Lamp wicks made of textiles, approximately 4,000 years old – among the oldest known in the entire world – were discovered in unusual circumstances during an archaeological dig at the Newe Efraim antiquities site near Yehud, Israel.
The wicks, uncovered in an Israel Antiquities Authority excavation, funded as part of development works by the Israel Lands Authority to establish a new neighborhood in the city of Yehud, were preserved inside clay lamps, used for illumination in the Intermediate Bronze Age (c. 2500–2000 BCE).
This study was just published in the new issue of the scientific journal ʼAtiqot Vol. 118, published by the Israel Antiquities Authority.
According to Israel Antiquities Authority researchers Dr. Naama Sukenik and Dr. Yonah Maor, “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. Although wicks were a common product for lighting in the ancient world, the fact that they are made of organic fibers makes it difficult to discover them in an archaeological dig. Even in cases where the organic matter is preserved, such as in desert climate conditions, it is difficult to identify a wick, unless found inside a lamp, since it has no special characteristics to distinguish it from any group of fibers, threads or ropes. All of this is made more difficult by the fact that a wick is intended for combustion, and therefore, by virtue of its function, it is not preserved at the end of its use. The fact that three wicks were found – and that one of them survived in its entirety, is especially surprising in the humid climate of the coastal plain.”
Video - IAA