[AP/Washington Post] Matti Friedman - Archeologists digging in northern Israel have discovered evidence of a 3,000-year-old honey industry, including remnants of ancient honeycombs, beeswax and what they believe are the oldest intact beehives ever found. The findings in the ruins of the city of Rehov include 30 intact hives dating to around 900 BCE, said archaeologist Amihai Mazar of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The beehives, made of straw and unbaked clay, have a hole at one end to allow the bees in and out and a lid on the other end to allow beekeepers access to the honeycombs inside. They were found in orderly rows, three high, in a room that could have accommodated around 100 hives. The Bible repeatedly refers to Israel as a "land of milk and honey."
2007-09-05 01:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive