A burial cave from the time of Pharaoh Ramses II, containing dozens of intact objects, was unexpectedly discovered in the Palmachim National Park.
The cave, which was accidentally discovered by a tractor that hit a rock during development work, was breached for the first time since it was closed by people about 3,300 years ago - during the reign of King Ramses II.
The objects were found on the floor of the cave as they were placed in the ancient burial ceremony.
An exciting and unusual discovery in the Palmachim National Park from the time of Ramses the Great - the king, who some identify with the story of the Exodus from Egypt.
During work by the Nature and Parks Authority to develop the garden last Wednesday, a tractor hit a rock, unexpectedly revealing the ceiling of an ancient burial cave.
The rare tools found, photo: Emil Eljam, Israel Antiquities Authority
Dror Citron, inspector of the Antiquities Authority, was the first to recognize the space.
Archaeologists from the Antiquities Authority were called to the place, who descended the ladder into an amazing space that seemed frozen in time.
In the cave, many dozens of intact pottery and bronze vessels were placed exactly as they were placed in their place during the burial ceremony, about 3,300 years ago.
These vessels were burial offerings and were buried with the dead in the belief that they would be used by them in the next world.
The cave was carved in the shape of a square, and in the center of its ceiling was a pillar.
Rare tools inside the cave, photo: Emil Eljem, Israel Antiquities Authority
Dr. Eli Yanai, Bronze Age expert at the Antiquities Authority: "This is a once-in-a-lifetime find. It's not every day that you see an Indiana Jones set - a cave with tools on the floor that haven't been touched in 3,300 years. We're talking about the Late Bronze Age." These are precisely the days of the famous king, Ramesses II. The fact that the cave was sealed, and was not looted in later periods, allows us, with the scientific means available today, to extract a great deal of information from the objects and materials that survived on them, and which are not visible to the eye, including organic materials. The cave can provide We have a complete picture of the burial customs in the Late Bronze Age. In the cave, mainly dozens of pottery vessels of various sizes and shapes were left. Among them, there are deep and shallow bowls, some of which are painted red, set (bowls with a high leg) cooking pots, jugs and clay candles that contained oil for lighting ".
The cave from the inside, photo: Emil Eljam, Antiquities Authority
According to Dr. Yanai, some of the jugs were produced on the coasts of Lebanon and Syria. Next to the jugs, small storage vessels were found - mainly pitchers and pitchers, which were intended to store and trade precious materials in small quantities. These vessels were imported from the area of Tyre, Sidon and other port cities on the coast of Lebanon. Also, Many pottery vessels were found that were imported from Cyprus. According to Dr. Yanai, vessels of this type were imported to Israel in large quantities, and were common by-products for burial.
Next to the pottery, bronze arrowheads or spearheads were found in the cave.
According to their position, they were found in garbage from organic material that did not survive.
"The findings in the cave date to the 13th century BCE (Late Bronze Age 2b)," says Dr. Yanai. "During this period - during the 19th Egyptian dynasty, the days of Ramses II, there was an Egyptian administration in the land, which allowed safe conditions for trade These economic and social processes are well reflected in the finds of the cave, the pottery that was brought from Ugarit in the north, from Cyprus and the nearby coastal cities - primarily Jaffa, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gaza and Tel Aj
As in Indiana Jones, photo: Emil Eljem, Israel Antiquities Authority
In the short period of time before the opening was sealed, and despite security measures, one or more people entered the cave and probed at several points.
The vast majority of the tools remained in place, but a number of items appeared to have been stolen.
The circumstances of the case are being investigated.
Eli Escozido, director of the Antiquities Authority, and Raya Shurki, director of the Nature and Parks Authority, stated: "The discovery in the Palmahim National Park is unique and particularly exciting.
The rumors about the discovery of the cave spread like wildfire in the scientific world, and we receive many inquiries from researchers asking to join the expected archaeological dig.
Unfortunately, in the short period of time before the cave was sealed, and despite guarding it, a number of archaeological items were stolen from the cave, and the issue is under investigation.
In the coming days, we will formulate together the method of carrying out the required research and conservation at the unique site, which is a celebration of the archaeological world and the ancient history of the Land of Israel."
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