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Israeli cave: World's first factory?
Jerusalem Post ^ | Tuesday, October 4, 2011 | David Rosenberg

Posted on 10/10/2011 5:01:27 PM PDT by SunkenCiv

In a cave not far from where thousands of Israelis work in hi-tech companies in the Afek Industrial Zone, their Paleolithic ancestors were engaged in some of their own cutting-edge innovation and manufacturing.

Indeed, the people who produced the thousands of knives and other tools in Qassem Cave between 200,000 and 400,000 years ago may have been the world's first industrial workers, says Ran Barkai, who with two other Tel Aviv University archeologists, Ron Shimelmitz and Avi Gopher, has been excavating the site.

Their findings, based on the examination of more than 19,000 stone implements produced and used by the cave's inhabitants, appear in the October issue of The Journal of Human Evolution.

The people of Qassem Cave not only developed what appears to be the earliest system of mass production but engaged in other activities that Barkai and his colleagues describe as modern, such as parceling off their limestone habitation into areas dedicated to specific activities like butchering and eating. That pushes back the date for many practices by tens of thousands of years...

Man's ancestors were making simple stone tools in Africa at the time, but in Qassem Cave the inhabitants set up stone age production lines, as evidenced by the huge number of implements found by the archeologists. Until now, the earliest instances of mass production date back to no more than 40,000 years ago...

Located about 12 kilometers (8 miles) east of Tel Aviv in the Samarian foothills, Qassem Cave is typical of the area, where caverns are created as acidic water dissolves the limestone rock that predominates the area's geology. Originally an underground cavern, geological shifts created an opening that enabled the cave to be inhabited for 200,000 years before closing up again.

(Excerpt) Read more at jpost.com ...


TOPICS: History; Science; Travel
KEYWORDS: godsgravesglyphs; yut4sr2on3ki5he2dca
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Israeli cave: Worlds first factory?

1 posted on 10/10/2011 5:01:33 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
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To: StayAt HomeMother; Ernest_at_the_Beach; 1010RD; 21twelve; 24Karet; 2ndDivisionVet; 31R1O; ...

 GGG managers are SunkenCiv, StayAt HomeMother & Ernest_at_the_Beach
To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list.


2 posted on 10/10/2011 5:03:05 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (It's never a bad time to FReep this link -- https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
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To: SunkenCiv

Has anyone here ever read Jean M. Auel’s Earth’s Children series?


3 posted on 10/10/2011 5:10:18 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet (Better to ask forgiveness than permission.)
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To: SunkenCiv

I wonder if they had a union.


4 posted on 10/10/2011 5:14:01 PM PDT by Ingtar (I closed my eyes, only for a moment, and the moment's gone...)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

YABA YABA DO


5 posted on 10/10/2011 5:16:02 PM PDT by steveab (When was the last time someone tried to sell you a CO2 induced climate control system for your home?)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet; SunkenCiv
Has anyone here ever read Jean M. Auel’s Earth’s Children series?

No, but I have a Daryl Hannah poster on my wall.

Just kidding 2nd.

6 posted on 10/10/2011 5:16:58 PM PDT by bigheadfred (But alas)
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To: SunkenCiv
Maybe if Simcha can get another round of Naked Archaeologist going, maybe this could be an episode.
7 posted on 10/10/2011 5:23:32 PM PDT by wally_bert (It's sheer elegance in its simplicity! - The Middleman)
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To: SunkenCiv

“.....people who produced the thousands of knives and other tools in Qassem Cave between 200,000 and 400,000 years ago...”

Since we are all entitled to our own opinions and choices, I choose to believe the Scriptures, which indicate that Creation, a la the Book of Genesis, took place between 6K and 10K years ago. This “tool factory” was probably in operation just before or sometime after the Noahic Flood.

Come on, Dave. With all due respect; I’d expect a fine Jewish guy, which your name indicates, to believe the Scriptures handed down from your God honoring ancestors. May I suggest that you get in contact with a “cousin” of yours, Joel C. Rosenberg, who has done quite well for himself by telling the truth? www.joelrosenberg.com


8 posted on 10/10/2011 5:37:16 PM PDT by Tucker39
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Nope, what are they about?

