JERUSALEM, July 28 (Xinhua) -- Israeli archaeologists have uncovered an ancient flint blade workshop dating back about 5,500 years, near the southern city of Kiryat Gat, the Israel Antiquities Authority said in a statement on Monday.
The site attests to an advanced industry, where skilled individuals produced Canaanite blades using sophisticated techniques, offering a rare glimpse into early specialization and social organization at the start of the Early Bronze Age, researchers said.
A Canaanean blade is a long, wide blade made out of stone or flint, predominantly found at sites in Israel and Lebanon. While such blades have been uncovered in Israel's center and north, actual production sites are rare.
The workshop was part of a large settlement that was inhabited for hundreds of years, from the Chalcolithic period through the Early Bronze Age. Excavations revealed hundreds of underground pits, some lined with mud bricks, used for storage, living spaces, crafts, and possibly ritual activity.
The researchers said the long, sharp flint tools discovered at the site were used for butchering, cutting, and harvesting.
Producing these blades required a high level of precision, possibly using a lever-based device to apply pressure to the flint, they explained.
According to the researchers, the site may have served as a regional center for producing and distributing flint blades across the Levant, suggesting a society with well-developed economic roles and a structured community life far earlier than previously thought. ■
