The study focused specifically on the late Middle Paleolithic period, when ancient hunter-gatherers attempted to navigate intense environmental shifts in the South Caucasus region.
The fragment, found at the ancient Hittite capital of Hattusha, contains provisions on people fleeing between Egypt and Hatti and the protection of their homes.
The circular enclosure measures 230 meters in diameter, featuring a ditch over 2.5 meters deep and 12 irregularly spaced entrances that align with key solar and lunar cycles.
The discovery was made during five seasons of excavations, directed by Prof. Uzi Leibner and Prof. Orit Peleg-Barkat of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s Institute of Archaeology.
Additionally, the mission found the remains of a mudbrick residential complex in the area surrounding the temple, along with a series of stone blocks and statue fragments.
While the tomb itself had been previously known, discovered by French archaeologist Auguste Mariette in the nineteenth century, the chapels found within it were not.
The codex will be on display until December. As part of the exchange, Mexico will loan France another important historical document, the Codex Boturini.
“Inside a copper box, we found an extremely thin gold sheet, only 0.1 millimeters thick, most likely carrying a passage from the Bible,” said Michele Ruzgar Massa of Bilkent University.
Discovering the mikvah, as well as stone measuring vessels, provides direct evidence of the existence of a Jewish settlement in the area at the time.
Hadrian’s statue is depicted wearing military garb, with the features of a lion and eagle carved into the emperor’s armor.
Medieval Georgian chronicles date Tbilisi's founding to the 4th century, when Vakhtang I ruled over the kingdom of Kartli in what is now eastern Georgia.
