Farmstead remnants uncovered in Israel date back 2,100 years, suggesting that the proprietors fled the area to avert an oncoming military assault.

In a statement, archaeologist Amani Abu-Hamid, who is conducting the excavation for the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA), said, “We were very lucky to discover a time-capsule, frozen in time, in which the finds remained where they were left by the occupants of the site.”

The excavators unearthed ancient, still-intact storage jars, as well as weights for weaving, and looms on a shelf, implying that whoever lived there left them behind when they hurriedly fled.

“It seems that they left in haste in face of an impending danger, possibly the threat of a military attack,” Abu-Hamid added.

The archaeologists have no idea who resided there, although it’s probable they were Seleucid Empire citizens fleeing an invasion of the area by armies of the Hasmonean State, a Jewish kingdom located in Jerusalem to the south.

“We know from the historical sources, that in this period, the Judean Hasmonean kingdom expanded into the Galilee, and it is possible that the farmstead was abandoned in the wake of these events,” Abu-Hamid explained.

The team also discovered agricultural implements at the site, including iron picks and scythes, as well as coins that have been provisionally dated to the second century B.C.

According to the IAA statement, nothing is known about daily life during the Hasmonean period, and essentially nothing is known about the people who resided at the farmstead. However, the enormous number of loom weights indicates that weaving was a significant task, and the occupants were likely to keep sheep or goats. “More research is required to determine the identity of the inhabitants of the site,” Abu-Hamid stated.

The excavations have also uncovered evidence of a much earlier settlement at the site, including building foundations and ceramic vessels dating from the ninth and tenth centuries B.C. The pottery artifacts were initially dated based on their style, according to The Times of Israel; in the meantime, organic samples were sent for carbon-14 dating.

Archaeologists found the old farm at a place called Horbat Assad, which is east of the Sea of Galilee. They were doing research for a planned water pipeline from the Mediterranean coast that would cost $270 million. The new pipeline is part of a project to get fresh water from the sea and send it to farms in Israel and nearby countries.

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