Strategies of Animal Exploitation in Late Iron Age IIA Horvat Tevet (the Jezreel Valley) Reveal Patterns of Royal Economy in Early Monarchic Israel

Faunal remains from Horvat Tevet, a site located in the rural hinterlands of the Jezreel Valley, reveal patterns of a complex redistributive apparatus during the Late Iron IIA. This paper assesses a large assemblage of animal bones within inter- and intra-site comparative analyses. Inter-site comparisons to contemporary sites in the northern valleys of Israel demonstrate that the agricultural production of grain and animal by-products at Horvat Tevet is unprecedented and went far beyond the site's local needs. Further, an intra-site comparison reveals a hierarchical distinction in the consumption patterns between elites and the labour force. These results further reinforce the conclusion that the late Iron IIA Horvat Tevet was an administrative centre of a royal Israelite estate in the Jezreel Valley.

Automated summary

The study of faunal remains from Horvat Tevet site in the Jezreel Valley reveals a complex redistributive apparatus during the Late Iron IIA period. Comparative analyses with contemporary sites in northern valleys of Israel show that Horvat Tevet had an unprecedented agricultural production beyond local needs. Furthermore, intra-site comparison suggests hierarchical distinctions in consumption patterns between elites and the labor force, indicating that Horvat Tevet was an administrative center of a royal Israelite estate.