Fauna

Assyrian fauna research

What animals did the inhabitants of well-organized agricultural settlements such as Tell Sabi Abyad keep? We have found large quantities of animal bone material which are being analysed at present.

The conclusions that may be drawn from these finds are surprising. The proportion of sheep and goat in the settlement was small: only half the remains of all animal species belongs to sheep and goat. This is less than is normal for a typical Middle-East economy. There were far more sheep than goats and they appear to have been slaughtered at the same age. Pigs, fairly small in size, were found in remarkably large quantities. So far we have not come across any wild boar. In an agricultural centre of administration like Tell Sabi Abyad one would expect a lot of cattle, but only a small number has been found, rather small in size and killed at a relatively young age. Apparently they were not used for heavy labour such as drawing a plough: the bones did not show enough wear for this.

The equids (horses and the like) were represented fairly well, with about 25% of all animal bones. On the whole they are not very large. Most bones probably belong to mules or onagers. We have only found a few belonging to horses and asses. There was, however, a large quantity of gazelle bones. Apparently this wild animal was hunted a lot in Assyrian times. A remarkable find is that of an elephant.

We have also found remains of a number of smaller species, including birds, fish and turtles. Even a few ostrich eggs have been found. We have also recovered various kinds of shellfish. Some of these came from fresh water and were probably collected on the spot from the Balikh river, but saltwater ones have also been found. Some shells from the Indian Ocean were in all probability brought to Tell Sabi Abyad as an 'exotic' luxury.