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Posted on 06/07/2026 4:26:34 AM PDT by SunkenCiv
Archaeologists from the Israel Antiquities Authority and Cologne University have made an unexpected discovery in Israel's Negev Desert: carved figurines with apparent African origins.
The figurines were uncovered during excavations at Tel Malhata, an elliptical-shaped mound located in the eastern sector of the Arad -- Beer-sheba Valley.
The site is often identified as Moladah, the biblical town of Simeon, and one of the cities of Judah (although other identifications have been suggested). Previous excavations at the Tel have found occupational layers dating from the Middle Bronze Age to the Byzantine period.
According to a study published in 'Atiqot -- Publications of the Israel Antiquities Authority, archaeologists found a total of five figurines made from ebony wood (Ceylon ebony), native to southern India and Sri Lanka...
They were found in Christian burials from the early 6th century AD, along with glassware, stone and alabaster jewellery, and bronze bracelets...
During the Roman-Byzantine period, Tel Malhata served as a central road intersection, where traders from South Arabia, India and Africa passed.
(Excerpt) Read more at heritagedaily.com ...
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Thanks for the link! The weekly digest list of topics will be somewhere down below.
Worn as pendants?
Well, obviously all culture derives from Africa. Duh. //sarc
Looks like it.
On my one trip to The Dark Continent, I came back with a hippo and a wart hog.
It’s no surprise if you read the Bible.
In Acts, an Ethiopian official traveled to Jerusalem to learn about Jesus and was baptized by Philip The Evangelist.
One of many.
EC
Does this mean Ethiopians imported Indian wood, made art objects and sold them to Israel?
The 1,500-year-old African figurines discovered at Tel Malhata in Israel’s Negev Desert likely indicate the presence of an African community in the region during the Byzantine period.
They suggest a multi-cultural, religious, and commercial link to regions like Ethiopia, the Horn of Africa, or southern Arabia, used as ancestral mementos or personal, symbolic items worn by Christian converts.
According to Israel Antiquities Authority research published in 2025 the figurines, featuring distinctly African facial features and made from rare ebony/black wood, were likely worn as personal pendants by members of an African community who migrated to the area.
Researchers believe the carvings did not represent deities, but rather functioned as ancestral representations that allowed early Christian families to maintain links to their heritage and identity.
Tel Malhata served as a commercial crossroads. The material (ebony) likely originated from India or Sri Lanka, indicating that the objects were part of an established international trade network linking Asia, Africa, and the Levant.
The figures were found in Christian graves along with other burial goods like glass vessels, showing how traditions merged with newly adopted faith, possibly supported by the expansion of Ethiopian Christianity during the reign of Emperor Justin I.
These findings, along with other similar, smaller, and less common finds from local archaeological digs mentioned on Fox News, suggest the area was much more diverse than previously understood.
The Queen of Sheba?
Lacking other evidence (none presented in the article), that's quite a jump. Could be simply an indicator of trade, or just one or a few individuals serving, perhaps, as middlemen.
Anthropologists sure do a lot of wild speculation based on wishful thinking or a need to sensationalize their finds.
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