Publications

The site of Manot Cave in western Galilee, Israel, has been a focus of research on the Levantine Upper Paleolithic since its discovery in 2008. Thick archaeological accumulations and good preservation of organic remains, including charcoal fragments, provided a stable base for the study of the Upper Paleolithic chrono-cultural sequence, alongside the paleoenvironmental conditions at the time of human occupations. Past research indicated the presence of at least three cultural entities in the cave: Early Ahmarian, Levantine Aurignacian, and a younger entity temporarily referred to as ‘post-Levantine Aurignacian’, while radiocarbon and isotope dating provided a preliminary chronological frame ca. 46–34 ky calBP. This paper presents a comprehensive study of the unpublished, in-situ occupation layers identified near the entrance to the cave (Area E). This study, encompassing stratigraphic reconstruction and lithic analysis of eight distinct occupation layers, presents a refined chronological frame and revised cultural affiliations. It suggests a division of the sequence from Area E into three main occupation phases: Phase 3, containing a combination of technological and typological attributes comparable to both the Early Ahmarian and Levantine Aurignacian, to which a secure cultural affiliation is pending further research; Phase 2, containing ‘classic’ Levantine Aurignacian industries, dated ca. 37.5–36.0 ky calBP; and Phase 1, contains industries with increasing microlithic dominance, and the prominent presence of truncation burins and items with lateral carination, affiliated here with the Atlitian of the Levantine Mediterranean region. Radiocarbon chronology indicates a maximum age of ca. 34.5–33.1 ky calBP for this occupation phase. This study establishes Manot Cave as a key site for the study of Levantine Upper Paleolithic cultural dynamics, providing a unique, well-dated sequence and comparable techno-typological data of the flint industries.

Spatial and temporal variations in the atmospheric bomb radiocarbon make it a very useful tracer and a dating tool. With the introduction of more atmospheric bomb radiocarbon records, the spatial and temporal changes in bomb radiocarbon are becoming clearer. Bomb radiocarbon record from a pine tree in the northern Israel region shows that the Δ¹⁴C level in the region is closer to the northern hemisphere zone (NH) 1 as compared to the northern hemisphere zone (NH) 2. A comparison of this pine's Δ¹⁴C record with a nearby olive tree's Δ¹⁴C values also highlights changes in the growing season of the olive wood from one year to the other. The observation suggests that olive wood ¹⁴C ages can show offset compared to the IntCal curve, and thus they should be interpreted cautiously.

The Epipalaeolithic Natufian Culture (latest Pleistocene Levant, ca. 15,000–11,500 cal bp) represents relatively sedentary and complex foraging societies, but the plant communities near their most intensively occupied hamlets (in the Mediterranean region of the southern Levant) are not well known. Here we present the charcoal and seed assemblages, and direct radiocarbon dating of select specimens, from el-Wad Terrace, Mount Carmel, Israel, a thick and multi-layered Early to Late Natufian sequence. Wood remains indicate an East Mediterranean oak forest/maquis, with varying ratios of evergreen and deciduous oak types as primary components of the local environment, as well as almond and buckthorn. The highest density of remains is in the architectural phase of the Early Natufian, when the site was very intensively inhabited (15,000–13,800 cal bp). In this phase, wood and seed remains are distributed all over the residential area, conforming to patterns of other finds that show primary discard and no rigid partitioning of space. Comparison of the seed assemblages to Kebara Cave, a Middle Palaeolithic site in the same geographic setting, points to an elevated use of cereals in the Natufian. Our data provide insights into several chronological, spatial and behavioural patterns, which emerge along the Natufian sequence at the site.

Anthropogenic calcite is a form of calcium carbonate produced through pyrotechnological activities, and it is the main component of materials such as lime binders and wood ash. This type of calcite is characterized by a significantly lower degree of crystallinity compared with its geogenic counterparts, as a result of different formation processes. The crystallinity of calcite can be determined using infrared spectroscopy in transmission mode, which allows decoupling particle size effect from atomic order and thus effectively distinguish anthropogenic and geogenic calcites. On the contrary, Raman micro-spectroscopy is still in the process of developing a reference framework for the assessment of crystallinity in calcite. Band broadening has been identified as one of the proxies for crystallinity in the Raman spectra of geogenic and anthropogenic calcites. Here we analyze the full width at half maximum of calcite bands in various geogenic and anthropogenic materials, backed against an independent crystallinity reference based on infrared spectroscopy. Results are then used to assess the crystallinity of anthropogenic calcite in archaeological lime binders characterized by different states of preservation, including samples affected by the formation of secondary calcite, and tested on micromorphology thin sections in which lime binders are embedded in sediments.

