![]() The ancient DNA results could for the first time reveal whether the "common" inhabitants of the Canaanite city-state were of the same background as the elite, Finkelstein notes. ![]() A Genetic Treasure TroveĬurrently a broad DNA study is being carried out on many individuals unearthed at Megiddo-those from the "royal" tomb as well as those from less elaborate burials from other domestic areas of the site. "However, the final three were probably of special importance based on the high quantity and exceptional richness of their grave goods," Cradic points out, "as well as the fact that their bodies were not disturbed after burial."įurthermore, physical evidence for a possible genetic bone or blood disorder in the remains of several of the individuals from both phases of the tomb suggests that they may be related, according to bioarchaeologist Rachel Kalisher, who is analyzing the bones. At the same time, the three newly deceased individuals were placed in the front of the chamber.Ĭradic notes that some types of jewelry found on the three intact individuals, such as bronze bead anklets and metal pins, are identical to the artifacts found in the pile of remains in the back of the tomb chamber, suggesting a close social relationship between these two groups of people who were laid to rest together. During the second phase, these remains were pushed to the back of the tomb in a jumble of bones. The first phase involved the burial of at least six individuals over a short span of time. Melissa Cradic, an excavation team member and expert on ancient funerary rites in the region, explains that two phases of ritual activity had occurred in the tomb. While excavating the burial tomb, archaeologists realized that in addition to the three individual burials, other human remains had been interred at an earlier point. ![]() The rich adornment of the tomb's inhabitants appears to indicate a complex and highly stratified society, in which an exceptionally wealthy and powerful elite had been elevated above most of Megiddo's society.Īpart from the collection of valuable artifacts from far-flung corners of the ancient Near East, the researchers also hope to gain important new knowledge from the physical remains of the individuals themselves. ![]() Along with jewelry, the tomb contained ceramic vessels from Cyprus and stone jars that may have been imported from Egypt. The grave goods point to the cosmopolitan nature of Megiddo at the time and the treasures it reaped from its location on the major trade routes of the eastern Mediterranean. “We are speaking of an elite family burial because of the monumentality of the structure, the rich finds and because of the fact that the burial is located in close proximity to the royal palace,” Finkelstein explains. The male body was discovered wearing a gold necklace and had been crowned with a gold diadem, and all of the objects demonstrate a high level of skill and artistry.Īpart from the rich, undisturbed burials, the archaeologists were also intrigued by the tomb’s location adjacent to the late Middle Bronze Age royal palace of Megiddo. The chamber contained the undisturbed remains of three individuals-a child between the ages of eight and 10, a woman in her mid 30s and a man aged between 40-60-adorned with gold and silver jewelry including rings, brooches, bracelets, and pins. Then, in 2016, they happened upon the culprit: a subterranean corridor leading to a burial chamber. Dirt appeared to be falling away into some unseen cavity or structure below, Adams recalls. The surprise find began as something of a mystery, when archaeologists began to notice cracks in the surface of an excavation area adjacent to the Bronze Age palaces which were discovered in the 1930s. But nothing prepared archaeologists for the unexpected discovery of the untouched tomb dating to the later phase of the Middle Bronze Age, around 1700-1600 B.C., when the power of Canaanite Megiddo was at its peak and before the ruling dynasty collapsed under the might of Thutmose's army. 3300-586 B.C) have been discovered at the World Heritage site. Over the course of the excavation seasons, an unprecedented number of monuments, including palaces, temples, and city walls from the Bronze and Iron Ages (ca.
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