Abstract
This paper presents a cache of 31 astragali from the site of Tel Nagila, dating to the Middle Bronze Age. This is the earliest known cache of astragali from the Southern Levant outside tombs, and may be the forebearer of the later caches found in cultic contexts in the Late Bronze and Iron Ages. This paper presents the context in which the cache was found, adjacent to a tower that functioned as part of the site’s fortifications; the social mechanisms behind the use of astragali; their deposition in a cache; and how the cache may have related to the function of the context in which it was found.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 35-52 |
| Number of pages | 18 |
| Journal | Atiqot |
| Volume | 112 |
| State | Published - 2023 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2023 Israel Antiquities Authority. All rights reserved.
Funding
2 The final analysis and publication of the finds is in preparation (Uziel et al., forthcoming). The analysis of the finds was funded by a grant to Joe Uziel and Aren Maeir,from the Shelby White-Leon Levy Program for Archaeological Publications. The final publication was supported by an Israel Science Foundation grant (ISF #40/23) to Aren Maeir and Joe Uziel.
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| Israel Science Foundation | ISF #40/23 |
Keywords
- Astragali
- Middle Bronze Age
- cache
- divination
- fortifications
- game pieces