The north-western Negev is an under-researched ecotonal region. We excavated two late Middle Palaeolithic open-air sites and recovered rich lithic industries that could be refitted, as well as remains of fauna, and charcoal. Palaeoenvironmental information and dates indicate interesting inter-site differences.

The Levantine Early Upper Paleolithic (ca. 45–30 ka) has been a focus of research because of its unique position as a conduit of human, flora, and fauna species between Africa and Eurasia. Studies have mainly focused on the Early Ahmarian and Levantine Aurignacian, two entities, the former endemic and the latter foreign, which are considered to have coinhabited the region during that period. However, other cultural entities, such as the Atlitian in the Mediterranean region and the Arkov-Divshon in the arid regions of the southern Levant received less attention, and accordingly, suffer from broad definitions and chronological insecurity. These cultures hold potential insights regarding nuanced adaptations, reciprocal influences, and diachronic assimilation processes. The recently discovered site of Nahal Rahaf 2 Rockshelter in the Judean Desert provides integral information on one of these entities—the Arkov-Divshon. Two excavation seasons revealed a sequence of archaeological layers, with lithic assemblages in which laterally carinated items were prominent. Alongside rich faunal assemblages, other components of the material culture include perforated marine shells and bone tools, marking the first association of these elements with Arkov-Divshon and implying some degree of contact with the Mediterranean regions of the Levant. Good preservation of organic materials allowed radiocarbon dating of the human occupation at the site to ca. 37.5–34.0 ka cal BP, indicating chronological overlap with the Levantine Aurignacian, and possibly also with the latest phases of the Early Ahmarian. Thus, challenging the validity of the widely accepted ‘Two Tradition’ Model of the Levantine Upper Paleolithic. Lithic analyses suggest the use of one main reduction sequence and the primary production of bladelets from carinated items. Faunal remains suggest targeted hunting of ibex and gazelle. Botanical remains and sedimentary analyses suggest roughly similar environmental conditions, with a possible woodier environment in the surroundings of the site.

Recent excavations of Late Antiquity settlements in the Negev Highlands of southern Israel uncovered a society that established commercial -scale viticulture in an arid environment [D. Fuks et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 117, 19780-19791 (2020)]. We applied target-enriched genome- wide sequencing and radiocarbon dating to examine grapevine pips that were excavated at three of these sites. Our analyses revealed centuries long and continuous grape cultivation in the Southern Levant. The genetically diverse pips also provided clues to ancient cultivation strategies aimed at improving agricultural productivity and ensuring food security. Applying genomic prediction analysis, a pip dated to the eighth century CE was determined to likely be from a white grape, to date the oldest to be identified. In a kinship analysis, another pip was found to be descendant from a modern Greek cultivar and was thus linked with several popular historic wines that were once traded across the Byzantine Empire. These findings shed light on historical Byzantine trading networks and on the genetic contribution of Levantine varieties to the classic Aegean landscape.

The characterization of ancient DNA in fossil bones is providing invaluable information on the genetics of past human and other animal populations. These studies have been aided enormously by the discovery that ancient DNA is relatively well preserved in the petrous bone compared to most other bones. The reasons for this better preservation are however not well understood. Here we examine the hypothesis that one reason for better DNA preservation in the petrous bone is that fresh petrous bone contains more DNA than other bones. We therefore determined the concentrations of osteocyte cells occluded inside lacunae within the petrous bone and compared these concentrations to other bones from the domestic pig using high resolution microCT. We show that the concentrations of osteocyte lacunae in the inner layer of the pig petrous bone adjacent to the otic chamber are about three times higher (around 95,000 lacunae per mm3) than in the mastoid of the temporal bone (around 28,000 lacunae per mm3), as well as the cortical bone of the femur (around 27,000 lacunae per mm3). The sizes and shapes of the lacuna in the inner layer of the petrous bone are similar to those in the femur. We also show that the pig petrous bone lacunae do contain osteocytes using a histological stain for DNA. We therefore confirm and significantly expand upon previous observations of osteocytic lacuna concentrations in the petrous bone, supporting the notion that one possible reason for better preservation of ancient DNA in the petrous bone is that this bone initially contains at least three times more DNA than other bones. Thus during diagenesis more DNA is likely to be preserved in the petrous bone compared to other bones.

The remains of a >50-years-old male, thus far representing the only complete skeleton dated to the Early Chalcolithic (Wadi Rabah) period in Israel, were recovered in a cave in the Judaean desert (Nahal Mishmar, F1-003). The old male suffered ab-scesses in the maxilla following tooth caries, and a well-healed trauma in the left tibial midshaft. Skull and mandibular morphology were described using plain measurements, indices and angles, and compared with similarly taken Chalcolithic data. In addition, mandibular morphology was captured using a landmark-based geometric morphometrics method and compared to Natufian hunter-gatherers, Pre-Pottery Neolithic early farmers, and Late Chalcolithic populations. The results, although cautionary, reveal similarity to the succeeding Ghassulian Chalcolithic period populations and suggest population conti-nuity from the Early to the Late (Ghassulian) Chalcolithic period. Future ancient DNA study may clarify this hypothesis and further reveal population affinity in this period in Israel.

