An ivory vessel made from an elephant tusk that serves as evidence of ties between our region and Egypt going back to the Chalcolithic period (about 4500 to 3500 BCE) has been uncovered in an Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) excavation near Beersheba. 

Found shattered to pieces in the excavation, the vessel was “brought back to life” in the IAA’s treatment laboratories. The tusk – which seems to have been part of a cultic vessel used for burial – will be displayed this Thursday at the annual Israel Prehistoric Society Conference.

This is the first time a Chalcolithic-period ivory vessel has been found in our region. The vessel was found shattered to pieces in 2020. Brought to the IAA labs, it was restored in a complicated conservation process. The conference will take place at the Jay and Jeannie Schottenstein National Archaeology Campus on Museum Hill in Jerusalem where new finds will be presented from recent years of prehistoric period excavations.
The IAA excavation at Horbat Raqiq uncovered an ancient settlement with subterranean spaces dug into rich, dust-like loess soil. Towards the end of the excavation, as IAA archaeologist Emil Aladjem was making his last measurements, he noticed the edge of a basalt vessel. 
The broken ivory vessel deposited within the large basalt bowls. (credit: Davida Dagan, Antiquities Authority)
The broken ivory vessel deposited within the large basalt bowls. (credit: Davida Dagan, Antiquities Authority)
As a result, the excavation was expanded, revealing three large impressive vessels. They were arranged in a way that two vessels were placed one in the other, with the third acting as a cover for them both. When the upper plate was removed, the lower plate was discovered to be full of earth, within which lay the shattered pieces of an ivory vessel – a rare and precious material.
“From the manner in which the bowls were arranged, the ivory vessel – which had been broken already in antiquity, was clearly interred in a deliberate fashion; this would seem to attest to the importance attributed to it,” explained Dr. Ianir Milevski, former head of the IAA’s prehistoric branch who is also associated with the National Research Council of Argentina.
The vessels were intentionally set in a specific manner, with careful forethought. In academic circles it is generally accepted that figurine and broken vessel deposits and burials are part of cultic ceremonial activities.

“The vessel is 20 centimeters across. It is gorgeous, and exceptional in its design,” Milevski added. “The small side handles are symmetrically arranged, with two handles set into the vessel’s neck and two additional handles vertically below them at its base. “

After its initial discovery, IAA excavation directors Avishai Levi-Hevroni and Martin Pasternak brought the vessels and their contents to the National Archaeology Campus. 

In cooperation with Dr. Ianir Milevski and Dr. Liora Kolska Horwitz of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HU), the team achieved the first understanding of the vessel’s nature – it was made from elephant tusk ivory.

The conservation and restoration process led by Olga Negnevitsky, an expert in ivory conservation, was extremely complex and demanded a lot of patience. The aim was to reconstruct the vessel out of its pieces unto its original form while safeguarding its authenticity and historical value.

Deepens understanding of prehistoric regional exchange ties 

“This find deepens our understanding of the Chalcolithic period and of the cultural exchange ties of our region with both neighboring and distant cultures,” the researchers noted. 

“One of the most interesting questions regarding this vessel,” said Levi-Hevroni and Milevski, “is whether the vessel was brought here fully designed or whether the ivory tusk was brought here as raw material and then sculpted by a local craftsperson.

The vessel is well-made, and makes maximum use of the original tusk – which was a most precious material. If it was manufactured here, it reveals the high standard of craftspeople who dwelt here, who knew how to treat ivory, and also knew elephant anatomy.”
Further biomolecular analyses that will be carried out by Dr. Harel Shochat of the University of Haifa and Kolska Horwitz of HU will establish where the ivory originated from, based on the elephant’s diet.