6,000-year-old copper fishing hook discovered in Ashkelon

The excavation that the IAA held in Ashkelon in 2018 Photo: Yael Abadi-Reiss IAA

In yet another startling archeological discovery in Israel, a 6,000-year-old copper fishhook— one of the oldest known in the world—possibly for fishing sharks or very large fish, was discovered in the Israel Antiquity Authority (IAA) excavations carried out before the construction of the new Agamim neighborhood in Ashkelon in 2018. The find was only first presented this week and will be exhibited in April at the 48th Archaeological Congress, organized by the Israel Antiquity Authority, the Israel Exploration Society and the IAA.

Already this year, a 4,000-year-old ostrich egg was discovered in the Negev, elements of ancient Jerusalem’s fortifications and a mysterious hand imprint carved in a rock dating back to the tenth century were uncovered in another IAA project, a Byzantine-era church dating back to the 6th Century was uncovered in Jericho, and an Israeli teenager, a volunteer, uncovered a rare gold bead from the end of the Roman era while taking part in the sifting project at the Archaeological Experience at the Israel Antiquities Authority’s excavation of the Pilgrimage Road in the City of David in Jerusalem.

The research on the copper fishhook is being undertaken by Dr. Yotam Asscher of the Israel Antiquity Authority and Magda Batiashvilli, and we await new discoveries on this fascinating artifact. Advanced technologies are available for today’s scholars, opening up a world of new questions that could not previously be answered.

It is 6.5 cm long and 4 cm wide. The fish hook’s large dimensions made it suitable for hunting 2–3 meter long sharks or large tuna fish. More ancient fishhooks found previously were made of bone and were much smaller than this one, explained IAA. The use of copper began in the Chalcolithic period and it is fascinating to discover that this technological innovation was applied in antiquity for the production of fishhooks for fishermen along the Mediterranean coast, said the archeologists.

In the Chalcolithic period, there were large villages around Ashkelon, whose economy was based on branches of agriculture still common today, such as the pasturing of sheep, goat and cattle, the cultivation of wheat, barley and legumes and the tending of fruit orchards. “We learn about the dietary habits of the people who lived here 6,000 years ago from the remains of animal bones found in ancient rubbish pits, from burnt wheat grains found in ovens, and from the hunting, cooking and food-processing tools retrieved, including flint sickles, and a variety of pottery vessels that served for the storage, cooking and the conservation of food by fermentation and salting. The rare fishhook tells the story of the village fishermen who sailed out to sea in their boats and cast the newly invented copper fishhook into the water, hoping to add coastal sharks to the menu,” says Dr. Abadi-Reiss.

The special find will be on exhibit for the first time at the 48th Archaeological Congress of the Israel Antiquity Authority, the Israel Exploration Society and the Israeli Archaeological Association which will be held on the 3rd April 2023.

Eli Escusido, Director of the Israel Antiquity Authority, said “We are very excited that the Israel Antiquity Authority will host the Congress participants in the new home of Israel archaeology- the Jay and Jeanie Schottenstein National Campus for the Archaeology of Israel in Givat Ram, Jerusalem. A modern visitors’ center will be set up for the general public, enabling a glimpse “behind the scenes” of the extensive archaeological activity that takes place in Israel, and a view of some of the wonderful treasures that come to light from underground.