Teeth are usually targeted for dating archaeological sites because they are less prone to dissolution, in com-parison with bones. However, despite this apparent resistance, teeth do undergo diagenesis, which needs to beaccounted for in order to obtain accurate ages. In particular, the uptake of trace elements such as uranium indental tissues needs to be considered for dose rate determination when dated using electron spin resonance(ESR). Characterising the mineralogy and structural integrity of samples prior to dating may thus provideimportant information related to their state of preservation, especially in the case of teeth whose U content cansignificantly affect the dose rate.In this study, we dated five teeth of small-sized bovids using combined ESR/U-series dating. They werecollected at the Middle Stone Age site of Lovedale, located in the central interior of South Africa. Micromor-phology provided sedimentary context to the samples, which were recovered from a layer of gravel rich in faunalremains. Using cathodoluminescence, laser-induced fluorescence, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy andRaman micro-spectroscopy we assessed the degree of preservation of the enamel. Results reveal that carbonatehydroxyapatite underwent post-depositional alteration, based on its molecular structure and elemental compo-sition. Although the teeth all originate from the same layer and were sampled in the same 1-m square and at asimilar elevation, U-content in the enamel differs highly from one tooth to the other, with values ranging from1.7 to 29.6 ppm. These values are correlated with equivalent doses (De) from 228 to 923 Gy and are consistentwith variations in crystallinity determined with vibrational spectroscopy. We also investigated the possiblesaturation of the ESR signal, by repeating measurements with microwave power values from 1 to 20 mW.Despite such diversity in U-content, the ages calculated assuming an early uptake of U all fall within the samerange, from 63 ± 8 ka to 68 ± 15 ka and may only represent a minimum estimate.

Marine Isotopic Stage 5 is associated with wetter climatic conditions in the Saharo-Arabian deserts. This stage also corresponds to the establishment of Middle Paleolithic hominins and their associated material culture in two geographical provinces in southwest Asia-the Eastern Mediterranean woodland and the Arabian Peninsula desert. The lithic industry of the Eastern Mediterranean is characterized by the centripetal Levallois method, whereas the Nubian Levallois method characterizes the populations of the Arabian desert. The Negev Desert, situated between these regions is a key area to comprehend population movement in correlation to climatic zones. This investigation addresses the nature of the Middle Paleolithic settlement in the Negev Desert during MIS 5 by studying the site of Nahal Aqev. High resolution chronological results based on luminescence dating and cryptotephra show the site was occupied from MIS 5e to MIS 5d. The lithic industries at Nahal Aqev are dominated by centripetal Levallois core method. These data demonstrate that Nahal Aqev is much closer in its cultural attributes to the Eastern Mediterranean Middle Paleolithic than to the Arabian Desert entity. We conclude that Nahal Aqev represents an expansion of Middle Paleolithic groups from the Mediterranean woodland into the desert, triggered by better climatic conditions. These groups possibly interacted with hominin groups bearing the Nubian core tradition from the vast region of Arabia.

From 1985-2014, the Leon Levy Expedition to Ashkelon excavated a trench on the north side of Ashkelon’s central mound (Grid 38) exposing a Bronze and Iron Age sequence over an area of some 450 m2. By combining different radiocarbon sampling strategies used over the years of excavation, an absolute chrono-cultural scheme is constructed for the latter half of the 2nd millennium B.C.E. with a focus on the transition to the Iron Age. This chronology is then synchronized with several nearby sites.

The Byzantine funerary chapel decorated with the “Birds Mosaic” was discovered in 1894, during construction activities north of the city walls in Jerusalem, in the Musrara neighbourhood (Anon. 1894; Schick and Bliss 1894; Séjourné 1894; Murray 1895; Owsepian 1895; Guthe 1895; Bliss and Dickie 1898:253–259). Its mosaic floor (Fig. 1), one of the best exemplars of Byzantine craftsmanship, decorated with a vine scroll springing from an amphora and populated with various birds, was accompanied by a memorial Armenian inscription (Stone 2002; CIIP I/2: No. 812).¹ A private house was built upon the findspot, as planned, and the ground-floor containing

Tel Hazor is one of only a few sites in Israel where remains of the Intermediate Bronze Age (IBA) in the second half of the 3rd millennium BC were found on top of Early Bronze III (EB III) city remains. A probe excavation was held at Hazor in 2017 to explore the chronological relation between the EB III and the IBA occupation. The radiocarbon (14C) absolute dates generated from this probe excavation show that following the EB III city demise, the site was abandoned for up to a few hundred years before it was resettled in the IBA. 14C dates obtained from the last level of the EB III city are well before 2500 BCE, fully aligned with the recent “High Chronology” for the EBA in the southern Levant. The excavation also produced dates associated with IBA “Black Wheel-Made Ware” vessels, which were found in large numbers at Hazor.

