Shaman's Grave Shows Signs of Partying

Archaeologist Leore Grosman of the University of Jerusalem has spent thirteen years poring over bone fragments, artifacts, and specks of dust at the burial site of what may be the Middle East's oldest shaman, which is located at Hilzaon Tachtit cave in northern Israel. Over the past year, Grosman believes there is evidence that the gravesite itself could have hosted an early burial feast. Researchers believe that in the years after the shaman's burial, other members of the community climbed up to the cave with large amounts of food, as well as other bodies to be buried. National Geographic says, "Next to the graves, the living dined lavishly on the meat of aurochs, the wild ancestors of cattle, during feasts conducted perhaps to memorialize the dead." Grosman says that in one sitting a large group may have devoured nearly 700 pounds of auroch meat. That's a LOT of feasting right there! This would have been around 12,000 years ago, at the end of the Paleolithic era. Archaeologists have previously found evidence of ritual feasting in later Neolithic communities. Zooarchaeologist Natalie Munro of the University of Connecticut has been working with Grosman, and she saiys that the feasting served several purposes. In addition to the spriritual, ritualized process of the slaughter and the feast, a meal of this scale would have helped to reinforce the sense of community in the area. Communal parties are a great way to make peace with the neighbors. "When people feel like they are part of the same group, they are more willing to share and to compromise to resolve conflict," Munro said. Follow Pagan/Wiccan on Twitter or Join Me On Facebook.