Archaeologists working in Israel have uncovered the remains of a settlement from the Chalcolithic period (fifth millennium BC).
Dr. Lupo next to the remains of a Chalcolithic period building. Image credit: Assaf Peretz / Israel Antiquities Authority.
The Chalcolithic period settlement has been discovered by a team of archaeologists from the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) in Shuʻfat, a Palestinian Arab neighborhood of East Jerusalem.
“The Chalcolithic period is known in the Negev, the coastal plain, the Galilee and the Golan, but is almost completely absent in the Judean Hills and Jerusalem,” said IAA archaeologist Dr. Omri Barzilai.
“Although in recent years we have discovered a few traces of Chalcolithic settlements, such as those at Abu Gosh, Motza Junction, and the Holyland compound in Jerusalem, they have been extremely sparse.”
“Now, for the first time, we have discovered significant remains from 7,000 years ago.”
Dr. Barzilai and his colleagues unearthed two dwellings with well-preserved floors containing various installations.
They also found a variety of pottery vessels, flint tools, and a basalt bowl.
“On completion of the excavations at Shuʻfat, it is quite evident that there was a thriving settlement in the Jerusalem area in ancient times,” said IAA archaeologist Dr. Ronit Lupo.
“Thousands of years later, the buildings uncovered are of a standard that would not fall short of Jerusalem’s architecture.”
“This discovery represents a highly significant addition to our research of the city and the vicinity.”
A 7,000-year-old bead made of carnelian. Image credit: Ronit Lupo / Israel Antiquities Authority.
Apart from the pottery, the fascinating flint finds attest to the livelihood of the local population in prehistoric times.
“Small sickle blades for harvesting cereal crops, chisels and polished axes for building, borers and awls, and even a bead made of carnelian (a gemstone), indicating that jewelry was either made or imported,” the archeologists said.
“The grinding tools, mortars and pestles, like the basalt bowl, attest to technological skills as well as to the kinds of crafts practiced in the local community.”
“We also recovered a few bones of sheep/goat and possibly cattle; these will be analyzed further in the IAA laboratories, permitting us to recreate the dietary habits of the people who lived here 7,000 years ago and enhancing our understanding of the settlement’s economy.”
