Archaeological excavations near Motza, Israel. Photo by Bukvoed CC by 4.0/a>
Posted on 07/22/2019 11:12:21 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
A huge 9,000-year-old Neolithic settlement -- the largest ever discovered in Israel, say archaeologists -- is currently being excavated outside Jerusalem, researchers said in mid July 2019.
This site, located near the town of Motza, is the "Big Bang" for prehistory settlement research due to its size and the preservation of its material culture, said Jacob Vardi, co-director of the excavations at Motza on behalf of the Antiquities Authority, according to The Times of Israel.
Among the many important findings is that 9,000 years ago, the people of the settlement practiced religion. "They carried out rituals and honored their deceased ancestors," Vardi, an archaeologist, told Religion News Service.
Perhaps 3,000 people lived in this settlement near where Jerusalem is today, making it quite a large city for the period that is sometimes called the New Stone Age. The site has "yielded thousands of tools and ornaments, including arrowheads, figurines and jewelry," said CNN." The findings also provide evidence of sophisticated urban planning and farming, which may force experts to rethink the region's early history, said archeologists involved in the excavation."
Although the area has long been of archeological interest, Vardi said the sheer scale of the site -- which measures between 30 and 40 hectares -- only emerged in 2015 during surveys for a proposed highway.
This site predates the first known settlement in Jerusalem by about 3,500 years. Experts had not thought that people lived in such a concentrated fashion during this time in the region.
During the 16-month excavation, archaeologists discovered large buildings, separated by well-planned alleys, used for residential and public purposes. Some of the buildings contained plaster remnants.
(Excerpt) Read more at thevintagenews.com ...
Very interesting. When there was evidently one tribe. Are these people proto-Hebrews? Religious ceremonies... Absolutely fascinating
What were the dating methods used here?
A 9000-yr-old Kaley Cuoco? I’m still all in.
Sorry, someone had to go there.
Dating was probably somewhat limited to local “mom & pop” type establishments, as Wall Mart wasn’t quite there yet, and franchises had not expanded out that far yet. :)
Actually, I’ll bet there are more than a few Orthodox Jews who would have a problem with the dating methods.
I think Abraham didn’t get to the area until about 4000 years ago (so 5000 years after this village!!) I have no idea what the condition of this area was when Abraham found it - I suppose it is described in the Bible. But a lot can happen in 5000 years - especially back then!
An interesting article at the link. It looks like they even got the highway built! (Elevated above the dig.)
9000 ya (years ago) pre-dates Abraham by 5000 years.
these were most definitely not proto-Hebrews.
They were not even Semitic speaking as the Semitic hadn’t yet separated from the main Afro-Asiatic language tree (which includes the other branches of Berber/Amazigh and Egyptian and Ethiopic languages).
This is younger than the “city” at Gobekli Tepe in what is now Turkey.
But the entire Fertile crescent is the region where ancestral wheat, barley as well as the original sheep were to be found.
The peoples are - well, who knows besides not being proto-Hebraic (too early). Since these were city dwelling people they could have been part of the Ubaid culture (pre-Sumer) or some other
Matzoh?
She should have
that looked at by
a Doctor,
.
Paging Dr. FINE!
Wow! What a Find! Very interesting article. Thanks, SC!
:o])
‘Face
A settlement in Israel. How long until the UN complains?
They have to show good cause for the millions in government grants.
Since it is close to Jerusalem, Melchizedek was priest-king of a thriving kingdom there.
Well, I imagine the place was a bit dusty and the Motza balls were stale.
Any moment.
This is still 3,000 years younger than towns found in Turkey and Syria.
Human settlements go way, way back. Most of the were erased by the last ice age.
My only regret in leaving my hospital job was that I did not go into the switchboard and page Drs Fine, Howard, and Fine.
But announcements were tightly controlled. Very few people would have laughed.
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