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Iron Age beehives at Tel Reḥov in the Jordan valley

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2015

Amihai Mazar ,
Dvory Namdar ,
Nava Panitz-Cohen ,
Ronny Neumann  and
Steve Weiner
Amihai Mazar
Affiliation:
The Institute of Archaeology, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
Dvory Namdar
Affiliation:
Kimmel Center for Archaeological Science, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel Department of Archaeology and Ancient Near Eastern Cultures, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv 69978, Israel
Nava Panitz-Cohen
Affiliation:
The Institute of Archaeology, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
Ronny Neumann
Affiliation:
Department of Organic Chemistry, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel
Steve Weiner
Affiliation:
Department of Structural Biology and Kimmel Center for Archaeological Science, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel
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Extract

Beehives were discovered in a densley built area in the Iron Age city of Reḥov (tenth-ninth century BC). They consisted of hollow clay cylinders, each with a little hole at one end (for the bee) and a removable lid at the other (for the bee keeper). These beehives, the earliest found in the Near East, were identified by analogy with examples pictured on Egyptian tombs and in use by traditional peoples. The suggested identification was confirmed by chemical analysis.

Keywords

IsraelJordanSouthern LevantIron Agebeehivesapiaryhoney
Type
Research Article
Information
Antiquity , Volume 82 , Issue 317 , September 2008 , pp. 629 - 639
Copyright
Copyright © Antiquity Publications Ltd 2008

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