Plaster-making technique previously attributed to the Romans appears 8,000 years earlier in Motza

Phys dot org ^ | May 4, 2026 | Krystal Kasal; edited by Gaby Clark, reviewed by Robert Egan

[SunkenCiv]

Excavations from 2015 to 2021 on the ancient site of Motza, just west of Jerusalem, revealed a sprawling settlement with some surprisingly advanced technology. The site dates back to 7100–6700 BCE during the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (PPNB) period...

There is evidence of the use of calcitic lime plaster, or calcium carbonate-based plaster, in construction as far back as 10,000 to 12,000 years ago. It later became a dominant, durable building material used by civilizations like the Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans. The earliest evidence of its use appeared in the Fertile Crescent, or modern day Jordan and Turkey. The material is produced by burning limestone and slaking it with water.

Dolomitic lime plaster, or dolomite-based plaster, on the other hand, is a more technically challenging material to create. The process involves heating dolomite stone to under 900 degrees Celsius and maintaining very specific conditions. However, the result is a more durable and water-resistant material. Before this study, the first evidence of a technique for creating dolomite-based plasters popped up in ancient Rome. Later, other civilizations used it in specialized applications throughout history...

The remains of two kilns were also found at the Motza site. These consisted of shallow fire pits, 1.5 to 2.6 meters in diameter and around 50 centimeters deep. The study team found that one of these pits was used as a dolomite lime kiln and the other was a calcite lime kiln.

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TOPICS: History; Science; Travel
KEYWORDS: epipaleolithic; godsgravesglyphs; kiln; kilns; motza; neolithic; preceramic

[SunkenCiv]

Structure of plaster floors in area B10.

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

[SunkenCiv]

[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.

[Red Badger]

Thus they invented Motza Balls!......

[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!

[SunkenCiv]

Yup, and they figured out some things that have been used from then to now, so, not bad. 😊

[SunkenCiv]

That’s a lots a motza

[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.

[SunkenCiv]

Matzoh (also spelled matzo or matzah) is a flat, unleavened bread that serves as a central staple of the Jewish holiday of Passover, commemorating the Israelites’ hasty exodus from Egypt when their bread did not have time to rise. Traditionally, it is made from only two ingredients: flour (typically wheat, but also barley, spelt, rye, or oat) and water, baked quickly to prevent fermentation.

https://search.brave.com/search?q=matzoh&summary=1

Ingredients: Both traditional matzoh and standard communion wafers are made of only flour and water, with no yeast or leavening agents, reflecting the biblical prohibition against leaven during Passover and symbolizing Christ’s sinlessness.

https://search.brave.com/search?q=connection+between+matzoh+and+communion+wafers&summary=1

[SunkenCiv]

The use of two different kilns for different kinds of rendering struck me. Lime kilns were used by the Romans and in the aftermath (middle ages) of the Empire to destroy lots of Roman statuary via the lime kiln. Destroying statues isn’t new, and neither is the destruction of culture by invaders.

[Getready]

Agree. They hadn’t discovered as many things to manipulate for their survival as we have.

[gleeaikin]

Were Jews running away from slavery AND a pfisteria epedimic that was killing Egyptians. If they cooked their leavened bread longer than the Egyptians did, perhaps they were not dying from that poisoned water and the Egyptians noticed this and were angry. Quick baked crackers would be even safer than well heated leavened bread. I have bought “ancient” grain bread in health food stores that was quite moist inside. Fortunately our water is usually safe from toxic bacteria.

Perhaps the Jewish women were servents who did not have time to mind their baking so well and their loaves cooked longer. I am reminded of a family story from my Prussian grandmother. A woman from her family married a man who loved his own mother’s sour milk soup. The young bride carefully copied the recipe from her mother-in-law, but the husband always complained it did not taste like his mother’s soup. They started having children and one day she was so busy the soup scorched a bit. She served it anyway and he exclaimed, “why this is just like mother used to make.” He came from a large family.