Archaeologists Israel have conducted an unusual discovery in the Negev desert: Three Burial Christians 1500 years with unique characters made of black wood and bones with clear characteristics of Africa. Discovering the light of poor research pages of the region's history. The research was published in the scientific journal 'Atiqot.
Among the discovered subjects, experts are particularly interested in two miniature sculptures from Ceylon Black Tree – extremely rare material for this area.
A character describes a woman with a typical facial feature of Africa, the other – a man with long hair. The three additional numbers are made of bone. All of them are probably used as a pendant and can symbolize the ancestor of the buried person.
The burial belongs to two women 18-30 years old and a 6-8 year old child. The similarity of the style of black characters in the two tombs shows the relationship between buried – perhaps they are a mother and a child.
Archaeologists note that black trees can penetrate Negev through Byzantine trade routes with India and Sri Lanka, which has actively developed since the 4th century AD, the reality of the presence of such artifacts during the Burial Ceremony shows the conservation of ancient traditions.
Tel-Malhat, where they are open, is known as an important trading center of ancient times. New antiques confirm that in the Byzantine period, there was a multinational community may include immigrants from Africa.