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IsraelArchaeologists are causing a stir with a “very rare” find
The Israel Antiquities Authority has received countless calls from scientists around the world after discovering a 3,000-year-old burial chamber.
An archaeologist explores the burial chamber from the time of Ramses II.
Emil Aladjem/Israel Antiquities Authority
Researchers describe the find as “extremely rare and unique”.
Emil Aladjem/Israel Antiquities Authority
A burial chamber has been excavated on the beach at Palmachim (Israel).
It contains very rare clay vessels from the time of Ramses II.
Some of the objects had been underground for over 3000 years.
Scientists from all over the world then wanted to take part in the excavations.
As the Israel Antiquities Authority announced on Sunday, the spectacular discovery made on Tuesday during dredging work on the beach of Palmachim, when the shovel suddenly broke through the roof of the burial chamber. An archaeologist descended a ladder into the chamber and found dozens of untouched burial objects there. These include pottery, cooking pots, storage containers, arrowheads and spearheads.
sensation in the scientific world
Archaeologist Eli Yannai from the Antiquities Authority spoke of one “extremely rare” find, as researchers only did «once in a lifetime». The burial chamber, which was sealed until its discovery, could possibly provide “a complete picture of Bronze Age burial rites” in the region. His colleague David Gelman was reminded of a scene “like something out of an Indiana Jones film”: “You go underground and everything lies untouched there – intact clay vessels, weapons, bronze vessels, burial places.”
The Israeli archaeologist Eli Jannai spoke of a “discovery that you only make once in a lifetime”. He felt “like he was on the set of an Indiana Jones film”. The burial chamber had been untouched for more than three millennia. Therefore, important information about the finds there can be obtained with modern scientific methods. “The burial chamber can provide a complete picture of burial customs in the late Bronze Age.” At that time Canaan was part of the Egyptian Empire.
Eli Eskosido, the director general of the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA), told the The Jerusalem Post reported that the news of the discovery had spread like wildfire throughout the scientific world. The Antiquities Authority in Israel then received many inquiries from researcherswho expressed their interest in taking part in the archaeological dig. “Unfortunately, before the burial chamber was sealed and despite being guarded, a number of archaeological items were stolen from the cave and the matter is being investigated,” Eskosido told the Jerusalem Post.
Died 1213 BC Ramses II. ruled not only in Egypt but also in Canaan, which extended approximately in the area of today’s Israel and the Palestinian territories.
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(AFP/DPA/jar)