ABSTRACT

The Early Bronze Age (3500–2000 bce) of the southern Levant experienced the development of bronze metal technology, but the rate and nature of its dissemination beyond the elite are unclear. In the southern Levant and elsewhere, based upon the microscopic analysis of butchering marks, it has been proposed that bronze slicing tools only begin to be used in quantities in the Middle Bronze. However, previous analyses have always lacked data sets from the Early Bronze IV/Middle Bronze I period (c. 2500–2000 bce). In this paper, we present the butchered animal bone data from the site of Tall Zirā´a (in the NW corner of Jordan) where there is a fuller chronological sequence for the Early and Middle Bronze Ages. These data provide a unique opportunity to investigate long-term changes in butchering practices in the southern Levant. The analysis demonstrates that the new (bronze) technology does not seem to be integrated into quotidian activities, such as the processing of animal carcasses, until well into the Middle Bronze Age (MB IIB). Until then, and in subsequent phases of the MB, the majority of butchering marks are made by stone implements.

摘要

黎凡特南部的早期青铜时代（公元前 3500 年至公元前2000 年）经历了青铜金属技术的发展，但其在精英之外的传播速度和性质尚不清楚。在黎凡特南部和其他地方，根据对屠宰痕迹的微观分析，有人提出，青铜切片工具仅在中青铜时代才开始大量使用。然而，之前的分析一直缺乏早期青铜器 IV/中期青铜器 I 时期（约公元前 2500-2000 年）的数据集). 在本文中，我们展示了来自 Tall Zirā´a（约旦西北角）遗址的屠宰动物骨骼数据，那里有更完整的青铜时代早期和中期的年代顺序。这些数据为调查黎凡特南部屠宰实践的长期变化提供了独特的机会。分析表明，直到中青铜时代 (MB IIB)，新的（青铜）技术似乎并未融入日常活动，例如动物尸体的加工。在那之前，以及在 MB 的后续阶段，大部分屠宰痕迹都是由石器制成的。