Raqefet Cave

Raqefet Cave (Cyclamen Cave) is a Late Natufian archaeological site located in Mount Carmel in the north of Israel.

History
Raqefet Cave was discovered in 1956. The site indicates plants were already used as food here before the advent of agriculture.

Remains in one of the chambers of the cave suggest the production of beer during the occupation of the cave. The earliest archaeological evidence of fermentation consists of 13,000-year-old residues of a beer with the consistency of gruel, used by the semi-nomadic Natufians for ritual feasting, at the Raqefet Cave.

Earlier levels at Raqefet include remains from the Levantine Aurignacian. Earlier Mousterian remains were also found at Site 187.

In 2020, incised slabs were discovered at Raqefet Cave, with a human figure most likely shown as dancing.