35,000-year-old turtle sculpture in Israeli cave may be earliest sign of ritual behavior

A mysterious turtle-shaped rock sculpture, carved over 35,000 years ago, has been discovered deep within Manot Cave in Galilee, Israel, suggesting that prehistoric humans in the region may have engaged in worship practices centered around this enigmatic creature. The finding, which represents only the second figurative depiction of an animal from this period found in the region, may indicate ritualistic gatherings and the earliest known evidence of religious behavior in the Levant, according to The Telegraph.

The research was published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) on Monday by a team of three Israeli researchers. Manot Cave, discovered in 2008 by workers building residential structures near Israel's border with Lebanon, has been used for thousands of years as a living space by both Neanderthals and modern humans at different times.

The turtle sculpture appears to have been the focal point of a sacred chamber deep within the cave, with several clues indicating a ritual purpose for the turtle shell-shaped rock. In the deepest part of Manot Cave, there is a large cavern that may have been used for rituals that enhanced social cohesion among prehistoric humans, with evidence suggesting a distinct ritual purpose.

The turtle sculpture was placed prominently in a niche and carved from a dolomite boulder. Weighing 28 kilograms, the boulder aligns neatly against the wall of the cave with its uncarved side facing the wall. The incisions curve with the shape of the boulder, creating a three-dimensional depiction reminiscent of a tortoise shell, The Telegraph reported.

A ring of wood ash dated to the same period was found, confirming human activity in that part of the cave. The researchers dated the incisions on the dolomite boulder to 37,000–35,000 years ago and puzzled over what the rows of polygons and chevrons carved into it may have meant for our ancestors.

The significance of the turtle sculpture is unknown. "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, who led the team.

"Its special location, far from the daily activities near the cave entrance, suggests that it was an object of worship," he added.

Turtles and tortoises appear in religions and myths throughout Asia, Africa, North America, and the Indian subcontinent, and are thought to represent longevity and strength. The "cosmic turtle", which holds countries or even the entire world on its back, appears in creation myths across the globe.

In Hindu mythology, the World Turtle, known as Akupara, Kurma, or Kurmaraja, holds up mountains or embodies the known universe. In Chinese mythology, the goddess Nuwa used the legs of a giant sea turtle to prop up the sky after the mountain supporting the heavens was damaged. Zulu folklore holds that many countries of the world are held on a tortoise's shell, and some Native North Americans believed that eclipses happened when the "great turtle which holds up the Earth" changed position in the heavens.

The Western Caspian turtle and the spur-thighed tortoise were known to inhabit the Levant during the period that Manot Cave was occupied. The slowness of these tortoises made them easy prey, and in some cases, their remains made up 30 percent of the animal bones found at inhabited sites. Tortoise remains commonly exhibit signs of cooking, butchery, and processing marks. Tortoise shells may have been used as containers by prehistoric people in the region.

Manot Cave has previously yielded significant archaeological finds, including a 55,000-year-old skull that provided physical evidence of interbreeding between Neanderthals and Homo sapiens. The skull, which has characteristics of both species, has been linked to the last major migration of Homo sapiens from Africa to Eurasia.

"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. 

This article was written in collaboration with generative AI company Alchemiq