JERUSALEM, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) -- Israeli archaeologists have discovered a 35,000-year-old prehistoric ritual complex in Manot Cave, Western Galilee, said a joint statement on Tuesday by the Israel Antiquities Authority and three Israeli universities.

The site described in the journal PNAS, being one of the earliest communal worship locations globally and the first in the ancient Levant, signifies the evolution from individual to organized religious practices, and provides insights into the spiritual life of Paleolithic hunter-gatherers, which values the role of rituals and symbols in social cohesion, said the researchers.

The complex, enclosed by stalagmites, includes a rock with turtle-shell-like engravings, possibly a totem placed in a niche to symbolize rebirth and renewal. Ash remains indicate the use of fire for illumination, and the site's natural acoustics suggest it was used for communal activities, the researchers said.

Artifacts such as flint tools and shell beads, indicative of the Aurignacian culture, along with a deer antler likely related to the cave's rituals, were also found near the site, they added. Enditem

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