Archaeologists digging in northern Israel have discovered evidence of a 3,000-year-old beekeeping industry, including remnants of ancient honeycombs, beeswax and what they believe are the oldest intact beehives ever found.The findings in the ruins of the city of Rehov this summer include 30 intact hives dating to around 900 B.C., archaeologist Amihai Mazar of Jerusalem’s Hebrew University told The Associated Press. He said it offers unique evidence that an advanced honey industry existed in the Holy Land at the time of the Bible.Beekeeping was widely practiced in the ancient world, where honey used for medicinal and religious purposes as well as for food, and beeswax was used to make molds for metal and to create surfaces to write on. While bees and beekeeping are depicted in ancient artwork, nothing similar to the Rehov hives has ever been found before, Mazar said.

The beehives, made of straw and unbaked clay, have a hole at one end to allow the bees in and out and a lid on the other end to allow beekeepers access to the honeycombs inside. They were found in orderly rows, three high, in a room that could have accommodated around 100 hives, Mazar said.The Bible repeatedly refers to Israel as a “land of milk and honey,” but that’s believed to refer to honey made from dates and figs — there is no mention of honeybee cultivation. But the new find shows that the Holy Land was home to a highly developed beekeeping industry nearly 3,000 years ago.

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/20588417

This post has been edited by DSTM: Sep 6 2007, 07:07 AM

I saw that last night. I think its pretty neat.

<Homer>Mmmm... honey *drool*</Homer>

The ancient Egyptians would place scented beeswax cones on their heads so that as it melted from the heat, it would give off a pleasant odor.
Z

My two cents.
I find this interesting but a waste of my money to study dead and gone cultures.
I don't really care what they did back when. It has done nothing to contribute to how disfunctional we still are today.
We are going around in circles and civilization will never change.
Heck I'm gald they knew how to harvest from nature, but that does nothing to improve society today right?
But in last regards, boy do I like honey!!!!


Love & Peace,
John