There was war in Israel as early as 7,200 years ago. Large ammunition depot discovered

Warfare was being waged in the areas of today’s state of Israel as early as 7,200 years ago. In fact, research by the Israel AntiquitiesAuthority (Israel), recently published in the journal Atiqot 111, has revealed early evidence of organized warfare and weaponry in the area of the southern Levant (roughly corresponding to the territories of today’s Israel, Palestine and Jordan), particularly in the lands of present-day Israel. Indeed, the institute’s research project has shown that there was mass production of weapons as early as some 7,200 years ago.

The research, conducted by archaeologists Gil Haklay, Enno Bron, Dina Shalem, Ianir Milevski and Nimrod Getzov of the Israel Antiquities Authority, examined 424 sling stones from the ancient Chalcolithic period (c. 5800-4500 B.C.) discovered at two major archaeological sites excavated by the Israel Antiquities Authority: at ’En Esur in the northern Sharon Plain and at ’En Zippori in the Lower Galilee. The novelty of the find lies in the fact that never before has such a large munitions depot been discovered. The search revealed that the hundreds of sling stones were nearly identical: they were mostly made from hard limestone/dolomite and were quase all of uniform size, with an average length of 52 mm, a width of about 321 mm, and an average weight of 60 g.

“The stones, which were intended to be launched from a sling, are polished, with a specific biconical aerodynamic shape, allowing for precise and effective projection,” archaeologists say. “Similar sling stones have been found at other sites in the country, mainly from the Hula Valley and Galilee in the north to northern Sharon, but this is the first time they have been found in excavations in such large concentrations. These stones are in fact the first evidence of the existence of wars in the southern Levant. The similarity of the sling stones indicates large-scale industrial production. The effort put into the streamlined shape and the polished surfaces of the stones indicate that they were intended to be precise and deadly weapons.”

The large quantity of sling stones and the effort expended to produce them indicate organized preparation for battle, and could indicate an effort by the entire community to produce ammunition. In the event, it appears that in the Early Chalcolithic period there was what we would today call an escalation in preparations for war, involving a shift from individual to large-scale production, employing many people. Indeed, the large concentration of sling stones testifies to the escalation of war preparations that occurred in our region in the Early Chalcolithic, perhaps between local powers.

Antiquities Authority

, Israel Antiquities Authority

There was war in Israel as early as 7,200 years ago. Large ammunition depot discovered

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