Underneath a plot of land in Israel an ancient blade factory has been uncovered – shedding new light on the existence of a people named in the Bible. The Canaanite factory was discovered in Kiryat Gat, a city roughly 40 miles south of Tel Aviv. The workshop is the first of its kind discovered in the region, according to the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) Facebook post in late July. “The most impressive findings discovered at the site are large flint cores, from which extremely sharp, uniformly shaped blades were produced,” the IAA said. “The blades themselves were used as knives for cutting and butchering, and as harvesting tools, like sickle blades.”
The remains of the ancient workplace were unearthed at the city’s Nahal Qomem archaeological site. It is made up of hundreds underground pits once used for crafting the blades and storing the weapons. The research teams discovered long flint blades and large stones used to shape and meld the stoneware into weapons. The artifacts will be put on display at the Jay and Jeanie Schottenstein National Campus for the Archaeology of Israel in Jerusalem.
The IAA has linked the discovery to the “Canaanite blade industry.” The Canaanites were an ancient people described in the Bible as living the region before the Israelites.
Chunks of stone used to shape the blades were left in tact(Image: IAA)
Archaeologists say the tools align with the material culture of Canaan during the time of Abraham. It also shows how sophisticated technology was for the time. “Only exceptional individuals” knew how to craft Canaanite blades, according to the IAA.
The discovery strengthen historical understandings of craftsmanship in Israel, as well as urbanization during the Bronze Age, the IAA added. “This is clear evidence that already at the onset of the Bronze Age, the local society here was organized and complex, and had professional specialization,” the organization added. “The discovery of a sophisticated workshop indicates a society with a complex social and economic structure already at the beginning of the Early Bronze Age.”
In April, archaeologists announced they had found evidence that proved an ancient biblical battle took place at a site known as ‘Armageddon’.
Megiddo is also said to be the location where the Battle of Armageddon will take place between the kings of Earth and God. It will be the last battle between good and evil before the Day of Judgement.
“Megiddo is the only site in Israel and the neighbouring countries mentioned in the bible and in all great records of the Ancient Near East,” said Professor Israel Finkelstein, head of the School of Archaeology and Maritime Cultures at the University of Haifa and long-time director of the Megiddo Expedition, reported the Times of Israel.
Original Article – ‘Exceptional’ discovery of ancient blade factory confirms reality of ancient Bible people – The Mirror US
