Researchers have discovered an “extraordinary tomb” at the Tel Motza archaeological site in Jerusalem. As you’ll see, the tomb is remarkable for many reasons. For one, it dates to the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B period, 9,000 years ago, when agricultural societies were just beginning. Archaeologists also found a carefully buried prominent woman spiritual leader, or shaman. In the past, researchers found similar important shamans further north.
This site is about 220 square meters and features eight rock-hewn rooms, an oil press, a wine press, and many interesting and unique features. A standing stone, or Maṣṣebah, remained upright on a raised platform for thousands of years, covered by earth.
Six-Fingered Woman Shaman in Jerusalem
Among the most striking finds was the important woman who had six fingers on her left hand. According to the researchers, she was of high social status and likely a shaman. Her unique hand may have contributed to her considerable spiritual authority.
“It is our opinion that the burial with the six bone finger rings, also adorned with varied decorative necklaces, indicates the importance of the interred, presumably an individual of high status in the community and possibly charged with the spiritual capacity to practice shamanic ceremonies,” they wrote.
The spiritual leader was over 15 years old and adorned with rings on her fingers and beaded necklaces. Unlike other burials here, hers “stood out from its surroundings” near an impressive public building further downslope. Thus, we have evidence of complex spiritual beliefs in ancient times when women held the highest positions.
“The discovery of the ancient shaman’s tomb in Motza opens a window into the spiritual world of communities that lived approximately 10,000 years ago,” Eli Eskosido, director of the Israel Antiquities Authority, told Enikos “These remains show how complex and rich the cultural beliefs of ancient humanity were.”
Sanctuary Near Perennial Water Sources
In all likelihood, the structures described as “sanctuaries” may have been located here due to perennial water sources, “an important factor in social rites.” Intriguingly, the structure contained artifacts with Egyptian motifs, scarabs, and possibly a uraeus and fish design. In ancient Egypt, waters such as the Nile were sacred and central to their spiritual practices.
In one of the eight rooms, they uncovered mysterious large V-shapes carved into the rock floor. One V faced west, and the other two faced east. Possibly, these grooves may have been where a three-legged installation once stood for ritual purposes.
“According to Eli Shukron, the excavator of the site, these carvings may have served as a base for a tripod—an installation with three legs used for ritual activities,” shared Israel Antiquities Authority on Facebook.
What could a triangular object have represented? Immediately, one might think of the Trinity still prominent today. However, it’s a mystery.
Other High-Ranking Individuals
Besides the woman shaman, archaeologists discovered a male adorned with a necklace and star-shaped pendant made from a perforated shell. It had three points. Nearby, a possibly related female once wore a mother-of-pearl bracelet. Also nearby were infant burials, suggesting a possible family unit. Their carefully carved graves indicated to the researchers that they may also have been high-ranking individuals, leaders, craft specialists, or “great hunters.”
In another burial, an adolescent of 8-12 years old wore a stone bracelet on their left arm and a necklace of three beads. Of these, two were greenstone, but one was mother-of-pearl.
Kings Moved to Eliminate Spiritual Practices
Historically, this sanctuary dates to the Kingdom of Judah, when Kings Hezekiah and Josiah pushed to eliminate spiritual rituals and centralize worship in the Temple, a few hundred meters away from the Temple Mount. However, according to Eli Shukron, who directed the excavation for the Israel Antiquities Authority, it may have been in use until the 8th century BCE.
“According to Shukron, ‘The structure ceased to function during the 8th century BCE, possibly as part of King Hezekiah’s religious reform. According to the Bible, Hezekiah sought to centralize worship at the Temple in Jerusalem, abolishing the ritual sites scattered across the kingdom,” states the Antiquities Facebook post.
Egyptian and ‘Fertility Figurines’ in Jerusalem
As work progressed, the researchers uncovered human burials, pottery and many interesting carvings. As they noted, figurines at this time mainly represented women. Today, experts often say these female figures represent “fertility,” but they are important goddesses fully equal to the gods of ancient beliefs. That is, before the Kings and other patriarchal leaders changed that in their pursuit of consolidating power.
