A Cache of Astragali from Tel Nagila

Authors

Lidar Sapir-Hen, Tel Aviv University, Tel AvivFollow
Joe UzielFollow
Aren M. Maeir, Bar-Ilan University, IsraelFollow
David Ilan, Nelson Glueck School of Biblical Archaeology, Hebrew Union CollegeFollow
Matthew Susnow, Institute of Archaeology, The Hebrew University of JerusalemFollow

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.

Recommended Citation

Sapir-Hen, Lidar; Uziel, Joe; Maeir, Aren M.; Ilan, David; and Susnow, Matthew (2023) "A Cache of Astragali from Tel Nagila," 'Atiqot: Vol. 112, Article 3.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.70967/2948-040X.1043
Available at: https://publications.iaa.org.il/atiqot/vol112/iss1/3