Unprecedented 4,200-year-old rock art etching of animal herd found in Golan tomb

The Times of Israel ^ | 8 Jul 2020 | Amanda Borschel-Dan

[SunkenCiv]

An extremely rare example of megalithic rock art was recently identified in northern Israel's Yehudiya Nature Reserve inside a 4,200-year-old stone burial chamber.

The unique discovery of a clearly composed, artistic rendering of a herd of animals is shifting the way archaeologists think about the little-understood peoples who created the thousands of massive stone burial chambers, or dolmens, that dot northern Israel's Golan and Galilee...

"These megalithic structures were built more than 4,000 years ago. They are ancient burials and they were built by a group of people of whom the only thing we know is that they built their dolmens," said Sharon in the video.

Recently discovered inside one of the ancient stone burial chambers were six different animals carved into the rock. In the panel, one can clearly see animals in different poses, even looking at each other. On a facing wall, one can see what appears to modern eyes as three windows, complete with panes.

"You can see for sure that there's a composition... It meant something for the culture that built this dolmen," said Berger...

The Kibbutz Shamir etchings were found inside a multi-chamber dolmen that is arguably the largest in the Middle East. The etchings are of 14 unique trident-like carvings on the ceiling of a chamber built of massive basalt slabs with a capstone roof that is estimated to weigh circa 50 tons. The 25-centimeter-long tridents (9 inches) form a path that moves northeast to southwest and are the only such etched tridents that have been discovered in the Middle East.

[SunkenCiv]

The Yehudiya Forest Nature Reserve in the central Golan Heights, is shaped like a hand, the "wrist" of which is in the Bethsaida Valley and each of whose "fingers" is a flowing stream. The land slopes moderately westward from 400 to 100 m above sea level. The Yehudiya Forest itself covers some 30% dunams of the reserve. Its most common tree is the large Mt. Tabor oak, which sheds its leaves in winter. These trees grow at some distance from each other, interspersed with herbaceous species, Christ-thorn and terebinth trees, creating a forest-park landscape. Among the animals in the reserve are gazelles, wild boars, jackals, conies, Indian-crested porcupines and the Cairo spiny mouse. The skies reveal raptors such as kestrels, short-toed eagles, Bonelli's eagles, Egyptian vultures, buzzards, Griffon vultures and a large variety of song birds.

North Israel - Yehudiya forest nature reserve

[SunkenCiv]

[Red Badger]

Aliens...................

[Boogieman]

Looks similar to the megalithic art from the coast of the Red Sea in Egypt, or the eastern Sahara.

[CaptainPhilFan]

Anyone else think of Rolling Stones Voodoo Lounge? Or Wild Horses?

:)

[dblshot]

Chicken feet. An ancient KFC, Kibbutz Fried Chicken.

[Grimmy]

Proto-Medical Doctor perfecting the “chicken scratch” for the purpose of writing prescriptions.

[Honest Nigerian]

Phallic symbols.
Just remember that everyone whoever lived was obsessed with SEX.
The “secret” of art, archaeology, psychology, and all societies.
Ha ha ha ha .... figure we need a Homer Simpson picture, please.

[jerod]

[Toughluck_freeper]

I don’t understand..

4,000 years ago is only 2,000 bc.

Back then Egyptians were in full force and the Sumerians were already a 2000 year old dying culture.

So a few scratched rocks just shows... That that area was not populated?

I thought the Levant or fertile crescent was the bridge between Egypt, the Indus Valley cultures and the sumerians/babylonians.. how come they can’t find more and older?

They may have their dates wrong by a few thousand years.

[Red Badger]

I have long held the opinion that these ‘cave paintings’, from all over the world, are not ‘cave art’ or any such artistic exercise.

They are ‘grocery lists’ from the Cave Woman to the Cave Man as to what to go bring home.

After all, who would have that much time on their hands to draw something as intricate as the Lascaux Cave paintings, except the Cave Women? And mix the paints ground from minerals and animal fats?

While the Cave Men were out HUNTING DURING THE DAY, there was DAYLIGHT in the caves to see by and they used their time to paint these ‘grocery lists’, so that all they had to do was point to the buffalo, for instance, and that meant for the cave Man to go get a ‘buffalo’ for dinner.

The Cave Man whose mate drew these ‘chicken feet’ was probably saying to himself, “What??? Chicken AGAIN???”.....................

[Rebelbase]

Interesting. But if the cave women had that much time on their hands how come there are not any pictures of box wine on the list?

[Red Badger]

It hadn’t been invented yet!...............

Had to invent pottery first!................

[SunkenCiv]

Maybe a "honeydew" list?

It was the kids, foolin' around and dreaming of the outdoor world. :^) Orrrrr, maybe the deep caves were really the tombs of the Stone Age, and the mourners made the wall decorations.

[dblshot]

Of course. That’s why my wife writes down the grocery list on the white board attached to the refrigerator door and sends a photo of it to my phone. That way I hardly ever forget the mastodon steak or ram’s milk.