Fishing net with sinkers
Red de pesca con pesas
- Date
- c. 21 ka · confidence low
- Place
- Ohalo II, Sea of Galilee, Israel
- Credited to
- Homo sapiens (Kebaran)
- Field
- Tools
⚠️ Disputed: the sources disagree.
What it is
Twisted and knotted fibres and notched pebbles (weights) found alongside thousands of small fish, suggesting net fishing. The Pavlov impressions (27 ka) show knotted mesh.
The oldest surviving net is that of Antrea (Karelia, c. 8300 BCE), already outside this period.
What it led to
- Mass, non-selective catches: a fishable surplus with little effort
- Collective work of weaving and maintaining nets
- Intensive exploitation of lakes and rivers: riverside villages
Built on
- Systematic shellfish exploitationc. 164 ka
- Barbed bone harpoonc. 90 ka
- Open-sea crossing to Sahul (watercraft)c. 65 ka
- Cordage (twisted fibre string)c. 50 ka
- Woven plant-fibre textilesc. 27 ka
- Shell fishhookc. 23 ka
- Cordage (twisted fibre string)
- Woven plant-fibre textiles