Prehistoric site discovered between Jaljulia and Highway 6
Archaeologists find half of a million years old site they believe was a sort of 'paradise' for prehistoric hunter-gatherers, with a stream, vegetation and abundance of animals; dig at the site began in preparation for construction work on Highway 6.
Israeli archaeologists have uncovered a rare site dating back some half a million years—just next to a modern highway and only several meters underground, the Israel Antiquities Authority said Sunday.
Archaeologists envision the site at Jaljulia as a sort of "paradise" for prehistoric hunter-gatherers, with a stream, vegetation and an abundance of animals.
They have uncovered hundreds of flint handaxes as part of the dig just next to Highway 6, one of Israel's busiest highways.
He added that "for people, it was like a paradise, so they came here again and again."
The site is associated with homo erectus, a direct ancestor of today's humans.
The dig began at the site squeezed between Jaljulia and the highway because of construction plans for the area, which required archaeological approval beforehand, the antiquities authority said.
According to the authority, prehistoric humans may have returned to the area as part of a seasonal cycle.
