Consumption and Disposal Practices in the Southern Levant in Late Antiquity: Animal Bones from ’Aπολλωνία/Σώζουσα’s Hinterland as a Case Study

Consumption practices and waste management are two aspects of human behavior which are closely linked together. This relationship varies according to environmental and social circumstances and presents itself in unique ways in different communities. This paper aims at understanding the consumption and disposal practices of a Late Antiquity coastal town (AitoXXcovta/Zcb^ouoa [Apollonia/Sozousa]) in the southern Levant. Our analysis reveals a well-organized garbage disposal mechanism that may have been supervised by a governing body. We conclude that waste management and waste utilization in agriculture and various industries were prevalent in the 5^th and 6^th cent. c.E. in Palestine.