Did Stone Age man invent 'church bells' 15,000 years ago? Ceremonial boulders were hit like 'gongs' to call the community to funerals

  • Large stone mortars were found next to stone age grave sites in Israel
  • Researchers believe these were pounded to summon people to ceremonies
  • Noise from the 3 foot tall rocks would have been audible for miles around
  • It suggests nearby communities were bound together with common beliefs

By Richard Gray for MailOnline

Published: | Updated:

They were among the first Stone Age humans to abandon the nomadic hunter-gatherer lifestyle in favour of living in settled villages around 15,000 years ago.

Now archaeologists have discovered the Natufian culture that lived in the Levant in modern-day Israel may also have pioneered the concept of church bells to summon the community together.

Researchers have discovered strangely shaped boulders they believe were used as ceremonial 'gongs' that were pounded during burial ceremonies.

Large stones with holes carved into the middle have been found buried alongside stone age graves (pictured above) in Israel and other parts of the eastern Mediterranean. Archaeologists believe these stones served as ceremonial mortars whose pounding would have summoned the community together

Large stones with holes carved into the middle have been found buried alongside stone age graves (pictured above) in Israel and other parts of the eastern Mediterranean. Archaeologists believe these stones served as ceremonial mortars whose pounding would have summoned the community together

The giant stones were thought to have been used as mortars to pound food but scientists have found the action would also have produced a distinctive sound audible for miles around.

They argue the boulders, which are around three feet (90cm) high and weigh more than 15 stone (95kg), would have served as a way of increasing cohesion and identity within the community.

STONE AGE HUMAN'S HAD GRUESOME RITUALS FOR THE DEAD

There is growing evidence from around Europe that suggests preshistoric humans living at the time engaged in widespread cannibalism and other macabre rituals when dealing with their dead relatives.

Prehistoric humans living in a cave 14,700 years ago were cannibals and made cups from the skulls of the dead, a new study has found.

Researchers at the Natural History Museum in London and University College London have found evidence that the human bones found in Gough's Cave in Somerset had the flesh cut from them before being chewed and crushed.

They found tooth marks on many of the bones, which were discovered in the cave during excavations between 1880 and 1992.

Human skulls found in the cave had also been extensively shaped to create cups or bowls.

The archaeologists behind the study say the findings suggest people living in the late Ice Age indulged in ritual cannibalism, perhaps as a macabre way to revere their dead kin.

Stone Age farmers in Italy also cut the flesh from the bones of their dead before burying them, a recent study found.

Researchers at the University of Cambridge discovered cut marks on 7,000 year old human remains buried in a cave in Puglia, south eastern Italy.

These cuts and scrapes, made with stone tools, suggest the skeletons had their flesh carefully removed in rituals before being placed in the cave.

Farmers from villages up to 12 miles away are thought to have brought their dead to the Scaloria Cave in the Tavoliere region of Italy

They say pounding on the boulders would have informed members of adjacent communities that an important ceremony was taking place – much like modern church bells.

Dr Danny Rosenberg, an archaeologist at the University of Haifa who was one of the team involved in the study, said: 'The size and weight of the boulders shows that they were not intended to be mobile.

'The fact that some of them were buried suggests that they were supposed to remain in place as part of the "furniture" of the burial site, or in the burial context itself.

'This point emphasises that they were not created for everyday eating purposes, but formed an integral part of the ceremonies and occurrences in the areas in which the Natufians buried their dead.'

The Natufian culture is thought to be one of the first groups of people to live in fixed settlements before the introduction of agriculture.

Several sites dated between 15,000 and 11,000 years old have been found in Israel, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon

They are credited with being one of the first cultures to have begun domesticating plants.

They lived in buildings with stone foundations and are known to have held elaborate funeral ceremonies for their dead with large meals and decorating graves with flowers.

At many Natufian sites large mortar stones, all made from large pieces of limestone or basalt, have also been discovered and were initially thought to have been primarily involved in the preparation of food.

Dr Rosenberg, who conducted the work with his colleague Professor Dani Nadel at the University of Haifa, said: 'These are the largest stone artefacts that were hewn during this period in the Middle East, and indeed they are much larger than most of the stone objects that were hewn here in much later periods.

'These boulders have been found at Natufian sites in Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, and Israel, so that they clearly had a regional significance.

The stones (pictured) in some cases weighed up to 15 stone. The researchers say they were not designed to be mobile but were a ceremonial part of burials. It may even suggest the Natufian cultures living in the area had a shared belief system and the sound of the rocks being pounded brought them together

The stones (pictured) in some cases weighed up to 15 stone. The researchers say they were not designed to be mobile but were a ceremonial part of burials. It may even suggest the Natufian cultures living in the area had a shared belief system and the sound of the rocks being pounded brought them together

The Natufian culture are thought to have been among the first to abandon nomadic lifestyles in favour of fixed settlements. They lived in buildings with stone foundations, like the one shown above at El Wad in central Israel

The Natufian culture are thought to have been among the first to abandon nomadic lifestyles in favour of fixed settlements. They lived in buildings with stone foundations, like the one shown above at El Wad in central Israel

In many cases the mortar stones (pictured above) were made from limestone or basalt and had holes running right the way through the centre of the boulders

In many cases the mortar stones (pictured above) were made from limestone or basalt and had holes running right the way through the centre of the boulders

NATUFIAN CULTURE BURIED FLOWERS WITH THEIR DEAD 

Cavemen in Israel buried their dead with complex rituals that involved food offerings to their friends and families, as well as flowers.

The earliest evidence of humans burying their dead with plants - dating back 13,700 years - was discovered last summer in a Raqefet Cave, Mount Carmel, Israel.

In modern times the tradition is used as a sign of respect or remembrance, but it is believed to have started thousands of years ago to disguise the stench of the rotting corpse.

It was also hoped the scent of the plants would stop animals being attracted to the grave to dig up the body.

Researchers found sage, mint and other plants buried with the skeletons.

The latest findings suggest this ritual may have been more complex than first thought and some of these plants were eaten in honour of the dead.

Archaeologists digging in the same region have found further evidence suggesting these rituals were even more elaborate than first thought, and included exotic gazelle meat as well as processed grains used for a final meal to honour the dead.

'We were intrigued by the common features shown by these unusual tools, such as the raw material from which they were made, their dimensions, the hewing techniques involved, and their usage.

'Above all, though, we were fascinated by the settings in which the boulders were found and their association to burial ceremonies.'

According to the researchers pounding on the boulders would have been heard from great distances away and could have played a central role in burial ceremonies.

They claim it suggests the Natufian culture may even have been connected together through a single system of ceremonies and beliefs.

The researchers added: 'The members of the Natufian culture lived during a period of change, and their communal burial and commemorative ceremonies played an important role in enhancing the sense of affiliation and cohesion among the members of the community.'

The remains of Natufian settlements and burial sites have been found at several sites around Israel and the surrounding countries, including Jorda, as shown in the map above

The remains of Natufian settlements and burial sites have been found at several sites around Israel and the surrounding countries, including Jorda, as shown in the map above

The presence of the giant mortar stones buried alongside graves, as shown above, has puzzled archaeologists for decades, but the researchers claim their presence may have been in part due to the sound they produced when struck

The presence of the giant mortar stones buried alongside graves, as shown above, has puzzled archaeologists for decades, but the researchers claim their presence may have been in part due to the sound they produced when struck

 

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