Israel Antiquities Authority Restores Rare Ivory Vessel from Chalcolithic Period

The Israeli Antiquities Authority, or IAA, has discovered a 6,000-year-old ivory vessel made from elephant tusk in an excavation at Horbat Raqiq, which is near Beersheba. It serves as evidence of ties between Egypt and the land of Israel in the Chalcolithic period, about 4,500 to 3,500 BCE. This is the first time a Chalcolithic period ivory vessel has been found in the region. 

The vessel was found shattered in many pieces but has been restored in IAA treatment laboratories. Archeologists at Horbat Raqiq were uncovering an ancient settlement in 2020 when a man named Emil Aladjem noticed the edge of a basalt bowl. The excavation was then expanded, revealing three of these basalt containers stacked into one another. The lower plate underneath was filled with earth, containing the shattered ivory pieces, a rare and precious material. 

IAA former head of the prehistoric branch, Dr. Ianir Milevski, says “The vessel is 20 centimeters across. It is gorgeous, and exceptional in its design. The small side handles are symmetrically arranged, with two handles set into the vessel’s neck and two additional handles vertically below them at its base.” Milveski and IAA excavation director Avishai Levi-Hevroni ask the question of whether the vessel was brought to the region fully designed or if the ivory material was sculpted by a local craftsman. Further biomolecular analysis will be carried out to discover where the ivory originated from. The vessel will be displayed this Thursday at the annual Israel Prehistoric Society Conference.