A new study in the Journal of Archaeological Science analyzes 1,500 ivory artifacts from the Southern Levant and concludes that most originated in Nubia during the Late Bronze and Iron Ages (ca. 1600–600 BC). The researchers conducted molecular analysis of the artifacts and determined that about 85% of the objects were made from elephant ivory and nearly 15% from hippopotamus. Three of the artifacts were made from boar tusks. Carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis further indicated that the animals’ diets—and thus, the ivory—came from sub-Saharan Africa, specifically ancient Nubia (which included modern Sudan). The authors conclude that these ivories reached the Southern Levant through Nubian trade networks that operated independently of Egypt or other centralized powers for roughly a millennium. The Bible likewise records significant trade activity during the reign of Solomon (1 Kgs 9:26, 10:22) and notes the use of ivory among royalty and elites (1 Kgs 10:18, 22:39; Am 6:4).
Source: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0305440325002158
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