Archaeologists have unearthed a discovery in central Israel that sheds light on ancient Canaan and Egypt’s cultural and economic relations from about 4,500 years ago. Four complete skeletons of young female donkeys were found buried beneath the floors of simple domestic houses in Tell es-Safi/Gath, a location referred to as ancient Gath, during the excavation of a Canaanite neighborhood dating back to the Early Bronze Age III (c. 2900–2550 BCE).
PH๏τographs of the four donkey burials of Stratum E5c in Area E at Tell eṣ-Ṣâfi/Gath. Credit: ER Arnold et al., PLoS One (2025)
Published in PLOS ONE, the study used multi-isotope analysis of carbon, oxygen, and strontium in the donkeys’ teeth. This revealed that the donkeys were raised in Egypt’s Nile Valley, confirming that they were specially brought in for ritual use. The donkeys were all in their breeding years, which would make them very valuable, according to the researchers. These were highly valuable animals to sacrifice.
The value of the discovery is further enhanced by where and under what conditions the find was discovered. The donkeys were buried in what appears to be a neighborhood of middle-class families, not a palace or temple, suggesting elite rituals may have been practiced at the domestic level as well. Their legs were tied and skulls were positioned eastward, likely for symbolic reasons. These deliberate burials are believed to be foundation deposits—offerings placed beneath a building to give divine protection or blessing, a practice seen in many ancient cultures.
The origin of the donkeys is particularly noteworthy compared to a second animal find at the site: a butchered local donkey whose remains, in addition to sheep and goat remains, were analyzed and found to have been locally raised nearby. This demonstrates that local animals were used for ordinary food purposes, whereas the imported donkeys were kept for special purposes.
Plan of the E5c Stratum buildings in Area E at Tell eṣ-Ṣâfi/Gath with donkey burial locations. Credit: ER Arnold et al., PLoS One (2025)
Though not the first donkey burials found in the region—previously, precedents were discovered in nearby Tel Azekah—this study is the first to pinpoint their geographic points of origin with isotope analysis.
Archaeologists noted that they had long suspected that this part of the city was home to traders. The evidence of imported animals, donkey-shaped figurines, and Egyptian flora supports this theory.
These findings also contradict scholars’ earlier ᴀssumptions that Egypt and Canaan had limited interaction during this period. The Egyptian origin of the donkeys and their ritual burial with meticulous care reveal complex trading contacts between the two regions, even at the domestic level.
By continuing their study, the researchers hope to learn more about the symbolic, economic, and social roles animals played in ancient communities, and how seemingly mundane neighborhoods may hold extraordinary connections to distant locales.
More information: Arnold ER, Greenfield HJ, Hartman G, Greenfield TL, Albaz S, Boaretto E, et al. (2025) An isotopic perspective on equid selection in cult at Tell eṣ-Ṣâfi/Gath, Israel. PLoS One 20(7): e0326421. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0326421
