“Holy Garbage”: A Quantitative Study of the City-Dump of Early Roman Jerusalem

• DOI: 10.1179/lev.2007.39.1.1
• Publication Date: 2014-01-09T18:08:39Z
• Authors: Guy Bar-Oz; Ram Bouchnik; Ehud Weiss; Lior Weissbrod; Daniella E. Bar-Y...; Ronny Reich
• Keywords: Assemblage (archaeology); Prestige

The chance discovery of an Early Roman city dump (1st century CE) in Jerusalem has yielded for the first time ever quantitative data on garbage components that introduce us to mundane daily life Jerusalemites led and kind animals were featured their diet. Most consists pottery shards, all common tableware, while prestige objects are entirely absent. Other significant include numerous fragments cooking ovens, wall plaster, animal bones plant remains. Of vessels, pots most abundant type. refuse turns out be “household garbage” originating domestic areas city, large numbers may point presence pilgrims. Significantly, faunal assemblage, which is dominated by kosher species clear absence pigs, set during its peak historical period apart from other contemporaneous urban centers.