6,000 years ago, hooks were made from animal bones, unlike this one found by archaeologists in the Ashkelon region of Israel.
In 2018, Israeli archaeologists found a copper hook in Ashkelon, or Ashkelon, a region located north of the Gaza Strip on Israel’s Mediterranean coast. Today, in 2023, scientists have managed to demonstrate that the artifact would have been made and used 6,000 years ago by the fishermen who inhabited the place.
Archaeologists find 6,000-year-old fish hook in Israel
Approximately the proportions of the ancient hook, the artifact is 6.5 cm long and 4 cm wide. What also impresses archaeologists is that, in this period, 6 thousand years ago, unlike the object in question, the communities that inhabited this region produced and used hooks made from animal bones.
As the researchers point out, the all-copper hook was found in an excavated old farming village and may have been used on deep-sea fishing expeditions, possibly to catch the sharks that inhabited the Israeli coast.
Yael Abadi-Reissone of the archaeologists who participated in the mission and also appears in the cover image of this article, gave an interview to Times of Israel and said: “That [o anzol] meaning it was a village big enough to support people who worked not in agriculture, but in other things like metallurgy”.
Although it is not a 100% agricultural village, the researchers believe that the inhabitants of the place where the hook was found, about four kilometers from the coast, grew fruit in their orchards, wheat, beans and barley, as well as raise livestock.
Like metallurgy, fishing was one of the complementary activities of the village, that is, it did not depend on the search for fish or even the aforementioned sharks, the target of this type of hook, but catching them would have favored a rare and special event for the residents of the region.
Source: Terra
Ben Stock is a lifestyle journalist and author at Gossipify. He writes about topics such as health, wellness, travel, food and home decor. He provides practical advice and inspiration to improve well-being, keeps readers up to date with latest lifestyle news and trends, known for his engaging writing style, in-depth analysis and unique perspectives.
