Ashkelon's Enigmatic Dog Burials: Unraveling Ancient Mysteries

Ashkelon's Enigmatic Dog Burials: Unraveling Ancient Mysteries 
In the vicinity of the ancient city of Ashkelon, along the Mediterranean coast approximately 50 kilometers south of Tel Aviv, lies a significant archaeological discovery made by the 1985 Leon Levy Expedition. During their excavations beneath a hill, archaeologists uncovered a remarkable find: over a thousand canine skeletons and skeletal remains dating back to the fifth to third centuries BC. This discovery is unparalleled in the ancient Near East, as no other site has yielded such a large number of dog burials with no apparent explanation.

A dog buried in Ashkelon. Photo credit: Leon Levy Expedition to Ashkelon

The dogs were laid to rest in shallow, seemingly unmarked pits, often positioned on their sides with their tails nestled between their hind limbs. Many of these burials occurred beneath streets and narrow alleys, necessitating smaller pits that confined the animals closely. Some dogs were interred in a trussed posture, with tightly drawn-together legs. Notably, there were no burial offerings accompanying the dogs, and their placement showed no specific orientation. The skeletal remains displayed no evidence of butchering, and signs of violence were minimal. Analysis of the burial's stratigraphy, along with considerations of the age and sex of the dogs, suggests that they did not perish in a single catastrophic event but were interred gradually over an extended period.

Leading the excavation, American archaeologist Lawrence Stager proposed that the dogs belonged to a Phoenician healing cult. According to his theory, these dogs were trained to lick the wounds or sores of humans in exchange for payment and were revered as sacred beings. Stager speculated that a seaside temple dedicated to this cult may have existed near the burial site, although no direct evidence of such a temple has been found. Additionally, there are indications of a possible cultic association between dogs and the Middle Eastern goddess Astarte, corroborated by references in ancient texts.

A preserved grave from the Ashkelon dog cemetery. Photo credit: Haaretz

Throughout ancient Near Eastern cultures, dogs, particularly puppies, held various religious and ritualistic associations. In Ancient Egypt, dogs were linked to deities such as Anubis and were revered in temple precincts. In Achaemenid Iran, Zoroastrians considered dogs highly significant, ranking them second only to humans. The Greeks associated dogs with healing rites in temples dedicated to Asklepios and with funerary rituals for the goddess Hecate.

However, some scholars, including Wapnish and Hesse, challenge the notion of a religious motive behind the dog burials at Ashkelon. They argue that the interred dogs were likely semi-feral urban animals and that the burials were a result of local custom rather than religious beliefs. According to their perspective, the act of burial itself may have held significance to the people of Ashkelon, with no inherent religious or cultic connotations attached to the corpses or graves.