Ancient Roman Technique Discovered 8,000 Years Earlier, Study Says

Researchers at the Neolithic site of Motza near Jerusalem found evidence of dolomite-based plaster production about 9,000 years ago.

The plaster was likely made in specialized kilns, showing a sophisticated building-material process long before the Roman Empire.

This pushes the technology’s known history back by roughly 8,000 years and challenges the idea that Romans were the first to use it.

The finding suggests prehistoric builders in the Judean Hills had more advanced material knowledge than previously recognized.