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Description
These copper objects are part of one of the most famous hoards of objects ever found in the region. The hoard consisted of over 400 items that were found hidden in a cave high in a cliff overlooking Nahal Mishmar, a seasonal river bed near En Gedi, in the Judaean Desert. The fine workmanship and uncommon use of the metal objects suggests that they had been taken from a cultic center, although their exact significance and use is unknown. The pottery found with them dated to 3,500 BCE, and some have suggested that the objects came from a Chalcolithic temple that was found 6 miles away. These objects were made using the 'lost wax' process, in which wax was carved into the shape of the artifact, encased in clay, and fired, causing the wax to melt and the clay to harden. Molten copper was then poured into the clay form.