a small assemblage of animal bones originating in the market that operated at the site from the late Mamluk to the late Ottoman period. The bones were retrieved from an occupation level (L205, L211, L215, L216) and accumulations above it(L201–203).A total of 56 mammalian bones were identified (Tables 1, 2), represented by Caprines (n = 27, 56%), cattle (n = 18, 38%) and equids (n = 3, 6%). Remains of a dog (n = 8) were found on the surface. Slaughter waste comprised meat-carrying body parts, such as feet,heads and upper limbs. This assemblage is too small to draw conclusions regarding meat consumption at the Khan et-Tujjar marketplace; however, it seems that most of the meat came from cattle and sheep. Several vertebrae exhibit a split along their length, indicating carving by an expert butcher.Two clear stages of accumulation were discerned: remains of equids and dogs on the surface and in fills between the surface and the occupation level, indicating that in a later stage, probably in the twentieth century, this area served as a dumping place for carcass;and a large number of worn bones, with signs of predatory chewing and breakage, that are evidence of a slow accumulation of animal bones that were exposed to the sun, as well as to trampling and chewing while fresh or after drying.