Israel discovers 4,200-year-old art engravings on walls of huge rock tombs

JERUSALEM, July 8 (Xinhua) -- Israeli archaeologists have discovered an ancient rock art on the walls of megalithic burials called "dolmens" in northeastern Israel, the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) reported on Wednesday.

The art engravings, found by a joint research team of the IAA and the northern Tel-Hai College, open a window to the mysterious culture of the ancient builders in the Middle Bronze Age.

In the researchers' study, published in the journal Asian Archaeology, the researchers surveyed dozens of dolmens to try uncovering the world of this ancient population that left behind only dolmens as the evidence of their rich culture.

The team identified engraved rock art motifs on four dolmens, including carvings of a human face, a variety of geometric shapes and seven horned animals such as mountain goats, antelopes and wild cows.

These animals were engraved in a complicated composition on the walls of one of the burial chambers.

"With the new dolmen discoveries, we may begin to identify the artistic technique, worldview, and social organization of this mysterious population," the researchers concluded. Enditem