[SunkenCiv]

Structure of plaster floors in area B10.

Credit: Journal of Archaeological Science (2026). DOI: 10.1016/j.jas.2026.106557

[marktwain]

Fascinating stuff. close to the dawn of agriculture. I have often said ancient people were as smart as we are, if not smarter. They just had different technologies available.

I wonder if the technology spread from there, or was lost and re-invented later.

[Dr. Sivana]

The remains of two kilns were also found at the Motza site.

So . . . THAT is how they make those yucky crackers that Jewish people eat!

[Eli Kopter]

I always suspected that. It is easy to make and the materials are plentiful. We saw a lot of plaster in some of the Qumran Caves, although we really couldn’t figure out their use. They might have been strictly for preservation, but our estimate of when they were made were about 2000 years, which would have been contemporary Roman. I found Roman artifacts in the material they used for making small dams, on their way to Metzada, but it is so plentiful that it could have predated perhaps even pottery time. We found it with Chalcolithic artifacts, so it is possible that it went back a few millenia from that. In any occupation, you have to figure out the abundance of the materials and the need for it. They were always near water sources.