"There is a vast amount of nonwritten archaeological evidence that provides insight into the diet of the ancient Israelites. A number of the structures that have survived from ancient Israel were used for the production, storage, and preparation of food. Wine and olive presses, storage rooms, and ovens have been found at Iron Age sites throughout Israel. These remains of agricultural installations and storage facilities provide evidence of land use and can give some idea of the level of food production. Food is not only prepared and consumed: that which cannot be digested has to be disposed of. At every archaeological dig large numbers of animal bones are excavated. These provide evidence not only of meat consumption, but also of the nature of the rural economy. The ratio of sheep bones to cattle bones can indicate whether a community was primarily pastoral or agricultural, since cattle were primarily kept for traction rather than milk production. Unfortunately, the sheer quantity of animal bones seems to have prevented anything more than ad hoc attempts at synthesis of the accumulated data."
Nathan MacDonald. What Did the Ancient Israelites Eat?: Diet in Biblical Times (Kindle Locations 174-179). Kindle Edition.
"MacDonald notes that a few passages seem to suggest that the head of the family had the right to determine how food was distributed among family members (e.g., 1 Sam. 1:5Open in Logos Bible Software (if available); also see, Gen. 43:34Open in Logos Bible Software (if available)). Therefore, he concludes, “It seems likely that prestigious foods, such as meat, would have been distributed with preference given to the family head and his male children” (78). MacDonald also notes that the male, priestly elite would have had more access to meat than the average Israelite. Thus gender and social status played a role in who ate what and how much."
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