In the deepest, darkest reaches of a cave in northern Israel lies a boulder carved to resemble a tortoise shell. Its deep ...

The “cosmic turtle”, which holds countries, or even the entire world on its back, appears in creation myths across the globe.

Manot Cave, first unearthed by accident in 2008 during condominium construction near the Israel-Lebanon border, has been a ...

The carved boulder dates to the Early Upper Paleolithic ... “Its special location, far from the daily activities near the cave entrance, suggests that it was an object of worship.” ...

Although there may be some earlier evidence of ritual practices by modern humans, such as the 40,000-year-old "lion man" stone figurine from a cave in Germany, the study noted that the boulder in the ...

“Its special location, far from the daily activities near the cave entrance, suggests that it ... of the engraving indicated that it was carved by humans using sharp flint tools to resemble ...

Carving represents only the second figurative animal depiction from this period found in the region, indicating early ...

The new findings suggest that Manot Cave’s deepest chamber was likely a gathering space for rituals that enhanced social ...

Sentinels at the front of the cultic area in Manot Cave - view towards the cave entrance (Photo credit: Assaf Peretz, Israel ...

Archaeologists excavating a paleolithic cave site in Galilee, Israel, have found evidence that a deep-cave compound at the ...