BIBLE HISTORY DAILY

Cool Camels

Excavation reveals rare camel caravan depiction

The Early Islamic period camel jug from Horvat ‘Anim. Courtesy Emil Aladjem, IAA.

While excavating an ancient olive press in southern Israel, excavators with the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) discovered a beautifully painted jug that depicts one of the marvels of the ancient world—the camel. Discovered at the site of Horvat ‘Anim, about 20 miles northeast of Beer Sheva, the small clay jug opens a window onto life in the Middle East 1,300 years ago.

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During efforts to make the site accessible to the public, the IAA carried out renewed excavations and restorations of a number of ancient buildings, including a magnificent Byzantine-period synagogue (c. 324–634 CE), first excavated more than 40 years ago. However, it was the site’s early Islamic olive press, which dates to the eighth to ninth centuries, that revealed the remarkable jug. The vessel was decorated with geometric patterns painted in red with a depiction of a caravan of animals, including two camels along with what may be an ostrich or a donkey.

Aerial view of the site of Horvat ‘Anim. Courtesy Emil Aladjem, IAA.

“In the early Islamic period, camels served as the primary mode of transportation,” explained IAA archaeologist Oren Shmueli. “The fact that camels appear in the jug’s illustrations highlights their significance at the time. Camels transported goods across the empire and were essential to the economy.

The camel jug. Courtesy Dafna Gazit, IAA.

In the Roman and Byzantine periods, goods were typically transported by sea via ships or by land using carts, but in the Islamic period, the camel took precedence as the dominant land transport, replacing the Roman ship with the ‘ship of the desert.’” Domesticated camels appeared in the Holy Land by the tenth century BCE if not earlier. They feature prominently in ancient art throughout the region, including at the Nabatean site of Petra in southern Jordan.

The olive press where the jug was discovered was built into a natural cave that was not fully excavated until the start of recent conservation work. In addition to the jug, archaeologists uncovered two pressing stones that were used to extract the oil, which was then collected in a central basin. “The uniqueness of the olive press lies in its well-organized and advanced construction. Essentially, it was an ancient factory equipped with a sophisticated and expensive machine for its era,” said Shmueli.

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