 Replica Stone Mask, Nahal Hemar Cave, Pre-Pottery Neolithic B period | |
  Location in Israel | |
| Coordinates | 31°08′21″N 35°17′38″E / 31.1392°N 35.2939°E |
|---|---|
| Type | cave |
| History | |
| Cultures | Pre-Pottery Neolithic |
| Site notes | |
| Excavation dates | 1983 |
| Archaeologists | Ofer Bar-Yosef, David Alon |
Nahal Hemar Cave is an archeological cave site in Israel, on a cliff in the Judean Desert near the Dead Sea and just northwest of Mount Sodom.[1][2][3][4]
The excavations here are considered to be one of the most conspicuous Pre-Pottery Neolithic assemblages ever found in the Levant.[5] The find consisted of wooden artifacts, fragments of baskets and plaster assemblages. The objects found in the cave included rope baskets, fabrics, nets, wooden arrowheads, bone and flint utensils including a sickle and weaving spatulae, and decorated human skulls.[5] There were also ceremonial masks similar to other neolithic masks found inside a 30-mile radius of the Judean Desert and Judean Hills[6] and unusual so-called "Nahal Hemar knives."[7]
Many of the fabric pieces found were dated from the Pre-Pottery Neolithic period, placing them in the 7th millenium BC. The flax fiber items were processed and spun into yarn, and archaeologists divided these items into four groups: yarns, nalbinding (looping), knotted netting, and twining. The fabrics contained nalbinding assemblages, which are an early form of looping or single-thread-looping crochet rather than the modern crochet.[8] With these dates, Nahal Hemar Cave is noted as the earliest known place of crochet.
The trove was found covered in what was thought to be asphalt from nearby construction projects. Closer analyses revealed it was in fact an ancient glue that dated to around 8310–8110 years ago. It was collagen-based, possibly deriving from animal skins and may have served to waterproof the objects or as an adhesive. Similar glue was previously identified in Egypt, but that found in Nahal Hemar was twice as old.[4]
- ^ "Science: Cave Cache - Treasures in a hyena's lair". Time. 8 April 1985. Archived from the original on 16 May 2008. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
- ^ map location of this place : retrieved 20:51 14 October 2011
- ^ webpage copyrighted to © ex oriente e.V. retrieved 20:45 14.10.11
- ^ a b Walker, Amélie A. (21 May 1998). "Oldest Glue Discovered". Archaeology. Archaeological Institute of America. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
- ^ a b Goren Y, Segal I, Bar-Yosef O (1993). "Plaster Artifacts and the Interpretation of the Nahal Hemar Cave". Journal of the Israeli Prehistoric Society. 25: 120–131.
- ^ Ben Zion, Ilan (5 March 2014). "Israel reveals eerie collection of Neolithic 'spirit' masks". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
- ^ Bar-Yosef O, Alon D (1988). "Nahal Hemar Cave. the excavations". 'Atiqot. 18: 1–30.
- ^ Pollock, Susan; Schier, Wolfram (2020). The Competition of Fibres: Early Textile Production in Western Asia, South-east and Central Europe (10,000-500BCE) (ebook). Oxbow Books. p. 28. ISBN 9781789254327. Retrieved 14 March 2024.