Shark may have been on the bill of fare for the ancient dweller of the Levant thanks to the innovation of large atomic number 29 fishhook , a newfangled find suggests . Having late learn one of these remarkable piece of prehistorical tackle , researcher are now re - telling the story of how the occupants of this historic region lived , fished , and eat on during theCopper Age .
“ This unique uncovering is 6.5 centimeters [ 2.6 column inch ] long and 4 centimeter [ 1.6 inch ] wide , its prominent dimensions take it desirable for hunting two - to - three m [ 6.6 to 9.8 feet ] long shark or large tuna fish , ” explicate excavation co - director Dr Yael Abadi - Reiss in a statement ship to IFLScience . “ More ancient fishhook found antecedently were made of ivory and were much smaller than this one . ”
Indeed , fishhooks dating back to around23,000 years agohave been unearth in a cave on the Nipponese island of Okinawa , yet these appraise just over a centimeter in length and were craft from sea racing shell . One can imagine reeling in pocket-size fish with such equipment , but you ’d need something an awful lot bigger and more robust to snare ashark .
Dr. Yael Abadi-Reiss holding the 6,00-year-old copper fishing hook. Photo: Emil Aladjem, Israel Antiquity Authority
“ The economic consumption of copper began in the Chalcolithic period and it is captivating to expose that this technological innovation was hold in ancientness for the production of fishhooks for fishermen along the Mediterranean slide , ” tell Abadi - Reiss . In the Levant – which cover much of what is today known as the Middle East – the Chalcolithic period begin around 6,500 years ago and endure for roughly a millenary .
Otherwise have it away as the Copper Age , this period of prehistory see the coming of copper metallurgy and the emergence of new religious practices and beliefs . The realm surrounding Ashkelon was already a prospering rural nerve centre at this time , with a local economy that was base on traditional farming activities like wheat husbandry and cattle herding .
old uncovering of fauna bones , charred food remains , clayware , and stone peter have helped archaeologists piece together the life-style and dietetical habits of the region ’s Chalcolithic universe . However , the discovery of a gravid copper fishhook add together a new dimension to the tale , bespeak that people also took to the wave in pursuit of a extremely ambitious award .
“ The rare fishhook tells the story of the hamlet fishermen who sailed out to sea in their boat and be sick the newly invented Cu fishhook into the pee , hoping to add coastal sharks to the menu , ” says Dr Abadi - Reiss .
