Girl finds rare ancient fork at 1,500-year-old dig site near Sea of Galilee

An elaborate earing and a very rare bronze fork were recently discovered at the archaeological excavation site of an ancient Jewish village near the Sea of Galilee.

The findings were made by members of the public at Korazim National Park, located a few kilometers north of the freshwater lake. The park houses the remains of a Jewish town estimated to be around 1,500 years old, from the Talmudic period.

In recent years the park has hosted activities allowing the general public to take part in work to uncover the village, and during the Passover holiday many families took part in work at the remains of a residential building.

“One of the girls called to me and said she’d found something interesting,” said dig overseer Ahia Cohen-Tavor. “I didn’t know what to expect because there are many surprises when you dig. But I didn’t expect this at all — a fork! I’d never seen a fork at digs, or in the professional literature. Sometimes you find simple iron knives, but utensils are generally very rare.”

Cohen-Tavor said archaeologists believe this is because the most commonly used utensil was wooden spoons, and these did not survive.

“I checked with other archaeologists and they’ve never found a fork either,” he said.

People visit Korazim National Park, home to an ancient Jewish village believed to be from the Talmudic period (Ahia Cohen-Tavor/Nature and Parks Authority)

He added that the fork was decorated in a complicated technique that indicated it was a very valuable possession.

“As we continue the dig in this room we will try to understand what the room was used for and why the fork was found specifically there.”

Also discovered at the site was an earing with connected medallions, pottery shards, glass vessels and the remains of animals raised by the locals.