ABSTRACT
Excavators at the Roman temple site of Omrit in northern Israel uncovered a deposit of ash and burnt bones from over 50 very young sheep/goats. This material was laid down as part of a single event in close proximity to the Early Shrine (ES), which is the first identifiable sacred building at the site, dated to the second half of the first century BCE. It appears, however, that the deposition was made at a much later time, perhaps the last quarter of the first century CE, when the final phase of the temple was constructed over the remains of earlier structures including the ES. This chapter investigates several questions related to this remarkable deposit. Is the burnt bone deposit connected to over 100 unguentaria and other votive objects that were found in the same area, and if so, how? What would have been the economic impact on the community around the temple of sacrificing such a large number of young sheep and goats? And what kind of an event might have prompted such a massive expenditure of animal resources?
