Archaeology & History

Jar of toads found in ancient Canaanite tomb

By T.K. Randall
September 26, 2017

Image: Green Toad
Credit: Umberto Salvagnin / CC BY 2.0 (adapted) The unusual burial was discovered three years ago during excavations at a Bronze Age cemetery of 60 rock-cut tombs in Jerusalem's Manahat neighborhood.

The tomb itself, which was found sealed with a large stone across the opening, contained one poorly preserved skeleton along with a number of different ceramic jars and vessels.

One of these was found to contain the tiny bones of nine headless toads.

Headless toads found in ancient Levantine tomb @ https://t.co/sz1zxDMzUj

— Dr. Paul Korchin (@BCUoldtestament) September 25, 2017

The discovery suggests that the toads had held some form of ritualistic significance, perhaps acting as a symbolic source of food for the deceased to aid in their passage to the afterlife.

"It is impossible to determine what role the toads played, but they are clearly part of the funerary rituals," said excavation director Shua Kisilevitz.

The fact that the toads had been decapitated, something that is typically done to prepare the animals for eating, seems to back up the idea that they were being offered up as food.

"Food offerings are a staple of burial customs during this period, and there is a possibility that the toads were indeed placed in the jar as such," said Kisilevitz.

Source: Live Science

Tags: Israel