Africa-Press – Cape verde. Archaeologists in northern Israel have made a jaw-dropping discovery that has left experts both stunned and puzzled.
A colossal monument, estimated to be around 3,800 years old, has been unearthed atop the ancient hill of Tel Shimron.
The monument, constructed with intricate mud bricks and employing advanced architectural techniques of its time, extends over 1,200 square meters – roughly the size of an Olympic swimming pool – and dramatically raises the hill’s height by an additional 5 meters. The remarkable find has raised numerous questions about its purpose and significance.
The round knoll of Tel Shimron, towering about 70 meters above the Jezreel Valley, was believed to be a typical archaeological mound until recent excavations revealed its extraordinary secret.
The monument, composed of over 9,000 unfired mud bricks, includes a tower and a domed passageway built using the innovative “corbelled” technique. The method, which involves progressively stepped bricks to form a narrowing roof, is thought to be the earliest known example of corbelled architecture in Israel.
The construction’s aesthetic intricacies are equally remarkable, with a layer of white chalk artfully inserted between the bricks purely for visual effect. The rare level of preservation has astounded archaeologists, given the delicate nature of unfired mud bricks.
Despite its grandeur, the purpose of the monument remains a mystery, with archaeologists speculating it could be remnants of a fortified city wall to a religious or symbolic structure. Master emphasized the monumental challenge of understanding its significance and purpose, questioning why such a massive effort was invested in constructing the monument at an already elevated location.
The monument’s obscurity is compounded by the fact that the site features no signs of extensive wear, suggesting limited usage post-construction. Some experts propose its connection to religious practices due to the discovery of a seven-spouted vessel, a known item used in ancient rituals.
Comparisons have been drawn with a similar monument in Syria: the White Monument at Tel Banat, which is believed to be one of the world’s oldest war memorials due to its systematic arrangement of the deceased.
While Tel Shimron’s nature reserve and park are open to the public, the monument itself remains off-limits, painstakingly backfilled to preserve its delicate state. The ongoing excavation is expected to take several more years, and the monument’s exceptional preservation has awed the archaeological community, sparking renewed interest and inquiry into the ancient mysteries it holds.
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