A Zooarchaeological Inquiry into Pork Consumption in Egypt from Prehistoric to New Kingdom Times

Abstract

taken this position base their arguments on several lines of reasoning: the apparent overall paucity of artistic representations of swine in tombs and shrines, the similarly scant references to pig in the (surviving) texts, and the negative association of this animal with the evil god, Set. What they consider their strongest argument is the general rarity of artistic representations (both parietal and mobilary), inscriptions, and literary sources referring to pig.2 Thus, Vandier3 contends that pig was never represented in Old Kingdom scenes. Nor, apparently, were any pig bones found in Egyptian tombs.4 Some, like Dawson,5 have argued that, while wild pigs were sometimes depicted on Old and Middle Kingdom monuments, the domestic pig was not represented until the 18th Dynasty. For example, in the two cases cited by Dawson6 where pig is referred to, one in a 5th Dynasty tomb in Dashur and a second in a tomb at Meidum (the tomb of Nefermaet of the 4th or 5th Dynasty), both references are to wild pig. In addition, the fact that pig is not mentioned in the Harris Papyrus is considered particularly significant.7 Secondly, there appears to be little indication that there was much use of pig for mundane purposes. It is claimed that pig was relatively uncommon on Egyptian farms.8 It is also pointed out that there are few references to pig in magical texts9 or in medical texts prior to New Kingdom times.10 Thus if pig ever was commonly used or accepted in pharaonic Egypt, it came to be so only in New Kingdom times, i.e. fairly late in the history of Egypt. The third line of reasoning is based on the indicated association of pig with the god Set, th enemy and killer of Osiris.11 The argument is that any animal associated with a god w o was thought of by the ancient Egyptians in a primarily negative way must have been an animal that was hated and abhorred. In