Cave workshop dating back 2,000 years discovered in northern Israel
Archaeologists uncover thousands of chalkstone fragments in the Arab town of Reina in the Galilee
Archaeologists in northern Israel have discovered a new cave used as a workshop 2,000 years ago to make stone vessels like mugs and bowls.
The find, in the Arab town of Reina in Galilee, uncovered thousands of chalkstone fragments from what was a stone quarry and production centre, and follows the discovery of another similar workshop nearby.
The cave was stumbled upon by accident by construction workers building a new sports centre, and experts say that ancient chisel marks on the walls, ceiling and floor indicate that it was a hewn cave, from which the products would have been sold throughout the region.
Director of Israel Antiquities Authorities (IAA) Yonatan Adler said the choice of stone over pottery was probably related to ancient Jewish ritual law.
“The reason for this curious choice of material seems to have been religious,” he said. “According to ancient Jewish ritual law, vessels made of pottery are easily made impure and must be broken.
“Stone, on the other hand, was thought to be a material that can never become ritually impure, and as a result ancient Jews began to produce some of their everyday tableware from stone.”
The excavation could help scholars determine how long these laws continued to be observed among the Jews of Galilee during the Roman period.
“The fact that Jews at this time used stone vessels for religious reasons is well attested in the Talmudic sources and in the New Testament as well,” said IAA archaeologist Yardenna Alexandre.
“It is possible that large stone containers of the type mentioned in the wedding at Cana of Galilee story may have been produced locally in Galilee.”
-
- Employees of the Israel Antiquities Authorities (IAA) work during archaeological excavations in a newly discovered small cave at the Arab town of Reina in Galilee. The excavations at the ancient site uncovered a 2,000-year-old workshop for the production of stone vessels, including remains of chalkstone mugs and bowls. Photo by: Gil Eliyahu – JINIPIX
-
- Employees of the Israel Antiquities Authorities (IAA) work during archaeological excavations in a newly discovered small cave at the Arab town of Reina in Galilee. The excavations at the ancient site uncovered a 2,000-year-old workshop for the production of stone vessels, including remains of chalkstone mugs and bowls. Photo by: Gil Eliyahu – JINIPIX
-
- Employees of the Israel Antiquities Authorities (IAA) work during archaeological excavations in a newly discovered small cave at the Arab town of Reina in Galilee. The excavations at the ancient site uncovered a 2,000-year-old workshop for the production of stone vessels, including remains of chalkstone mugs and bowls. Photo by: Gil Eliyahu – JINIPIX
-
- Employees of the Israel Antiquities Authorities (IAA) work during archaeological excavations in a newly discovered small cave at the Arab town of Reina in Galilee. The excavations at the ancient site uncovered a 2,000-year-old workshop for the production of stone vessels, including remains of chalkstone mugs and bowls. Photo by: Gil Eliyahu – JINIPIX
-
- Employees of the Israel Antiquities Authorities (IAA) work during archaeological excavations in a newly discovered small cave at the Arab town of Reina in Galilee.
-
- Employees of the Israel Antiquities Authorities (IAA) work during archaeological excavations in a newly discovered small cave at the Arab town of Reina in Galilee. The excavations at the ancient site uncovered a 2,000-year-old workshop for the production of stone vessels, including remains of chalkstone mugs and bowls. Photo by: Gil Eliyahu – JINIPIX
-
- Employees of the Israel Antiquities Authorities (IAA) work during archaeological excavations in a newly discovered small cave at the Arab town of Reina in Galilee. The excavations at the ancient site uncovered a 2,000-year-old workshop for the production of stone vessels, including remains of chalkstone mugs and bowls. Photo by: Gil Eliyahu – JINIPIX
-
- Employees of the Israel Antiquities Authorities (IAA) work during archaeological excavations in a newly discovered small cave at the Arab town of Reina in Galilee. The excavations at the ancient site uncovered a 2,000-year-old workshop for the production of stone vessels, including remains of chalkstone mugs and bowls. Photo by: Gil Eliyahu – JINIPIX
-
- Employees of the Israel Antiquities Authorities (IAA) work during archaeological excavations in a newly discovered small cave at the Arab town of Reina in Galilee. Photo by: Gil Eliyahu – JINIPIX
-
- Employees of the Israel Antiquities Authorities (IAA) work during archaeological excavations in a newly discovered small cave at the Arab town of Reina in Galilee. The excavations at the ancient site uncovered a 2,000-year-old workshop for the production of stone vessels, including remains of chalkstone mugs and bowls. Photo by: Gil Eliyahu – JINIPIX
-
- Employees of the Israel Antiquities Authorities (IAA) work during archaeological excavations in a newly discovered small cave at the Arab town of Reina in Galilee. The excavations at the ancient site uncovered a 2,000-year-old workshop for the production of stone vessels, including remains of chalkstone mugs and bowls. Photo by: Gil Eliyahu – JINIPIX
-
- Employees of the Israel Antiquities Authorities (IAA) work during archaeological excavations in a newly discovered small cave at the Arab town of Reina in Galilee. The excavations at the ancient site uncovered a 2,000-year-old workshop for the production of stone vessels, including remains of chalkstone mugs and bowls. Photo by: Gil Eliyahu – JINIPIX
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
