[ad_1]
9,000 year old stone mask discovered in the south of the Hebron Hills.
(photo credit: ANTIQUITIES AUTHORITY)
X
Dear reader,
As you can imagine, more people are reading the Jerusalem Post than ever before.
Nevertheless, traditional business models are no longer sustainable and high-quality publications,
like ours, are forced to look for new ways to continue. Unlike many other media outlets,
we have not set up a paywall. We want to keep our journalism open
and accessible and be able to continue to provide you with news
and badyzes of the front lines of Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.
As one of our faithful readers, we ask you to be our partner.
For $ 5 per month, you will have access to the following:
- A user experience almost completely devoid of ads
- Access to our Premium section
- Content of the award-winning Jerusalem Report and our monthly magazine to learn Hebrew – Ivrit
- A brand new electronic paper presenting the daily newspaper as it appears in Israel
Help us grow and continue to tell the story of Israel to the world.
Thank you,
Ronit Hasin-Hochman, CEO, Jerusalem Post Group
Yaakov Katz, editor-in-chief
IMPROVE YOUR JPOST EXPERIENCE OF $ 5 PER MONTH
Show me later
A stone mask dating from the pre-pottery Neolithic B period was discovered in the Pnei Hever area in the southern Hebron Hills.
It was recovered a few months ago by the theft prevention unit of the Antiquities Authority and a first study of the mask will be presented Thursday at the annual meeting of the Prehistory Society. Israel.
The mask is made of pinkish yellow limestone, fashioned with stone tools to resemble a human face, according to the authority of antiquities. Four holes had been drilled along the perimeter of the mask, probably to display the mask on a pole or to string a string to attach the mask to the face.
The high level of finish of the stone and the delineation of the cheekbones and a cut-toothed mouth make this mask a distinctive element, said Ronit Lupu, of the Flight Prevention Authority's unit.
"It's even more unusual that we know where it comes from," Lupu said. "The fact that we have information on exactly where it was found makes this mask more important than most of the other masks of this period that we know today."
The appearance of the mask and other findings on the archaeological site indicate that the dating of the mask dates from about 9,000 years ago.
The stone masks of this period are linked to the agricultural revolution, in which the population went from hunting and gathering to the raising of plants and animals. The revolution also marked a change in social characteristics, in which archaeologists have noted an increase in religious and ritual activity. Objects found in the ritual activities of the time include figurines, stone masks and other objects related to the human form.
JPOST VIDEOS THAT COULD INTEREST YOU:
Ancestral worship is an example of ritual activities, as evidenced by the number of skulls and plaster masks found in the domestic houses of that time, according to Lupu and Dr. Omry Barzilai, head of the archaeological research department of the Antiquity Authority.
To date, fifteen masks from this period have been discovered around the world, but only two have been discovered on an archaeological site. The others were recovered in private collections, making it difficult to search for information about their source of origin.
The Pnei Hever mask joins the other discoveries in the Judean Desert region in the southern Hebron Hills, which adds to the evidence that masks may have been produced locally.
Join Jerusalem Post Premium Plus now for just $ 5 and enhance your experience with an ad-free website and exclusive content. Click here >>
[ad_2]
Source link
