Ancient Ritual Site with 35,000-Year-Old Carved Tortoise Unearthed in Cave
TL;DR
Researchers have discovered a potential 35,000-year-old Stone Age ritual site in Manot Cave, northern Israel, suggesting communal rituals took place around a carved boulder resembling a tortoise or turtle. The site, located in a separate chamber from living quarters, features mineral deposits and evidence of fire use, indicating that ancient humans, possibly related to the first modern Europeans, conducted rituals there. This finding adds a cultural dimension to the cave's history, previously known for a 55,000-year-old cranium linked to early human migration.
- Suspected 35,000-Year-Old Stone Age Ritual Site Found Deep Within Cave Gizmodo
- Carved cave turtle may have been worshipped 35,000 years before Christianity The Telegraph
- 37,000-year-old religious figure of tortoise discovered in Israel Euronews
- Oldest evidence of deep-cave rituals in Southwest Asia discovered Archaeology News Online Magazine
- The oldest known ritual chamber in the Middle East has been found Science News Magazine
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