Israeli archaeologists claim to discover ancient city

Israeli archaeologists say they have discovered a large, 5,000-year-old city in northern Israel. Israel's Antiquities Authority said Sunday the ancient city was discovered during preparations for a highway project near Harish, a town 50 kilometers (30 miles) north of Tel Aviv.

It calls the site a "cosmopolitan and planned city" that dates to the early Bronze Age. It says the city covered 65 hectares (160 acres) and was home to about 6,000 people. Researchers say they discovered an unusual ritual temple, burnt animal bones — evidence of sacrificial offerings — and a figurine of a human head as well as pottery fragments, flint tools and stone vessels.

Researchers say the discoveries provide new insight into their understanding of the period when rural populations began to gather into urban settings. 

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