Israeli archaeologists find 15,000-year-old fishing hooks

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Israeli archaeologists have found 20 prehistoric fishing hooks made of fish bones with a history of 15,000 years, Tel-Hai College said Sunday.

The discovery, published in the journal PaleoAnthropology, also includes hundreds of fishing weights, as well as bones of up to 2.5-meter-long carp fish.

The study, supported by the Israel Science Foundation, reveals the Natufian lifestyle on the banks of the northeastern ancient Hula Lake as part of the Natufian culture that existed in the region between 15,000 BC and 11,500 BC.

According to the researchers, the ancient hooks are similar to today's hooks, except for the animal or plant-made fishing lines attached.

It was found that the Natufians made the hooks at a high technology level and weaved thin but strong lines through them.

The weights found along with the hooks were used to submerge fishing nets and traps into the water.

Some of the weights were made of small round basalt or limestone pebbles, with an engraved slot to hold the fishing line, while others were made of longer limestone pebbles, shaped as "8," so that the fishing line does not slip.

"The study shows the contribution of water resources to one of the most important processes in human history, of moving from small hunter-gatherer nomad groups to large permanent settlements," the researchers concluded. 

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