Archaeologists uncovered a 2,500-year-old burial site in the Negev Highlands, shedding light on ancient trade routes that connected cultures from Yemen, Phoenicia, Egypt, and beyond, the Israel Antiquities Authority announced on Wednesday.
The site, south of Beer-Sheva, contains dozens of tombs believed to belong to individuals from caravans that passed through the region, highlights the Negev’s role as an international crossroads during the 7th to 5th centuries BCE.
Archaeologists found copper and silver jewelry, alabaster items used for incense preparation, amulets, beads, and vessels likely used to transport incense resins.
“The discovery is unique and it points to wide-reaching cultural interchange between southern and northern Arabia, Phoenicia, Egypt and southern Europe,” said excavation director Dr. Martin David Pasternak.