Remains of 9,000-year-old Neolithic settlement unearthed outside Jerusalem

Remains of 9,000-year-old Neolithic settlement unearthed outside Jerusalem

Remains of a large neolithic settlement near Motza’s modern city, approximately three miles (5 kilometres) west of Jerusalem, were discovered by archaeologists from the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA).

“It is the first time such a large-scale settlement has been identified in Israel from the Neolithic period,” the archaeologists of IAA Hamoudi Khalaily and Jacob Vardi said.

“There lived at least 2000-3,000 residents — an order of magnitude that parallels a present-day city.”

The researchers discovered a number of large buildings, including living rooms, as well as public facilities and ritual sites.

“Between the buildings, alleys were exposed, bearing evidence of the settlement’s advanced level of planning,” they said.

“In the buildings, plaster was sometimes used for creating floors and for sealing various facilities.”

The scientists found numerous storage sheds for legumes, especially lentils.

“The fact that the seeds were preserved is astonishing in the light of the site’s age. This finding is evidence of an intensive practice of agriculture,” they noted.

“Moreover, one can conclude form it that the Neolithic Revolution reached its summit at that point: animal bones found at the site show that the settlement’s residents became increasingly specialized in sheep-keeping, while the use of hunting for survival gradually decreased.”

The team also unearthed thousands of arrowheads, axes, sickle blades, knives and hand-made stone bracelets.

“We also found carefully crafted alabaster beads, as well as medallions and bracelets made of mother of pearl,” the archaeologists said.

“So far, it was believed that the Judea area was empty, and that sites of this size existed only on the other bank of the Jordan river, or at the Northern Levant,” they added.

“Instead of an uninhabited area from that period, we found a complex site, where varied economic means of subsistence existed, and all this only several dozens of inches below the surface.”

“All findings were recorded using an innovative 3D technology, so that we can continue to research the site at the end of the excavation as well.”