One of the oldest known examples of human lighting technology — 4,000-year-old lamp wicks preserved inside clay oil lamps — was discovered during preparatory work for the development of a new neighborhood, the Israel Antiquities Authority announced on Sunday.

“This is a unique discovery that we did not expect could ever be found in the moist Mediterranean climate; these wicks are among the few of their era known to us in the world,” said Dr. Naama Sukenik and Dr. Yonah Maor, who analyzed the wicks.

“Although wicks were a common lighting product in the ancient world, the fact that they are made of organic fibers makes them difficult to discover in archaeological excavations. Even in cases where the organic material is preserved, such as in desert climates, it is difficult to identify a wick unless it is inside the combustion vessel, as it has no special characteristics that distinguish it from a group of fibers, threads or ropes,” Sukenik and Maor said.