Posted on 05/11/2026 8:04:39 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
The Nahal Mishmar Hoard is an archaeological discovery of more than 400 copper objects from the Chalcolithic period, found in the Judean Desert in 1961 by Pessah Bar-Adon, an archaeologist from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, in a cave at Nahal Mishmar, west of the Dead Sea. It was found by chance during an expedition searching for more of the famous Dead Sea Scrolls.
The findings from Nahal Mishmar represent one of the most important hoards of ancient metal objects ever discovered and provide scholars with valuable insight into Copper Age metallurgy and society in the Levant. The objects, mostly made of copper but some of ivory and stone, date from the 5th millennium BCE, between 4500 and 3500 BC.
The hoard was found in a cave that had been used as a burial chamber, wrapped in linen cloths, suggesting it had been deliberately hidden. Archaeologists such as David Ussishkin have suggested that it may have been the cultic furnishings of the Chalcolithic temple of Ein Gedi, located about 12 kilometers away, which is from the same period and shows signs of having been quickly abandoned and destroyed.
(Excerpt) Read more at labrujulaverde.com ...
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The crown of the Treasure Cave.Credit: Gary Todd / Wikimedia Commons / Flickr
Thanks for the link!
That is an extremely loud WOW!
It’s really nice but if it’s from 4500 or 3500 BC wouldn’t that make it 6500 or 5500 years old? (Rounded off). It takes 4500 or 3500 years BC to get to the year 0 and then 2026 more years.
Keep in mind I flunked math...
That looks very heavy...............
Uneasy is the head that wear the crown, especially if it’s a heavy one!
Bethany thing on the back looks exactly like a push pin.
But I bet this thing looked cool on.
Looks like they worshipped birds and a thumbtack... I can understand the birds... But what’s up with that thumbtack?
I’m thinking of Arthur C Brown suddenly
How else could they hold the birds onto it?
The thumbtack was the first thing I saw. 😄 I wonder if there was a rope or string threaded through some of the pieces. It seems to be missing something.
He’s still alive, 83 years old!................
And that makes me ridiculously happy
😁
All the little knob things look as if something was woven around in to or on to it.
It reminds me of the circular knitting gizmos used to make quick hats.
Possibly fresh branches of some sacred tree or plant?
It’s what comes to mind.
The “thumbtack-like” feature on the 6,000-year-old copper crown from the Nahal Mishmar Hoard is actually a specialized protuberance or knob designed to hold other ritual elements, according to archaeological analysis.
The crown is not believed to have been worn on the head, but rather functioned as a ceremonial object, likely a miniature representation of a ritual site or shrine. The cylindrical crown is adorned with birds (often identified as vultures) and architectural features, such as “gate-like” openings, suggesting a symbolic “portal” or “house” for the dead.
The “Thumbtack” Purpose: The knobs or protuberances are part of this symbolic architecture, potentially representing the “horns of consecration” or acting as holders for additional ceremonial items in the context of Chalcolithic funerary rites. Many researchers believe the crown (and the hoard) was part of an “excarnation” ritual, where the dead were exposed to vultures to cleanse their bones before they were placed in ossuaries.
Yes, or the old-fashioned shoes/boots that needed a hook to lace them.
Maybe it was a gold chain.
Exactly!
There it is.
😄
If it’s funereal I’m going with weaving fragrant flowers onto it.
That’s my final answer, Wink.
😄
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