Israeli archaeologists have uncovered a 1,200-year-old clay jug adorned with camel decorations in an underground cave in southern Israel's Yatir Forest, the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) announced Thursday.

The red-painted jug, likely used for storing liquids, was found near remnants of an ancient village in the forest, one of the world's largest human-made woodlands in a semi-arid region bordering the Negev Desert.

The archaeologists noted the camel imagery highlights the animal's vital role during the Abbasid rule of ancient Israel in the 9th-10th centuries.

Unlike a reliance on ships or carts during the Roman and Byzantine periods, camels dominated desert routes as the primary carriers in the Islamic period, becoming critical for trade and economy, they said.

According to the IAA, the cave also housed an ancient olive press, where massive stones and a wooden screw were used to extract oil. 

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