BEIJING, Sept. 5 (Xinhuanet) -- Israeli archaeologists have discovered an evidence of a 3,000-year-old beekeeping industry in northern Israel, said a Hebrew University professor on Tuesday, offering unique proof that an advanced honey industry existed in the Holy Land at the time of the Bible.

    30 intact hives dating to around 900 B.C. were found in excavations at Tel Rehov in northern Israel this summer, archaeologist Amihai Mazar of Jerusalem's Hebrew University said.

    The beehives, made of straw and unbaked clay, have a hole at one end to allow the bees in and out and a lid on the other end to allow beekeepers access to the honeycombs inside.

    They were found in orderly rows in a room that could have accommodated around 100 hives, Mazar said.

    The Bible repeatedly refers to Israel as a "land of milk and honey," but that's believed to refer to honey made from dates and figs — there is no mention of honeybee cultivation.

    But the new find shows that the Holy Land was home to a highly developed beekeeping industry nearly 3,000 years ago. 

    Tel Rehov is believed to have been one of the most important cities of Israel during the Israelite monarchy. The beehives were found in the center of a built-up area there that has been excavated since 1997.

    Beekeeping was widely practiced in the ancient world, where honey was used for medicinal and religious purposes as well as for food, and beeswax was used to make molds for metal and to create surfaces to write on.

(Agencies)