Discover of ancient 5,500 year old factory confirms key part of Bible

An ancient blade factory, dating back 5,500 years, has been unearthed in Israel, shedding new light on the existence of a people mentioned in the Bible.

The Canaanite workshop was found in Kiryat Gat, a city about 40 miles south of Tel Aviv, according to a Facebook post by the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) in late July.

"The most impressive findings discovered at the site are large flint cores, from which extremely sharp, uniformly shaped blades were produced," the IAA said. "The blades themselves were used as knives for cutting and butchering, and as harvesting tools, like sickle blades."

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The remnants of this ancient workplace were dug up at the city's Nahal Qomem archaeological site. It consists of hundreds of underground pits once used for crafting the blades and storing the weapons.

The research teams found long flint blades and large stones used to shape and mould the stoneware into weapons, reports the Mirror US.

These artefacts will be displayed at the Jay and Jeanie Schottenstein National Campus for the Archaeology of Israel in Jerusalem.

The IAA has connected the discovery to the "Canaanite blade industry."

The Canaanites were an ancient people described in the Bible as living in the region before the Israelites.

Archaeologists have revealed the tools discovered are in line with the material culture of Canaan during Abraham's era, demonstrating the advanced technology of the time. "Only exceptional individuals" had the skills to create Canaanite blades, according to the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA).

The find bolsters our historical understanding of craftsmanship and urbanisation during the Bronze Age in Israel, the IAA added.

"This is clear evidence that already at the onset of the Bronze Age, the local society here was organised and complex, and had professional specialisation," the organisation said.

"The discovery of a sophisticated workshop indicates a society with a complex social and economic structure already at the beginning of the Early Bronze Age."

In April, archaeologists announced they had unearthed evidence confirming an ancient biblical battle at a site known as 'Armageddon'.

Megiddo is also believed to be the location where the final battle between the kings of Earth and God will occur, marking the last conflict between good and evil before the Day of Judgement.

"Megiddo is the only site in Israel and the neighbouring countries mentioned in the bible and in all great records of the Ancient Near East," said Professor Israel Finkelstein, head of the School of Archaeology and Maritime Cultures at the University of Haifa and long-time director of the Megiddo Expedition, as reported by the Times of Israel.