From Hunter-Gatherer to City-Dweller

January 31, 2014

The oldest artifacts that were exposed at the site are ascribed to the Pre-Pottery Neolithic period (10,000 years ago). According to excavation directors, “This is the first time that such an ancient structure has been discovered in the Judean Shephelah [lowland in south-central Israel]. The building, almost all of which was found, underwent a number of construction and repair phases that allude to its importance. It should be emphasized that whoever built the house did something that was totally innovative because up until this period man migrated from place to place in search of food. Here we have evidence of man’s transition to permanent dwellings and that in fact is the beginning of the domestication of animals and plants”.

A cluster of nine flint and limestone axes, discovered lying side by side, was found near this prehistoric building. “Just as today we are unable to get along without a cellular telephone and a computer, they too attributed great importance to their tools. Based on how it was arranged at the time of its discovery it seems that the cluster of axes was abandoned by its owner for some unknown reason.”

“We uncovered a multitude of unique finds during the excavation,” says Dr. Amir Golani, one of the excavation directors. “The large excavation affords us a broad picture of the progression and development of the society in the settlement throughout the ages. Thus we can clearly see that in the Early Bronze Age, 5,000 years ago, the rural society made the transition to an urban society. We can see distinctly a settlement that gradually became planned, which included alleys and buildings that were extremely impressive from the standpoint of their size and the manner of their construction. We can clearly trace the urban planning and see the guiding hand of the settlement’s leadership that chose to regulate the construction in the crowded regions in the center of the settlement and allowed less planning along its periphery. It is fascinating to see how in such an ancient period a planned settlement was established in which there is orderly construction, and trace the development of the society which became increasingly hierarchical.”

Source: Excerpts of press release, Israel Antiquities Authority

Photo Credit: Ashernet and IAA