Rare 1,500-year-old African-style figurines unearthed in S. Israel

JERUSALEM, May 14 (Xinhua) -- Israeli archaeologists have discovered two rare 1,500-year-old ebony figurines in ancient graves in the Negev Desert, southern Israel, the Israel Antiquities Authority announced on Wednesday.

Carved with distinct African features, the artifacts -- a female head and a male bust -- are believed to have been worn as pendants. Crafted from ebony, a luxurious hardwood found in India, Sri Lanka, and Africa, the figurines likely traveled via ancient trade networks, shipped through Egypt or the Horn of Africa before reaching the Negev by caravan.

The discovery was found in Roman-Byzantine Christian burial sites. Researchers noted that such African-style artifacts are rare in graves from this era, offering new insights into the region's interconnected trade routes and cultural diversity.

The burial site, they added, likely belonged to a Christian community, possibly inclusive of African members.

Excavated at Tel Malhata in the Negev's Arad-Beer-sheba Valley, the figurines were interred alongside women and children, accompanied by glassware, jewelry, bronze bracelets, and three bone figurines traditionally used in domestic rituals and burial rites.

Their meticulous placement within the graves suggests personal or ceremonial significance, potentially symbolizing ancestral figures or cultural heritage, the researchers said. Enditem