This research concerns a collection of pebbles with holes found in the prehistoric village on the Ein Gev River near the Sea of Gallilee. The village was inhabited 12,000 years ago, in the transitional period of agricultural life. Like many of the findings at the site, the pebbles with holes are an innovation for the period, and perhaps signal technical advances to come.
THe 3D scanning of each object produced two models to be analysed: the pebble with the hole and the hole. This double analysis of the present and absent enabled the identification of the considerations made in selecting the stones and designing the holes. The stones selected were light weighted and symmetrical. The hole was drilled from both directions in the center of gravity of each object. Some of the holes are very round, perhaps indicating the use of a tool to drill at a speed and some of the holes are not round indicating that the hole was made by hand. But in both cases the minimal diameter of the hole is identical.
The combination of the data enabled the replication of the technology used to create these tools, an assumption of how they were used as well as for what purpose: these objects are suitable to be used as weights when spinning thread and the researchers believe that their appearance indicate a technological innovation in making textiles. This craft continued to develop in the neolithical, agricultural period.
In the exhibition are displayed the results of the experiment, which replicate the making process and the use of objects with the holes from the Ein Gev River site II.
Research partners: Leore Grosman and Nir Dik with the support of the National Fund for Science and scholarships from the Archaeological Institute. A special thanks to Yonit Cristal.
Video: 1 – Processing the item with the hole and creating an additional mode of the hole in the center. 2 – The use of the pebbles with the holes to spin thread. Replication: Yonit Cristal: Editing: Liron Narunski
