Identification of Kosher Species of Animals in the Light of Archaeozoological Research

The Book of Deuteronomy (14:5) lists ten kosher ungulate species, seven of which are wild, whose flesh is permitted to be eaten. Their identification and classification has been the subject of extensive research by scholars for many generations. The authors highlight the identification of these species in relation to archaeozoological research of the biblical periods (Bronze Age to the Persian Period) of Ancient Israel and its neighboring entities. Comparing the archæozoological and textual data enables them to suggest that "ayyãl' includes all of the local cervid species (fallow deer, red deer, and roe deer), 'şĕbî' includes all gazelle species (Gazella sp.), 'yahmur' is the hartebeest (Alcelaphus buselaphus), "aqqô' is the Nubian ibex (Capra ibex [nubiana]), 'dison' is the oryx (Oryx leucoryx), ,' is the aurochs (Bos primigenius), and 'zemer' is identified either as the wild sheep or the wild goat. The rich archaeozoological data and the distribution of the wild ungulates support the hypothesis that the biblical text presents the order of kosher animals according to their abundance in the diet of the biblical period. The authors argue that the names of animals listed represent groups of animals that differ taxonomically, or derive from different ecological habitats.