Archaeologists have uncovered a rare, 5,500-year-old Canaanite blade manufacturing workshop near Kiryat Gat in southern Israel, marking the first discovery of its kind in the region. The site at Nahal Qomem is providing unprecedented insights into Early Bronze Age craftsmanship and trade networks that flourished during the dawn of urbanization in ancient Canaan.
Revolutionary Discovery Reveals Ancient Industrial Complex
The excavation, conducted by the Israel Antiquities Authority ahead of the construction of a new neighborhood, has revealed hundreds of subterranean pits across more than half a square kilometer. Unlike previous isolated finds of Canaanite blades throughout Israel, this site presents the complete manufacturing process intact for the first time.
“This is truly extraordinary,” said Dudu Biton, an IAA expert on flint tools and Canaanite blades. “We’ve discovered not just a few, but hundreds of them, along with the full range of materials related to their production.” The site features numerous pits of various sizes, some lined with mud bricks and reaching up to three meters in diameter Times of Israel.