| Notes on items |
2014-03-30 |
rAH |
The excavator, in a fanciful and inexplicable comment, says that this figurine is possibly a dog wagging his tail. She identifies a "grid pattern" on the back of the animal (visible in V21d4740), but does not comment on its continuation in the left median plane (visible in V21d4741). It is unclear whether the paint is applied to the ventral section. Once again, the height is given as a diagnostic measurement. Ratios approximate those of Ovis TYPE I: l = 2w1(=w3); w2 >/= 4/5w1(=w3).
The hindquarters (V21d4743), both in stance and the disposition of the tail, remind one of Capra 203 A810q114.1. The stance however is too wide for this genus. Although the tail is carried high, the caudal section is more directly comparable to the caudal section of Ovis 203. I take the hole in the caudal section to be an accident of excavation; it's too low to be a hole for a tail.
As I have begun to appreciate the references to domestication in the collected finds from J5, I tend to think of this representation as an exemplar of Ovis. The gridlike pattern is interesting in this context; it might represent either the blanket made from the wool of this animal, or the deep striations of wool as exemplified by comparative example Schaf Assur Nr. 605 (page 153). I am not totally comfortable with this identification, as the animal appears rather lean. [Input: Y401JW1.j] |