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The Israel Antiquities Service presented a 6,000-year-old copper fishing hook, which is one of the oldest in the world, BTA reported.

The fishing gear was discovered in 2018 during excavations ahead of the construction of a new neighborhood in the coastal city of Ashkelon.

Yael Abadi Reiss, director of the Office of Antiquities, which is in charge of the excavation, said the length of the fishing hook was 6.5 cm and the width was 4 cm. According to her, these large sizes are suitable for hunting large sharks or tuna.

A unique discovery in the Baltic Sea

"The more ancient fish hooks found before were made of bone and were much smaller than this one. Copper began to be used in the Chalcolithic and it is impressive to find that this technological innovation was applied in ancient times to the manufacture of hooks for fishermen along the Mediterranean coast," she explained. 

During the Chalcolithic period, there were large settlements around Ashkelon, the economy of which was linked to branches of agriculture that are widespread to this day - raising sheep, goats and cattle, growing wheat, barley and legumes, as well as fruit growing.

"We learn about the dietary habits of the people who lived here 6,000 years ago from the remains of animal bones found in ancient waste pits, from burnt wheat grains found in kilns, and from the tools found for hunting, cooking and food processing, including flint sickles and a variety of ceramic vessels for storing, cooking and preserving food through fermentation and salting," Abadi Rice added.

"The rare fishing hook tells the story of the fishermen of the village who went out to sea in their boats and threw the copper fish hook into the water in the hope of adding shore sharks to their diet," concluded Yael Abadi Reiss. 

The find will be shown during the 48th Archaeological Congress in Jerusalem, which starts on April 3. 

Israel

archaeological discovery