Oil-lamp wicks dating back four millennia, making them among the oldest ever discovered, have been unearthed in an archaeological dig in central Israel, the Israel Antiquities Authority announced on Sunday.

The ancient wicks were preserved inside clay lamps used for illumination in the Intermediate Bronze Age (c. 2500–2000 BCE), according to the IAA. They were uncovered two years ago near the central Israeli city of Yehud just north of Ben-Gurion International Airport during an excavation ahead of the establishment of a new neighborhood in the city.

The find was especially rare due to its location in the humid coastal plain; wicks are generally destroyed by use or decompose in the soil.

“ This is a unique discovery that we did not expect could ever be found in the moist Mediterranean c

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