Camel Hill, a rock resembling a kneeling camel, surges prominently on the edge of the Crater, just south of the southern neighborhoods of Mizpe Ramon.
At its foot, there is a fascinating archeological site. It was excavated and documented in the early 1990s, by Prof. Steve Rosen of Ben-Gurion University.
The projected construction of the Camel Hill neighborhood in proximity to the Hill would have destroyed the site. Keshet, together with Dead Sea and Arava Science Center and the Society for the Protection of Nature, collaborated to have the construction plan amended.
After it was decided to preserve the archeological site, Keshet coordinated the restoration efforts.
Between 2008 and 2010, two archeological youth camps were organized, in cooperation with the Field School youth groups. The pre-historic people that lived in the area of Mitzpe Ramon – shepherds, hunters, and gatherers of the early Bronze Age (3rd millennium BC) – used and traded various shards of distinctive and rare rock, sourced from the heart of the Crater. Thousands of artifacts were documented in the different rooms identified in the dig – ostrich egg beads, flint drill heads, obsidian beads, grinding stones, and copper dross, all pointing to the ancients pursuit of small industry and commerce.
At that time, Prof. Rosen said: “In addition to its scientific importance, the Camel Hill site reflects life in Mitzpe Ramon as it was 5000 years ago. It can be an opportunity for this community – a source for pride, a subject of interest and a focal point of identification for modern inhabitants”.
The project was sponsored by the Sheli Foundation
