Research by the Israel Antiquities Authority, in cooperation with academic institutions unearthed a jar containing decapitated toads, in addition to evidence of cultivation of date palms and myrtle bushes from the Middle Bronze Age.
Fascinating findings from an Israel Antiquities Authority excavation in 2014 near the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo has shed light on burial customs in the Canaanite period (the Middle Bronze Age). The archaeological excavations yielded the remains of at least nine toads and further research has revealed evidence of the cultivation of date palms and myrtle in the area.
According to the excavation directors on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority, Shua Kisilevitz and Zohar Turgeman-Yaffe: “This section of the Nahal Repha’im basin was fertile ground for settlement, especially during the Canaanite period. In recent years excavations in the area have uncovered two settlement sites, two temples and a number of cemeteries which provide new insight into the life of the local population at that time.”
According to Kisilevitz and Turgeman-Yaffe: “For an archaeologist, finding tombs that were intentionally sealed in antiquity is a priceless treasure, because they are a time capsule that allows us to encounter objects almost just as they were originally left. At that time, it was customary to bury the dead with offerings that constituted a kind of “burial kit,” which, it was believed, would serve the deceased in the afterworld.
When we removed the stone that blocked the tomb opening, we were excited to discover intact bowls and jars. In one of the jars, to our surprise, we found a heap of small bones.
The study of the bones, by Dr. Lior Weisbrod of the University of Haifa, revealed at least nine toads. Interestingly, they had been decapitated.” Another intriguing finding came to light through analysis of sediments collected from the clay jars and examined under a microscope.
The examination, by Dr. Dafna Langgut of Tel Aviv University, revealed that shortly before the vessels were placed in the tomb, they came into contact with various plants including date palms and myrtle bushes. This fact is interesting because this is not the natural habitat for those species, and they therefore seem to have been planted here intentionally. According to Dr. Langgut, in this period the date palm symbolized fertility and rejuvenation.
According to the scholars, these plants may have been part of an orchard planted in an area where funeral rituals were held, during which offerings of food and objects were made to the deceased. Scholars surmise that the jar with the headless toads was among these offerings.
Research on the discovery will be presented for the first time on Thursday, October 18, at the conference “New Studies in the Archaeology of Jerusalem and its Region,” open to the public, at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
IAA
Header Image Credit : IAA
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