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Animals in the Iron Age and Persian Period: Preliminary Report of Faunal Remains from Tell Mastuma, Norhwest Syria.

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Tomé C. & Nishiyama Shin’ichi (2005)
Bulletin of the Ancient Orient Museum
volume XXV, Tokyo, 87-117.

Abstract :

This article presents the results of preliminary archaeozoological analysis carried out on the faunal remains excavated from Tell Mastuma in northwest Syria. The majority of the remains are dated to the Iron Age and the Persian Period (ca. 10-4th centuries BC) and were excavated between 1993 and 1995. In addition, the faunal remains from Square 15Gc, which contained Early Bronze Age fauna, were also analysed. Comparing the results with the Iron Age fauna excavated from the nearby urban site of Tell Afis, both similarities and differences were identified. The analysis of shells indicated that the majority of specimens derived from the Mediterranean coast, suggesting Mastuma lay on an importante trade route connecting the coast and the inland Syria. In conclusion, archaeozoological analysis suggested that the settlement of Mastuma may have had a distinguished economic role during the Iron Age and Persian Period, rather than being a simple satellite village of a large urban center.

KEY WORDS: SYRIA, BRONZE AGE, IRON AGE, MAMMALS, SHELLS, ARCHAEOZOOLOGY.