Peqi`in – Chalcolithic Burial Cave

Chalcolithic burial caves are known mainly from the central part of Israel, and contain clay ossuaries and burial jars. Therefore, it was a great surprise when a unique burial cave was accidentally revealed at Peqi‘in, Upper Galilee. The project was co-directed by Dr. Zvi Gal, Dr. Dina Shalem and Howard Smithline. What had begun as a salvage excavation ultimately turned to be a corner stone in the study of the Chalcolithic culture in general and that of Galilee in particular. The cave was covered with colorful stalactites and stalagmites, which created a special atmosphere. The burial customs are all secondary in nature were practiced in ossuaries and jars. These finds reflect the regional cultures of this period. They shed light on cultural, technological and artistic aspects as well as gender definitions and social hierarchy within Chalcolithic society. The outstanding innovation of the finds are the two and three-dimensional painted and sculpted human heads. This is the first time when fully natural human features are found on ossuaries. The personification represented by the various sculpted heads linked these ossuaries to real individuals who were commemorated in the Chalcolithic collective memory. The cultural connections reflected in the cave suggest that the Peqi`in cave was a central cemetery, where ancestors worship was practiced.

Dr. Zvi Gal was the Chiel Archaeologist and director of the North region within the Israel Antiquities Authgority (1990–2010), and later Director of Publications (2002–2009). Since the mid-1970's, Dr. Zvi Gal has conducted numerous archaeological excavations and surveys in Lower Galilee with an emphasis on Pre-Classical (biblical) periods, including, among others, the excavations at the 10th century BCE Phoenician site Hurvat Rosh Zayit. Dr. Gal obtained all his degrees at the Tel Aviv University, and he is the author of a several monographs and many articles particularly on the archaeology of Galilee, Israel. Following his retirement in 2013, he has become affiliated with the Institute for Galilean Archaeology at the Kinneret Academic Collage, and established a boutique press for archaeological publications.

Please view the publication webpage: Peqi`in – Chalcolithic Burial Cave (published 2013)