<p>Israeli archaeologists are scratching their heads over a possible 8,500-year-old murder mystery after discovering two skeletons at the bottom of an ancient well.<br /><br />Yotam Tepper, who directed the excavation on behalf of the Israeli Antiquity Authority, said the find is very important, as it is one of the oldest wells in the region.<br /><br />"We find here a well from the neolithic period, it is dated to 8,000 years ago," Tepper said.<br /><br />But archaeologists cannot explain why the skeletal remains of a woman, believed by archaeologists to have been aged about 20, and those of an older man were also uncovered deep inside the now-dry well.<br /><br />"We find in the bottom of the well, two skeletons, one of a woman, 20 years old and an older man around 30-40 years old, and we find them dead inside the well. We don't know the reason why, we have to study those questions. Also we found a lot of bones and a lot of other material that we can study later on. It will be very important to understand the agriculture around this settlement," Tepper said.<br /><br />Flint sickle blades and arrowheads found in the eight-metre (26 foot)-deep Stone Age well in the Jezreel Valley in Israel's Galilee region, suggest it was used by the area's first farmers.<br /><br />"We find a lot of flint tools, this one (being held by Tepper) is a tool used for the corridor (shaft) of the well, the neolithic period is before the metal," Tepper added.</p>
