Mask of the dawn of religion found

Officials from the IAA Flight Prevention Unit said they received information on the mask in early 2018 and were able to trace their origins back to the Pnei Hever area in the southern Hebron Hills. West Bank.

"We received a message stating that there was this article on the antique market; we started looking for it and found the people involved, "revealed Amir Ganor, head of the IAA's antiquities theft prevention unit, at The Media Line.

The Neolithic Mask (Photo: EPA)

"We interviewed the individuals in question," he added, refusing to specify the number of people involved in the robbery.

"The discovery is important because we know the archaeological context and that is of paramount importance to our research," said Ronit Lupu, of the IAA's antiquities theft prevention unit, at The Media Line. "All these masks of stone are connected to the same place: the mountains of Judea, the Judean desert and its surroundings."

There are currently 15 Neolithic stone masks known to researchers worldwide, only three of which come from clear archaeological contexts, including this one. The others had already been removed from sites discovered in the antiquities markets, which resulted in the loss of valuable information to archaeologists because they had not been discovered during proper excavations.

The Neolithic Mask (Photo: IAA Flight Prevention Unit)

Researchers from the IAA and the Geological Survey of Israel are currently trying to understand the possible uses of the mask, after which it will be exhibited in a museum that has not yet been decided.

The smooth finish of the pinkish yellow limestone mask was probably achieved by careful shaping with the help of stone tools.

"In the Neolithic sites, we identified many objects related to a ritual activity. So we think that such objects, like this mask–are actually functional, "explained to The Media Line, Dr. Omry Barzilai, head of the IAA's Archaeological Research Department, referring to the population badociated with the mask as Neolithic B pre-pottery people.

This period, dated from about 6000 to 7500 BCE, bears witness to many ritual activities, including human skulls covered with human skull found under the ground in various parts of the Jordan Valley, probably related to some kind of cult or veneration of ancestors.

Plaster skull of the Neolithic site of Beisamun, in the valley of Hula. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

"These masks were imported as a kind of support or center that would affect all members of a village and that is how the first religions were formed," Barzilai explained.

Highlighting the scarcity of this discovery, Barzilai said the discovery was linked to a turning point in the history of humankind, which saw humans abandon hunting and gathering in favor of agriculture-based economies. .

The Levant, cradle of agriculture, was at the time the scene of major processes that define the world as we know it today. This includes the transition from a nomadic way of life to permanent settlements, the domestication of animals and farm plants and the gradual abandonment of hunting and gathering for agriculture and agriculture. # 39; breeding.

A similar mask from the same period dates from Wadi Hemar in the Judean Desert. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

This important discovery originated in the West Bank, which is generally outside the jurisdiction of the IAA, as it limits its excavation activities to areas within the Green Line.

"Usually, the IAA does not operate in the West Bank, so this is a unique event because it was linked to the illicit trafficking of antiquities," Barzilai said. "As soon as we talk about the illegal trade in antiquities, the Flight Prevention Unit intervenes to prevent it. Otherwise, this mask would probably have been sold on the black market. "

The theft of antiquities is a widespread phenomenon in Israel, with many ancient artefacts found on the black market abroad.

"The theft of antiquities in Israel is a phenomenon we regularly fight in our unit," Ganor told The Media Line. "Every week we apprehend people suspected of looting, selling or other antiques related offenses. Unfortunately, it is so widespread that we detect about 200 suspects each year. "

Article written by Maya Margit

Reprinted with permission of The media line