12,000-Year-Old Pebble Collection Found in Israel Maybe Early Evidence of Wheel-Like Tools, Say Archeologists

Archeologists have recently uncovered what they believe to be the earliest evidence of wheel-like tools in Israel. The finding is crucial, because, if proven, these tools would be the ancestors of rotational technology—one of the avenues that transformed the world completely from the early ages, Smithsonian Magazine reported.

Because of their appearance, the unearthed tools were believed to be perforated pebbles, but closer examination revealed their reality. The findings regarding the discovery have been published in the journal PLOS ONE. 

Archeologists excavated the pebbles at a site known as "Nahal Ein Gev II", Live Science reported. The area is present in northern Israel, about 1.2 miles (2 kilometers) east of the Sea of Galilee. The artifacts were found to be around 12,000 years old and were doughnut-shaped in appearance. 

According to the study, researchers examined around 100 holey limestone pebbles found at the site to understand their origins. The specimens weighed between 0.043 and 1.2 ounces (1 gram and 34 grams).

The team speculated regarding the pebbles' purpose. They toyed with the idea of them being beads, fishing weights, or spindle whorls. The beads did not work, because the pebbles should have been much more lighter in that case, according to experts. Fishing weights were also rejected because there was no evidence of such tools during that time. Spindle whorls were considered because wheels as a technology are known to be 6,000 years old, and their origin remains unclear. The pebbles could have been its predecessor.

Archeologists decided to use 3D technology to prove whether the pebbles were used as spindle whorls, Live Science reported. The team created virtual models of how the pebbles could have been utilized in a spindle.

After the models were built, Yonit Crystal, an expert in traditional craft making, was brought on board to make fabrics with the setup. After some attempts, Crystal managed to get the pebbles to work as spindle whorls, for spinning fabrics. She added that the flax was much easier to process in the tool compared to wool. 

The results validated their team's suspicion that the pebbles were used as spindle whorls, the element that balanced the spinning yarn.

"While the perforated pebbles were kept mostly at their natural unmodified shape, they represent wheels in form and function: a round object with a hole in the center connected to a rotating axle," co-author Talia Yashuv, an archaeologist at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem explained. 

The findings are crucial because they help researchers track how ancient humans came up with innovations and incorporated them into their daily lives.

"The experimental results do indeed suggest the perforated stones were used as spindle whorls,"  Alex Joffe, an archeologist not involved with the study said. "It is probable that flax was being spun in small quantities for use in other emerging technologies such as bags and fishing lines, that is to say, new methods of storage and subsistence," he added.

Archeologists were ecstatic with the discovery as it gave them another pathway to learn about ancient humans and their practices, Live Science reported.  "I think this is a great piece of analysis, thorough and convincing," Yorke Rowan, an archeology professor at the University of Chicago said. "Because these are so early, I think that the assessment that this is a critical turning point [in] technological achievement is well founded," Rowan said.

Some researchers though were not convinced by the results. Carole Cheval, a researcher with expertise in prehistoric textiles, and an associate researcher at an archaeological laboratory, known as Cultures and Environment, Prehistory, Antiquity, Middle Ages (CEPAM), claims that other older examples of wheel-like tools and technology have been unearthed by scholars. She believes a more thorough analysis is needed before reaching any solid conclusions.