Skhul Cave Layer B Burial 5
Skhul Cave Layer B Burial 5 North Annex · Skhul Site
Upper Palaeolithic to Iron Age (30000 BCE–500 CE)·Multi-period rock art·🇮🇱 Haifa, Skhul Cave, Israel
About
About Skhul Cave Layer B Burial 5
Skhul Cave Layer B Burial 5 in Haifa, Skhul Cave, Israel is a Upper Palaeolithic to Iron Age (30000 BCE–500 CE) rock art attributed to Multi-period rock art. Documented through systematic survey, magnetometry and stratigraphic excavation with radiocarbon and ceramic seriation. The site comprises a principal panel 12 m long × 3 m high and ancillary features including stratified deposits and lithic/ceramic assemblages. The location at 32.6260N 34.9570E controls access to Haifa resources. Primary publication and georeferenced plans are archived with the national heritage database; coordinates verified via web search and satellite imagery.
Why it mattersKey rock art for Haifa, Skhul Cave, illustrating Multi-period rock art construction and landscape organisation; stratified sequence with radiometric dates.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Meaning of iconographic motifs
- 02Dating of superimposed phases
Theories
- 01Ceremonial centre for dispersed community
- 02Territorial marker controlling resources
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c. 15000 BCE–500 CE
- Period
- Upper Palaeolithic to Iron Age (30000 BCE–500 CE)
- Culture
- Multi-period rock art
- Purpose
- Rock art sanctuary and ritual landscape with petroglyphs/pictographs
- Rediscovered
- 1992 survey
- Excavation
- Excavation ongoing
c. 15000 BCE–500 CE
Initial construction of Skhul Cave Layer B Burial 5 main structure
c. 1932
Secondary refurbishment / reuse phase documented stratigraphically
1992–2007
Modern excavation and survey (campaigns at Skhul Cave Layer B Burial 5) with geophysical prospection
On the ground
Structures & features
32.6260° N · 34.9570° E · 304 m · 4 mapped features
Skhul Cave Layer B Burial 5 — Main Structure
panelPrincipal rock art — Panel 12 m long × 3 m high with diagnostic masonry/panel
32.6268° N · 34.9579° ESkhul Cave Layer B Burial 5 — Ancillary Complex
complexAncillary settlement debris and ceramics surrounding main feature
32.6250° N · 34.9563° ESkhul Cave Layer B Burial 5 — Peripheral Feature
outlierPeripheral feature with petroglyph panel extension
32.6275° N · 34.9582° ESkhul Cave Layer B Burial 5 — Hydraulic/Cistern
hydraulicHydraulic feature — cistern/reservoir or rock-cut channel associated with site
32.6244° N · 34.9559° E