Copper Mace Heads, c. 4500–3200 BCE

Chalcolithic Era (c. 4500–3200 B.C.E.) Copper mace heads (which were placed at the end of a heavy shaft and used to bludgeon opponents) found in the Cave of the Treasure in the Nahal Mishmar, approximately 10 km southwest of Ein-Gedi on the shore of the Dead Sea. Some 240 mace heads of varying sizes were found in the cave. They were discovered by Pessah Bar-Adon. Also found in the cave- scepters, crowns and other objects—all from the Chalcolithic period.

“How Ancient Man First Utilized the Rivers in the Desert,” BAR Nov-Dec 1990.