Pigeon-raising and sustainable agriculture at the fringe of the desert: a view from the Byzantine village of Sa‘adon, Negev, Israel

Yotam Tepper; Lior Weissbrod; Tal Fried; Nimrod Marom; Jennifer Ramsay; Mina Weinstein-Evron; Sophia Aharonovich; Nili Liphschitz; Yoav Farhi; Xin Yan; Elisabetta Boaretto; Guy Bar-Oz

doi:10.1080/00758914.2018.1528532

Pigeon-raising and sustainable agriculture at the fringe of the desert: a view from the Byzantine village of Sa‘adon, Negev, Israel

Yotam Tepper, Lior Weissbrod, Tal Fried, Nimrod Marom, Jennifer Ramsay, Mina Weinstein-Evron, Sophia Aharonovich, Nili Liphschitz, Yoav Farhi, Xin Yan, Elisabetta Boaretto, Guy Bar-Oz

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

Deposits rich in bioarchaeological materials were unearthed in two dovecotes found near Sa‘adon, a Byzantine-period village (5th–6th century CE) in the semi-arid part of the Negev. One structure contained a layer of pigeon manure and articulated pigeon skeletons, preserved occupation levels and evidence of sudden destruction (mid-6th century CE), whereas the other lacked distinct occupation debris indicting more orderly human abandonment. Our findings demonstrate the importance of raising pigeons for their high-quality manure in connection with agricultural development around the Negev Byzantine settlements. This product was essential for fertilizing vineyards and orchards; our findings provide direct evidence for the intensive nature of desert agriculture and a new approach to addressing questions of past human sustainability in an environmentally marginal area.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	91-113
Number of pages	23
Journal	Levant
Volume	50
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1080/00758914.2018.1528532
State	Published - 2 Jan 2018

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
This study was conducted under license of the Israel Antiquities Authority (G-30/11). We wish to thank Yigal Tepper, Ada Caspi, Avi Blumenkrantz, and Baruch Rosen for their invaluable advice and unwavering logistical support. Special thanks to Avi Blumenkrantz and Michael Shomroni (field drawings) and to Sapir Haad and Anat Regev Gisis (graphics). We also wish to thank the many volunteers who participated in the field and laboratory work. This project was supported by research grants from the National Geographic Society (Grant 3857/10), the Israel Science Foundation (Grant 340?14) and the European Research Council under the EU?s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (Grant 648427).

Funding Information:
This study was conducted under license of the Israel Antiquities Authority (G-30/11). We wish to thank Yigal Tepper, Ada Caspi, Avi Blumenkrantz, and Baruch Rosen for their invaluable advice and unwavering logistical support. Special thanks to Avi Blumenkrantz and Michael Shomroni (field drawings) and to Sapir Haad and Anat Regev Gisis (graphics). We also wish to thank the many volunteers who participated in the field and laboratory work. This project was supported by research grants from the National Geographic Society (Grant 3857/10), the Israel Science Foundation (Grant 340–14) and the European Research Council under the EU’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (Grant 648427).

Publisher Copyright:
© 2018, © 2018 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Keywords

Byzantine archaeology
dovecotes
marginal areas
pigeon manure
sustainable agriculture

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Archaeology
History
Archaeology

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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10.1080/00758914.2018.1528532

Cite this

Tepper, Y., Weissbrod, L., Fried, T., Marom, N., Ramsay, J., Weinstein-Evron, M., Aharonovich, S., Liphschitz, N., Farhi, Y., Yan, X., Boaretto, E., & Bar-Oz, G. (2018). Pigeon-raising and sustainable agriculture at the fringe of the desert: a view from the Byzantine village of Sa‘adon, Negev, Israel. Levant, 50(1), 91-113. https://doi.org/10.1080/00758914.2018.1528532

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abstract = "Deposits rich in bioarchaeological materials were unearthed in two dovecotes found near Sa{\textquoteleft}adon, a Byzantine-period village (5th–6th century CE) in the semi-arid part of the Negev. One structure contained a layer of pigeon manure and articulated pigeon skeletons, preserved occupation levels and evidence of sudden destruction (mid-6th century CE), whereas the other lacked distinct occupation debris indicting more orderly human abandonment. Our findings demonstrate the importance of raising pigeons for their high-quality manure in connection with agricultural development around the Negev Byzantine settlements. This product was essential for fertilizing vineyards and orchards; our findings provide direct evidence for the intensive nature of desert agriculture and a new approach to addressing questions of past human sustainability in an environmentally marginal area.",

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author = "Yotam Tepper and Lior Weissbrod and Tal Fried and Nimrod Marom and Jennifer Ramsay and Mina Weinstein-Evron and Sophia Aharonovich and Nili Liphschitz and Yoav Farhi and Xin Yan and Elisabetta Boaretto and Guy Bar-Oz",

note = "Funding Information: This study was conducted under license of the Israel Antiquities Authority (G-30/11). We wish to thank Yigal Tepper, Ada Caspi, Avi Blumenkrantz, and Baruch Rosen for their invaluable advice and unwavering logistical support. Special thanks to Avi Blumenkrantz and Michael Shomroni (field drawings) and to Sapir Haad and Anat Regev Gisis (graphics). We also wish to thank the many volunteers who participated in the field and laboratory work. This project was supported by research grants from the National Geographic Society (Grant 3857/10), the Israel Science Foundation (Grant 340?14) and the European Research Council under the EU?s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (Grant 648427). Funding Information: This study was conducted under license of the Israel Antiquities Authority (G-30/11). We wish to thank Yigal Tepper, Ada Caspi, Avi Blumenkrantz, and Baruch Rosen for their invaluable advice and unwavering logistical support. Special thanks to Avi Blumenkrantz and Michael Shomroni (field drawings) and to Sapir Haad and Anat Regev Gisis (graphics). We also wish to thank the many volunteers who participated in the field and laboratory work. This project was supported by research grants from the National Geographic Society (Grant 3857/10), the Israel Science Foundation (Grant 340–14) and the European Research Council under the EU{\textquoteright}s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (Grant 648427). Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2018, {\textcopyright} 2018 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.",

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Tepper, Y , Weissbrod, L , Fried, T , Marom, N, Ramsay, J, Weinstein-Evron, M, Aharonovich, S, Liphschitz, N, Farhi, Y, Yan, X, Boaretto, E & Bar-Oz, G 2018, 'Pigeon-raising and sustainable agriculture at the fringe of the desert: a view from the Byzantine village of Sa‘adon, Negev, Israel', Levant, vol. 50, no. 1, pp. 91-113. https://doi.org/10.1080/00758914.2018.1528532

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AU - Farhi, Yoav

AU - Yan, Xin

AU - Boaretto, Elisabetta

AU - Bar-Oz, Guy

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N2 - Deposits rich in bioarchaeological materials were unearthed in two dovecotes found near Sa‘adon, a Byzantine-period village (5th–6th century CE) in the semi-arid part of the Negev. One structure contained a layer of pigeon manure and articulated pigeon skeletons, preserved occupation levels and evidence of sudden destruction (mid-6th century CE), whereas the other lacked distinct occupation debris indicting more orderly human abandonment. Our findings demonstrate the importance of raising pigeons for their high-quality manure in connection with agricultural development around the Negev Byzantine settlements. This product was essential for fertilizing vineyards and orchards; our findings provide direct evidence for the intensive nature of desert agriculture and a new approach to addressing questions of past human sustainability in an environmentally marginal area.

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Pigeon-raising and sustainable agriculture at the fringe of the desert: a view from the Byzantine village of Sa‘adon, Negev, Israel

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

UN SDGs

Access to Document

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