Strata: What Is It?

A. Canaanite dough hook

B. Iron knife

C. Bronze fishhook

D. Egyptian sickle

E. Cloak hook

Answer: (C) Bronze fishhook

Discovered in the Carmel coast shipwreck south of Haifa alongside a thousand-plus metal objects was this bronze third-century A.D. fishhook, one of 33.¹ It was partially coated in lead, so that the hook would sink in water.

In antiquity—just like the present—the hook would have been attached to a line, which was connected to a rod, and cast from a boat or shoreline. These hooks would have typically been baited with either food or a lure that resembled an escaping fish.

Because fishing tools have not changed much over time, fishing gear needs to be dated according to other artifacts found in conjunction with it. The date of this Carmel coast shipwreck was determined by the coins found among the wreckage—giving a third-century date.