Ancient ‘slaves’ were craftsmen

Jerusalem: Iron Age copper smelters were skilled craftsmen who enjoyed high social status and adulation, scientists say. In 1934, American archaeologist Nelson Glueck named one of the largest known copper production sites of the Levant “Slaves’ Hill”. This hilltop station, located deep in Israel’s Arava Valley, seemed to bear all the marks of an Iron Age slave camp - fiery furnaces, harsh desert conditions, and a massive barrier preventing escape. New evidence uncovered by Tel Aviv University archaeologists, however, overturns this entire narrative. In the course of ongoing excavations at Timna Valley, Dr Erez Ben- Yosef and Dr Lidar Sapir- Hen of TAU’s Department of Archaeology and Near Eastern Cultures analysed remnants of food eaten by copper smelters 3,000 years ago. The result of this analysis indicates that the labourers were in fact skilled craftsmen, who enjoyed high social status and adulation. They believe their discovery may have ramifications for similar sites.