Archaeologists have unearthed remarkable artifacts from an ancient African Christian community in Israel. The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) announced the finds on May 14, 2025, revealing objects discovered at Tel Malhata in the Negev Desert. This location was historically a crossroads for merchants from the Arabian Peninsula, India, and Africa.
These items, including figurines with human faces, jugs, and pottery fragments, were found in 1,500-year-old graves of women and children. Other burial offerings included glassware, bronze bracelets, and jewelry made of stone and alabaster. The burials followed ancient Christian traditions, with the figurines described as "heads of African figures, carved in black wood."
Researchers suggest the figurines indicate a Christian community lived in Southern Israel around 1,500 years ago, possibly with members from Africa. The figurines, carved from bone and ebony wood (sourced from southern India and Sri Lanka), depict men and women with African features and were likely worn around the neck. The IAA considers the discovery of African figurines in Christian graves in Israel a rare find, deepening the understanding of the region's cultural diversity 1,500 years ago.