Scientists Discover Oldest Metal Object in Middle East
Scientists have unearthed a 7,000-year-old copper awl in the Middle East. The metal object belongs to early 5th millennium or late 6th millennium BCE and scientists discovered it during excavations at Tel Tsaf. University researchers revealed in a study that what they have found is the oldest metal object uncovered in the region so far.
The copper awl is a cone-shaped object merely four centimeters long and one millimeter thick. It is the most significant finding to date in this site, discovered by Hebrew University professor Yosef Garfinkel in the sealed grave of a woman who was around 40 years old.
“The appearance of the item in a woman’s grave, which represents one of the most elaborate burials we’ve seen in our region from that era, testifies to both the importance of the awl and the importance of the woman,” project leader Dr. Danny Rosenberg says in a statement, adding that we may be witnessing the preliminary hints of social hierarchy and complexity.
http://newsgrowth.com/scientists-unearth-7000-year-old-copper-awl-oldest-metal-object-in-middle-east-tech-times/
Chemical analysis also showed that the copper probably came from about 620 miles (1,000 kilometers) away, in the Caucasus region.
http://www.natureworldnews.com/articles/8693/20140823/oldest-metal-object-discovered-in-gravesite.htm
Caucasus region.