“In the Early PN (6400–5800 BCE), cultic activities at the site were mostly restricted to fertility figurines, mostly representing women,” states the paper in Antiqot.
As noted, there is Egyptian influence here. The team found scarabs and objects featuring carvings, as well as markings that may be related to fish and a uraeus. Thus, the site suggests indirect contact with Egypt, with its complex Neterian belief system.
Small carvings called “sealings” were used to seal containers. One seal was square with round corners and had what religious historian Othmar Keel described as “an abstract, fishlike motif adorned with a grid pattern adjacent to a straight line” on it. Another sealing had four vertical signs and a curved line extending from one side that the same researcher proposed “imitated a uraeus.”
One delicate scarab features four concentric circles with a large dot in the center, which Keel assigned to Egyptian Dynasty IX/X. Another scarab, dated to Iron IIA or later, featured “four rams arranged crosswise.” These objects were similar to others found at the nearby rock-cut “pool.”
Other carved items found:
- small figurine of a woman’s head
- A rider
- mud weights
- basalt grindstones
- a basalt stela with a carved figure and possible horns
- limestone vessel with three unique circular ‘sockets’ arranged again like a Trinity
Video via YouTube/Israel Antiquities Authority:
Women Shamans at Nearby Hilazon Tachtit Cave
According to another post by Israel Antiquities Authority, this is “the only known ritual structure from this period discovered in Jerusalem and one of the very few found in the land of Israel.”
Among those few is an incredible cave further north, the resting place of additional important female spiritual leaders dating back at least 12,000 years ago.
Important Women Spiritual Leaders or Shamans
The unique hilltop Hilazon Tachtit Cave is where remarkable women shamans, dating to the Late Natufian culture, were buried. This culture marked the first hunter-gatherers in the Near East to settle into villages 15,000 years ago. According to National Geographic, these women are considered among the world’s “earliest known shamans” or sorcerers.
Later, and even today, powerful women are often disparaged as “pagan” and “witches.” With the rise of orthodox religion, the goddess’s equal role was downplayed or eliminated.
But in this ancient community, one of the clearly revered shamans was a “petite, elderly, and disabled woman.” Her pelvis was deformed, and she likely walked with a limp. At the time, her age of 45 years was considered quite old, and she stood about five feet tall.
She was the first burial in the cave, which required cooperation and coordination by a group of people. They carefully interred her in an oval basin cut from the rock. Then, they covered the tomb with a specially created triangle (15.7 inch x 29.5 inch) of limestone (see video below).
After her community buried her, there is strong evidence they partook in a large funeral feast in her honor.
“The interment rituals and the method used to construct and seal the grave suggest that this is the burial of a shaman, one of the earliest known from the archaeological record. Several attributes of this burial later become central in the spiritual arena of human cultures worldwide,” stated a 2008 paper about the Hilazon Cave burials.
She was laid to rest surrounded by interesting objects:
- Some 50-70+ tortoise shells
- tail of an auroch (an extinct wild cow, scarce even then)
- wild boar forearm
- gazelle horns
- marten skulls
- a golden eagle wing tip
- a rare leopard pelvis
- fragments of basalt tools
- a large unrelated human foot
A Sacred Site for Shamans
After the shaman’s burial, the site became a sacred place with around 27 additional burials in small pits. Among them was another important older woman, buried surrounded by similar items, including over 70 tortoise shells.
Below, you can watch a video by Ancient Architects that explains much more about the Natufian culture. According to the host, the first shaman’s oval burial structure could have represented an oval tortoise shell.
Possibly, the tortoises were carefully collected as a spiritual symbol, as in Native American, Dogon, Egyptian, and other cultural beliefs worldwide. Unfortunately for these animals, they were also on the menu at the feast. Afterward, the community carefully placed the shells around the shaman’s head and hips.
Featured image: Illustration of shamans burial at Hilazon Tachtit Cave by Greg Harlin via YouTube