He points to the center of the table where his metal cups are. The archaeologists look stunned.
NAVEH (VOICE OVER)
And now I need your help to understand what it is, and don’t tell me that these are vessels that were used for some ritual, because they are not, these are bookcases with very wide shelves and many thousands of cups on them. All of them have a thick layer of dust. In many sections, there are only empty shelves, while in others, without explanation, there are dozens or hundreds of cups stacked on them, and there are shelves where the cups are stacked in layers and in large quantities.
The projector shows photographs of several bookcases in different states, some of them empty,some with few cups, some of them with mountains of cups. The archaeologists look at each other. It is obvious that they have no idea. One of them leans over and takes one of the cups. He runs his finger over the edges of his pocket. After a few seconds he passes the cup to the other archaeologists for examination.
ARCHAEOLOGIST
I have no idea.
The others nod their heads as well, as a sign of agreement with him.
SECOND ARCHAEOLOGIST
What material are the cups made of?
NAVEH
The metallurgy department said that it is a type of tin, which was already used in ancient times. Note that the edges of the cups are not as polished as they are today…
ARCHAEOLOGIST
What the hell could it be?