12,000 Year Old Shaman Burial

[Marianne Kiendl]

Hilazon Tachtit is a small cave site located on the right bank of the Hilazon river in the western Galilee region of northern Israel, where at least 28 burials were placed during the Natufian period. One of these burials has been interpreted as a shaman; adjacent to her burial is a pit which scholars believe represents the remainder of a feast, the earliest evidence to date of such activities.

The cave is located about 14 kilometers (~8.5 miles) from the Mediterranean Sea and 200 meters above current sea levels. Hilazon Tachtit is 10 km (6 mi) from Hayonim and 45 km (28 mi) from Kebara Cave. Within the cave are four tightly clustered, dome-shaped chambers which were formed by karstic activity dissolving hard limestone laid down between the Eocene and Miocene epochs. The cave includes an area of about 100 square meters (~1,000 square feet).

Radiocarbon dates for the use of the cave were obtained from charcoal samples within the site, and they range from 10,500-10,700 RCYBP (12,520-12,610 cal