The nearly 5,000-year-old remains of a "sacrificial ass" whose head had been severed and feet tied together have been discovered under a Bronze Age house in Israel. The donkey, as well as three others buried near it, may have been part of a ritual that involved sacrificing young, female work animals from a faraway land — ancient Egypt, researchers reported in a new study.
It's unknown why these donkeys were "killed in the prime of their lives" during Canaan's Early Bronze Age III (circa 2900 to 2550 B.C.), but the researchers think the animals' unexpected Egyptian origin hints that their owners were merchants and traders.
