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The history of pigs in the ancient Near East, from domestication to taboo, has fascinated historians and archaeologists for decades. Rejecting simple explanations,
Evolution of a Taboo book adopts an evolutionary approach, weaving together zooarchaeological and textual data to unravel the relationship between pigs and people from the Paleolithic to the present day.
List of contents
- Chapter 1: The Power of Pigs
- Chapter 2: Animals in a Landscape
- Chapter 3: From Paleolithic Wild Boar to Neolithic Pigs
- Chapter 4: Out of the Cradle
- Chapter 5: Urban Swine and Ritual Pigs in the Bronze Age
- Chapter 6: Theorizing the Taboo
- Chapter 7: The Coming of the Taboo - Pigs in The Iron Age
- Chapter 8: Clash of Cultures in the Classical Period
- Chapter 9: Islam and the Modern Period
- Chapter 10: The Complexity of Swine
About the author
Max D. Price is Assistant Professor in Zooarchaeology at Durham University.
Summary
Pigs are among the most peculiar animals domesticated in the Ancient Near East. Their story, from domestication to taboo, has fascinated historians, archaeologists, and religious studies scholars for decades. Rejecting simple explanations, this book adopts an evolutionary approach that relies on zooarchaeology and texts to unravel the cultural significance of swine in the Near East from the Paleolithic to the present day. Five major themes are covered: The domestication of the pig from wild boars in the Neolithic period, the unique roles that pigs developed in agricultural economies before and after the development of complex societies, the raising of swine in cities, the shifting ritual roles of pigs, and the formation and development of the pork taboo in Judaism and, later, Islam.
The origins and significance of this taboo have inspired much debate. Evolution of a Taboo contends that the well-known taboo described in Leviticus evolved over time, beginning with conflicts between Israelites and Philistines in the early part of the Iron Age, and later was mobilized by Judah's priestly elite in the writing of the Biblical texts. Centuries later, the pig taboo became a point of contention in the ethno-political struggles between Jewish and Greco-Roman cultures in the Levant; later still, between Jews, Christians, and Muslims. Through these conflicts, the pig taboo grew in power. As this rich account illustrates, it came to define the relations between pigs and people in the Near East and beyond, up to the present day.
Additional text
This book will certainly establish itself as the basic text on this important topic for many years to come.
