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The Origin of the Pork Taboo
Exploring ancient people’s shifting beliefs about rearing and eating pigs
Ultimately, the tale of the pig in the ancient Near East reveals how humans thrived in the first cities, the ways in which economic inequality shaped early urban societies, and the important role that diet played in defining ethnic groups and distinguishing friend from foe. The Book of Leviticus contains a warning that the pig “is impure to you; from their flesh, you shall not eat, and their carcasses you shall not touch.” Many historians assume that this prohibition reflects an ancient tradition that stretched back to the Israelites, who, by 1200 b.c., lived in the highlands of the southern Levant with flocks of sheep and goats and herds of cattle. Aeneas consults a sow, who tells him where to found Lanuvium, precursor to Rome.Nevertheless, archaeological evidence shows that people continued to eat more and more swine in the southern Levant in the first few centuries a.d., returning to levels not seen since the early Bronze Age.
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