Skeletons of ten articulated goats and additional numerous caprine remains were found in an architectural complex that was destroyed by an earthquake, dating to the 8th century CE in Tel Beth Shemesh, Israel. As this assemblage represents a unique event, of a living herd “frozen in time”, we studied it in comparison to the general “consumed assemblage” of caprinae from the rest of the site. Reconstructing the herds' demographics, by examining age and sex profiles, enabled us to gain insights into the economic, cultural, and religious habits of the local human population. Based on this analysis, we suggest that the herd was managed for meat, possibly for holiday feasts.

在以色列 Tel Beth Shemesh 的一座建筑群中发现了 10 只铰接式山羊的骨骼和更多的山羊遗骸，该建筑群被地震摧毁，其历史可追溯至公元 8 世纪。由于这个组合代表了一个独特的事件，一个“及时冻结”的活畜群，我们将其与该地点其他地方的山羊科的一般“消耗组合”进行了比较。通过检查年龄和性别特征重建牛群的人口统计数据，使我们能够深入了解当地人口的经济、文化和宗教习惯。基于这一分析，我们建议管理牛群以获取肉类，可能是为了节日盛宴。