I started James Hogan’s Giants series, “Inherit the Stars”, which was on the recommend of a FReeper, first time I’d read any fiction in years. That was already four or five years ago, maybe more. :’)


9 posted on 10/10/2011 6:15:09 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (It's never a bad time to FReep this link -- https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
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To: Tucker39

And FR has an extensive Religion forum to discuss things like that.


10 posted on 10/10/2011 7:18:21 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (It's never a bad time to FReep this link -- https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
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To: Tucker39
the Scriptures, which indicate that Creation, a la the Book of Genesis, took place between 6K and 10K years ago.

I am curious as to how that is calculated.

11 posted on 10/12/2011 6:00:00 AM PDT by 1010RD (First, Do No Harm)
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To: 1010RD

Friend,
I hope you are a sincere seeker and not a smart aleck; but regardless, here is a link to a site which will gice you a pretty good cursory insight into how the “young earth” numbers were calculated.

http://www.answersincreation.org/ussher.htm

I BELIEVE the Scriptures. And once one arrives at THAT juncture, a fairly resonable ballpark age for the earth can be calculated, using the detailed Hebrew geneologies found in the Old Testament, and other data. This is what was done by James Ussher back in the 15 or 1600s.

Since my Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ spoke of the Flood of Noah’s day and other events as literal historical happenings; who am I to call Him a liar.....or a fool? I’m trusting HIM for my Eternal Salvation!


12 posted on 10/12/2011 11:18:37 AM PDT by Tucker39
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To: Ingtar; SunkenCiv

Yep, the SEIU was around way back then. Stone Employees International Union. Occupy Bedrock Street!


13 posted on 10/12/2011 1:23:27 PM PDT by colorado tanker
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To: colorado tanker

Will-mahh!


14 posted on 10/12/2011 4:49:11 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (It's never a bad time to FReep this link -- https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
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To: wally_bert

If he was hoping the show’s name would help attract viewers, well, he can forget it. ;’)


15 posted on 10/12/2011 4:52:14 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (It's never a bad time to FReep this link -- https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
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To: SunkenCiv

Sadly HI now H2 has dumped it. Apparently there were only a couple seasons or so made. I liked it myself.


16 posted on 10/12/2011 5:41:09 PM PDT by wally_bert (It's sheer elegance in its simplicity! - The Middleman)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Yes. The first one was wonderful but they got progressively sillier after that.


17 posted on 10/12/2011 5:43:19 PM PDT by Straight Vermonter (Posting from deep behind the Maple Curtain)
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To: wally_bert

I’ve got his lost tribes show on tape, and maybe on disk (not sure about that), and like that a ton. I don’t agree with each of his claims of course. His special on the Exodus is really quite interesting, but he conclusion doesn’t work, and in part doesn’t make sense. I’ve never seen his tomb of Jesus show.


18 posted on 10/12/2011 5:49:12 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (It's never a bad time to FReep this link -- https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
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To: Tucker39

Interesting link and insights. Yom, the Hebrew word translated as days, simply means some period of time indefinite. I don’t see a conflict, although 4000 years seems especially short for human history.

I wonder if something else is at work. The Garden in Eden is a unique place on an earth that was already functioning when Adam arrived.

I also don’t accept the conventional reading of ex nihilo creation. The actual Hebrew doesn’t read that way and Eastern tradition finds the creation of order from chaos a more godly power than simple creation. Order being the key.


19 posted on 10/13/2011 3:42:42 AM PDT by 1010RD (First, Do No Harm)
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To: 1010RD

I have NO interest in getting into a debate. I would like to point out that the 4K figure is BEFORE CHRIST. Add 2K or so AD to that and you have a fair “ballpark” number.

In CLOSING, I accept what the Scriptures say. I believe it was done, as described, in 6 twenty-four hour days, out of nothing; ex nihilo. If you want to cobble together some concoction of things some unbelieving “experts” said.....knock yourself out. Thanks for the reply.


20 posted on 10/13/2011 3:59:01 PM PDT by Tucker39
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