4,000-Year-Old Wicks Reveal Ancient Recycling Practices
Archaeologists uncovered calcified lamp wicks in over 20% of 1,200 tombs at a Bronze Age cemetery near Yehud, possibly the oldest ever found, dating back 4,500 years.
- Archaeologists unearthed 4,000-year-old oil-lamp wicks during a salvage excavation near Yehud in central Israel.
- The discovery occurred amid city expansion and challenged expectations since organic wicks rarely survive the moist Mediterranean climate.
- The wicks, preserved as calcified remains inside clay lamps from the Intermediate Bronze Age, were likely linen reused at the end of its textile life.
- Excavation directors stated that about 20 percent of over 1,200 graves had lamps used for illumination and ceremonies, while the IAA published detailed findings in the journal Atiqot.
- The rare find suggests early recycling practices and sheds light on ancient burial rituals and the technological development of oil lamps in the region.
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4,000-year-old lamp wicks discovered in central Israel
“This is a unique discovery that we did not expect could ever be found in the moist Mediterranean climate; these wicks are among the few of their era known to us in the world,” said IAA researchers.The post 4,000-year-old lamp…
4,000-year-old lamp wicks shed light on ancient burial rituals
In a rare discovery, archaeologists in Yehud uncovered 4,000-year-old textile lamp wicks preserved inside Bronze Age oil lamps, offering new insights into burial ceremonies and early recycling practices in ancient Israel.
·Israel
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Total News Sources17
Leaning Left4Leaning Right3Center2Last UpdatedBias Distribution44% Left
Bias Distribution
- 44% of the sources lean Left
44% Left
L 44%
C 22%
R 33%
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