Stone Age Ram and Wild Bovine Figurines Found at Tel Moza Site Near Jerusalem

Posted on September 2, 2012

Israeli researchers have discovered ancient stone age figurines of a ram and a wild bovine at the Tel Moza archaeological site. That's the ram pictured above. The figurines are estimated to be 9,000 to 9,500 years old.

Anna Eirikh and Dr. Hamoudi Khalaily, directors of the excavation at the site on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority, said in a statement, "The figurines, which are 9,000-9,500 years old, were found near a large round building whose foundations were built of fieldstones and upper parts of the walls were apparently made of mud brick. The first figurine, in the shape of a ram with twisted horns, was fashioned from limestone and is c. 15 cm in size. The sculpting is extraordinary and precisely depicts details of the animal's image; the head and the horns protrude in front of the body and their proportions are extremely accurate. The body was made smooth and the legs of the figurine were incised in order to distinguish them from the rest of the body. The second figurine, which was fashioned on hard smoothed dolomite, is an abstract design; yet it too seems to depict a large animal with prominent horns that separate the elongated body from the head. The horns emerge from the middle of the head sideward and resemble those of a wild bovine or buffalo."

Dr. Khalaily noted in the release that the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B period is fascinating because it was around this time that the "transition began from nomadism, based on hunting and gathering, to sedentary life, based on farming and grazing." He says hunting was the major activity during this period and says the figurines may have been "good-luck statues for ensuring the success of the hunt."

ARCHAEOLOGY