(CTV project at Tel Aviv University/American Friends of Tel Aviv University)
Posted on 08/28/2014 3:44:40 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
New information from excavations in southern Israel’s Timna Valley by Erez Ben-Yosef and Lidar Sapir-Hen of Tel Aviv University suggests that the laborers who smelted copper at the site 3,000 years ago were skilled craftsmen of high social status. Since the 1930s, it has been thought that the Iron Age camp was inhabited by slaves because of the massive barrier that had been unearthed and the harsh conditions created by the furnaces and desert conditions. The well-preserved bones, seeds, fruits, and fabric that have been recently recovered tell a different story, however. “The copper smelters were given the better cuts of meat—the meatiest parts of the animals. Someone took great care to give the people working in the furnaces the best of everything. They also enjoyed fish, which must have been brought from the Mediterranean hundreds of kilometers away. This was not the diet of slaves but of highly regarded, maybe even worshipped, craftsmen,” Sapir-Hen told Phys.org. Ben-Yosef adds that the wall at the site was probably used to protect sophisticated technology and valuable copper ingots. To read about the discovery of an Iron Age temple in Israel, see ARCHAEOLOGY's "Artifact."
(Excerpt) Read more at archaeology.org ...
(CTV project at Tel Aviv University/American Friends of Tel Aviv University)
Smelting copper 3,000 years ago?
They don’t give a hint of the ore they were smelting. This seems quite more involved that native copper.
Yup, and next up, a 2000 year old Roman toilet seat! :’)
“They also enjoyed fish, which must have been brought from the Mediterranean hundreds of kilometers away. “
But Timna Valley is only 12 MILES to the Gulf of Aqaba!!!
Copper had to be processed to make bronze, but it was also (like bronze, which looked a lot like gold) used in its own right as jewelry and other adornment.
The Copper Age (3500 – 2300 BC)
http://www.iceman.it/en/copperage
Hmm, maybe it has to do with the variety.
I was curious about the level of metallurgical sophistication these smelters had. Different ores require different processes. Oxides vs. sulfides
They may have used a circuitous route to give the fish a sun dried and cured aroma.
Gulf of Aqaba has 1000+ species of fish.
Mediterranean Sea has 712.
Better selection from Aqaba.
I read an article years ago about a treasure find of gold ingots in the Southwest. They were found to be about 60% copper, some silver and gold.
Holey Crap!
bttt
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