Archaeologists reassemble jars dating back 3,500 years

Israeli researchers have reassembled three ancient pottery jars that dated to about 3,500 years ago, the University of Haifa (UH) in northern Israel announced.

The fragments of the three jars, which measure about one metre in height each, were found at the Tel Esur archeological site in northern Israel in 2011, according to the UH on Sunday.

Evidence of settlements from the Early Bronze Age about 4,000 years ago, to the Hellenistic period in ancient Israel, which ended in the first century BC, were found at the site, Xinhua news agency reported.

The jars were found in a building which probably served as a transit station for Egyptian convoys travelling from two Egyptian rule cities in ancient Israel, the Mediterranean city of Jaffa and Beit She’an, located south of the Sea of Galilee.

Due to the size of the jars, the researchers assumed that they were used to store grain or liquids like oil and wine. “Luckily, all parts were found in the same room, which made it easier for us to assemble,” said UH researcher Roee Shafir, adding “after a punctilious process of eight months, it was exciting to see the result and bring back to life jars from about 3,500 years ago”.