According to a recent study in the journal PLOS One, isotope studies of four complete ritually buried donkey skeletons from the Early Bronze Age III (ca. 2900–2600/2550 BC) reveal that the animals originated in Egypt. All of the donkeys were unearthed in shallow pit graves below the floors of buildings. One donkey had its head severed and placed on its abdomen, while the others were intact; all four were discovered facing east. The authors of the study tested the teeth of the donkeys for strontium, carbon, and oxygen, three isotopes that can indicate the soil, vegetation, and water the animals absorbed through their diet. The results indicated that all four donkeys ate dry plants from the Nile Valley and not the local vegetation near Tell es-Safi/Gath. Moreover, all of the donkeys were female and were only about five years old when they died. Essentially, they were in prime breeding years and were thus valuable. This study provides evidence of trade contact between Egypt and Canaan during the Early Bronze Age III. It also sheds light on ritual burial practices of those living at Tell es-Safi during that period.
Sources:
- https://www.timesofisrael.com/donkey-bone-study-unlocks-how-canaanites-hauled-ass-from-egypt-4700-years-ago/
- https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0326421
