FEATURE
Advocates Philippines
1,200-Year-Old Camel-Decorated Clay Jug Unearthed In Israel-And It's Telling Quite The Tale
The Special Clay Jug Used for Liquid Storage 1,200 Years Ago.
Photo: Emil Aladejm, Israel Antiquities Authority
Imagine stumbling upon a clay jug that’s not just ancient, but beautifully painted with images of camels—symbols of life, trade, and survival from over a thousand years ago. That’s exactly what happened during a recent excavation in Israel’s Yatir Forest.
A team from the Israel Antiquities Authority uncovered a rare, red-painted clay jug estimated to be around 1,200 years old. But this isn’t just any old pottery piece. What makes it special? The detailed decoration of two camels, which researchers believe highlight just how essential these animals were back in the 9th to 10th centuries CE—what historians call the Abbasid period.
“Camels weren’t just background scenery—they were the trucks and delivery vans of their time,” explained archaeologists Oren Shmueli, Dr. Davida Eisenberg-Degen, and Dr. Anat Cohen-Weinberger, along with Dr. Katia Cytryn from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. “Depicting them on something like a storage jug really shows how central they were to everyday life and the economy.”
The jug was found in a cave that had an unexpected backstory. Originally, it was a large underground olive press used for oil production, dating back to the Early Islamic period around 1,300 years ago. The space was later converted into a dwelling, where the camel-adorned jug was discovered. This cave, along with an ancient synagogue from the Byzantine period nearby, has now been preserved thanks to efforts by the Conservation Department and support from the Jewish National Fund.
And get this—the jug doesn’t just have camels. Researchers say it also features geometric designs and possibly even an ostrich or a donkey, creating a whole little animal caravan frozen in time.
Heritage Minister Rabbi Amichai Eliyahu had this to say: “The Negev is full of hidden stories, and finds like this jug help us uncover them. I’m proud of the teamwork happening to protect these discoveries and open them up for everyone to explore.”
So next time you pass by an old jug, who knows—it might just be holding more history than you think.
A team from the Israel Antiquities Authority uncovered a rare, red-painted clay jug estimated to be around 1,200 years old. But this isn’t just any old pottery piece. What makes it special? The detailed decoration of two camels, which researchers believe highlight just how essential these animals were back in the 9th to 10th centuries CE—what historians call the Abbasid period.
“Camels weren’t just background scenery—they were the trucks and delivery vans of their time,” explained archaeologists Oren Shmueli, Dr. Davida Eisenberg-Degen, and Dr. Anat Cohen-Weinberger, along with Dr. Katia Cytryn from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. “Depicting them on something like a storage jug really shows how central they were to everyday life and the economy.”
The jug was found in a cave that had an unexpected backstory. Originally, it was a large underground olive press used for oil production, dating back to the Early Islamic period around 1,300 years ago. The space was later converted into a dwelling, where the camel-adorned jug was discovered. This cave, along with an ancient synagogue from the Byzantine period nearby, has now been preserved thanks to efforts by the Conservation Department and support from the Jewish National Fund.
And get this—the jug doesn’t just have camels. Researchers say it also features geometric designs and possibly even an ostrich or a donkey, creating a whole little animal caravan frozen in time.
Heritage Minister Rabbi Amichai Eliyahu had this to say: “The Negev is full of hidden stories, and finds like this jug help us uncover them. I’m proud of the teamwork happening to protect these discoveries and open them up for everyone to explore.”
So next time you pass by an old jug, who knows—it might just be holding more history than you think.
Apr 30, 2025
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