I suppose this means that grace before meals should really come from the Kuntillet Ajrud ostraca. And possibly that the Paleo-Diet guy is really wrong about how much meat our ancestors ate. Or that the "paleo" in Paleo-Diet actually refers to paleography. Feel free to carry on riffing in the comments.
(If your disciplinary background is such that you are completely lost or if you don't hang out with lots of Ancient Near East types to compensate, start here.)
They *do* look hungry at Kuntillat Ajrud: (you can figure out how to paste in the image sent to you under separate cover)
ReplyDeleteReaders keen on expanding their knowledge of food in the ANE might enjoy exploring:
http://books.google.de/books/about/Textes_culinaires_M%C3%A9sopotamiens.html?id=sggKDtJMsLgC&redir_esc=y
(also available in a paperback version, suitable for perching alongside one's tinuru (the Akkadian word to which tandoor is cognate): http://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/O/bo3619231.html
http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/198802/mesopotamian.menus.htm
http://www.library.yale.edu/neareast/exhibitions/cuisine.html
I did mention that I hang out with waaaaay too many ANE types, didn't I? ;)
ReplyDeleteLearn something new, though: I don't know why but I always thought that tanur (& friends) was borrowed in from Indo-European, but it makes sense that it would have gone in the other direction with the spread of Islam...
Anyway, it still seems to me like there should be a good joke in this about the Asherah poles actually being spit-stakes at barbecues, but it's just not forming itself...