During a recent excavation in Jerusalem, archaeologists searching through the rubble of a building constructed during the First Temple period found something unusual. Inside one room, they discovered the 2,700-year-old skeletal remains of a small pig. The animal appeared to have been crushed to death by falling debris, during some type of mysterious event that caused serious damage to the building as a whole.

Inside the same room, the archaeologists also found the skeletal remains of many other animals. These bones were eventually identified as belonging to a wide variety of species, including cattle, goats, sheep, fish, birds, and gazelles. Tellingly, most of these bones showed signs of having been cut and burned. The archaeologists also unearthed several large storage vessels and small cooking pots.

Pig Skeleton Suggests Pork Was On the Menu in Jerusalem

Taken all together, these disoveries reveal that animals were being killed and butchered on site, so their meat could be cooked and eaten by ancient residents of Jerusalem in the First Temple Kingdom of Judah. The small pig would have been added to the menu eventually but was apparently alive when the building was destroyed by some unknown force (there is no record of an earthquake in Jerusalem at that time).

What makes this find notable is that it is forbidden to consume pigs (and thus any kind of pork) in the Jewish religion, under the laws of Kashrut. These Bible-based prohibitions are taken from writings found in two Old Testament books, Leviticus and Deuteronomy. These laws say that Jewish people should only consume animals that have cloven hooves and chew their cud—which rules pigs out.

In this case, it is clear that this prohibition was being ignored by someone. Perhaps this was unusual behavior, or perhaps it was more common than might be expected.

“It appears that this articulated pig may be evidence that although pork was largely not consumed in Judah and Jerusalem, this was not necessarily based on a very strict taboo. The extent of culinary consumption based on laws of Kashrut in the Iron Age is still debatable.”

So wrote co-authors Lidar Sapir-Hen, Joe Uziel and Ortal Chalaf, the Israeli archaeologists responsible for this discovery, in an article prepared for the journal  Near East Archaeology.Pigs and thus pig skeleton remains account for about two percent of the animal remains that have been found in First Temple-period excavations in the city of Jerusalem. This number is low, but obviously higher than expected if dietary prohibitions were strictly observed.

Religious Rules vs. the Privileges of Wealth

Intriguingly, the archaeologists found evidence showing that the building where the pig remains were found belonged to a wealthy family, and that it was their place of residence.

The building included four rooms in total and was constructed from rough field stones. Excavations there uncovered valuable personal artifacts, including several pieces of fine jewelry and an intricately carved human figurine. The home was built near the Gihon spring, Jerusalem’s main source of fresh water at that time (making that location prime real estate).

While the structure was likely constructed as a private residence, it may have had another function. In one room, the archaeologists discovered a type of ancient stamping device known as a bulla. These objects were flat stones that contained the markings of city or regional administrators, whose duties would include putting their official seal of approval on vital documents or other items of value. The presence of the bulla suggests the home belonged to an important public official, whose seal would have been recognized as legally binding.

Since the room where animals were killed and butchered was privately owned, it is possible that its owners were killing and eating pigs in secret. It’s also possible their activities were known, but they were able to get away with it because they were wealthy and influential.

If the latter suggestion is true, it would follow a familiar historical pattern. Like so many other societies, both present and past, ancient Jerusalem may have had two sets of rules, one for the rich and another for everyone else.