35,000-Year-Old Turtle-Shaped Rock Sculpture Unearthed Deep Inside Cave, Evidence of Ritualistic Gatherings

A recently uncovered turtle-shaped rock sculpture in Israel could be the earliest evidence of worshipping practices by prehistoric humans. The sculpture was found inside the Manot Cave in Galilee, The Jerusalem Post reported. According to examinations the sculpture was carved around 35,000 years ago.

To this date, it is the second figurative animal depiction that has been spotted in the region. Findings regarding the sculpture have been published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

Manot Cave was discovered in 2008 by a group of workers and was quickly identified as a shelter of past Neanderthals. The sculpture appears to be the central piece of a sacred chamber inside the cave. The rock was placed on a niche and weighed 28 kilograms.

As per experts, the model was carved out of a dolomite boulder. The sculpture was aligned with the wall and the incisions on it were curved in accordance with the boulder's shape. The incisions on the boulder went through analysis, and the rock was dated 37,000–35,000 years old.

Researchers also found a ring of wood ash in the cave which indicated human activity at the place. Experts are still unsure regarding the identity of the turtle sculpture. "It may have represented a totem or spiritual figure," said Omry Barzilai, head of Material Culture PaleoLab at the University of Haifa and the Israel Antiquities Authority. The team has speculated that it was used as an object of worship because of its special and distinct location inside the cave.

The features and things recovered from the chamber indicate that rituals had been dedicated to the turtle shell-shaped rock in the place. Researchers believe that the particular occasion was possibly used as an opportunity for social cohesion by prehistoric humans.

During the time Manot Cave was occupied by prehistoric humans, the Western Caspian turtle and the spur-thighed tortoise inhabited the area. Tortoises seemed to have been easy prey since 30 percent of the animal bones found in the site by archeologists belonged to them. Prehistoric evidence of cooking, butchery, and processing from the place also had traces of tortoise. This indicates the close interaction prehistoric humans had with the animal.

Turtles have been seen as religious figures in several Asian cultures. There is a popular icon known as the cosmic turtle, which appears in creation stories of various cultures. Hindy mythology has Akupara, Kurma, or Kurmaraja, which are different names for the word turtle that carries the whole world on their back.

Chinese mythology has the goddess Nuwa who used her turtle legs to rise in the sky to support the heavens. Zulu folklore states that many countries in the world are held in the tortoise's shell. The assertions made by researchers regarding the Manot cave finding align with these beliefs.

Before the sighting of the tortoise, Manot Cave had been a site of several prominent archaeological discoveries. Researchers excavated a 55,000-year-old skull from the cave that indicated interbreeding between Neanderthals and Homo sapiens. "A previous study of teeth found in the cave showed that 38,000–34,000 years ago Manot was inhabited by Sapiens with strong Neanderthal features, in other words, hybrids; likely the result of earlier interbreeding with our Europe-based evolutionary cousins," Barzilai noted.