Forests responses to climate change are mostly studied at community level. Individual trees responses to climate, however, may vary in a complex forest. Sensitivity of A. cearensis trees varies across a Seasonally Dry Tropical Forest. Near 25% of this SDTF act as climate-change refugia harboring complacent trees. The buffering effect of these refugia only fail during years of climate extremes.

Routine quarrying activity at the Nesher-Ramla Quarry, in the Judean Lowlands, Israel, has recently exposed a new Early Holocene archaeological site located in a small natural sinkhole, one of many dolines scattered in the area, dated to the Early Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (EPPNB). It is the first site of this period to be uncovered in the narrow strip of land between the Judean Mts. and the coastal plain. This site, dubbed NRQN, contains lithic artifacts, groundstone tools, shells and beads as well as botanical and faunal remains. Here we combine data from a series of studies on the site's stratigraphy and radiometric dating, paleoenvironment, sediments and material culture, with the aim of understanding the role of the site in the EPPNB sphere. Various human activities took place in or immediately adjacent to the sinkhole, predominantly domestic in nature, including stone-tool making and food consumption. However, some of the sediments deep within the sinkhole underwent intense in situ combustion, possibly associated with episodes of lime-plaster production. The filling of the sinkhole appears to have occurred rapidly, not exceeding a few hundred years (ca. 10,500–10,300 cal. BP) and was driven by both geogenic and anthropogenic sedimentation processes. Good preservation of microvertebrate, macrovertebrae, short-lived plants and wood remains at the site, provides a unique opportunity to study the environmental characteristics of this geographical area during the Early Holocene, which appears to have been of an open grassy landscape with patchy Mediterranean forest, resembling the current environmental conditions. Studying the characteristics of Early Holocene human activity at the site, its paleoenvironment, and the site formation mechanisms, also provides useful comparisons with the nearby NRQ Middle Paleolithic site (this issue).

Abandonment sequences at Middle Bronze Age Erimi have been examined using integrated stratigraphic analysis and high-resolution microarchaeological techniques, with the aim of investigating the environmental processes and socio-cultural practices that impacted on the abandonment of buildings and settlement areas. The data revealed the occurrence of two distinct processes: gradual structural degradation and rapid destruction by a fire event. Destruction sequences within burnt buildings were examined to identify the temperatures to which sediments had been exposed and to reconstruct the conflagration event. Resulting data are discussed in the context of Middle Bronze Age Cyprus, in a preliminary consideration of the ideological implications of the identified abandonment practices.

Hazor was one of the most important city states in the Late Bronze Age southern Levant and its fiercely final destruction has been of central scholarly interest for decades. Here, we present a novel perspective, which integrates multiple aspects for the end of Late Bronze Age Hazor. Our results show the complexity of Hazor’s end by integrating the stratigraphic analysis and comprehensive radiocarbon dating together with the study of local, Aegean-type and Egyptian objects from the recent decades of excavation at the site. Ultimately, we offer two different possible scenarios for the destruction of Hazor with regard to the date and the processes that led to the destruction.

The Near East and the Caucasus are commonly regarded as the original domestication centres of Vitis vinifera (grapevine), and the region continues to be home to a high diversity of wild and cultivated grapevines, particularly within Georgia. The earliest chemical evidence for wine making was recorded in Georgian Neolithic sites (6000–5800 bc ) and grape pips, possibly of the domesticated morphotype, have been reported from several sites of about the same period. We performed geometric morphometric and palaeogenomic investigations of grape pip samples in order to identify the appearance of domesticated grapevine and explore the changes in cultivated diversity in relation to modern varieties. We systematically investigated charred and uncharred grape pip samples from Georgian archaeological sites. Their chronology was thoroughly assessed by direct radiocarbon dating. More than 500 grape pips from 14 sites from the Middle Bronze Age to modern times were selected for geometric morphometric studies. The shapes of the ancient pips were compared to hundreds of modern wild individuals and cultivated varieties. Degraded DNA was isolated from three pips from two sites, converted to Illumina libraries, sequenced at approximately 10,000 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) sites, and compared to a large public database of grapevine diversity. The most ancient pip dates from the Middle Bronze Age (1900–1500 cal bc ) and the domesticated morphotype is identified from ca. 1000 bc onwards. A great diversity of domesticated shapes was regularly seen in the samples. Most are close to modern cultivars from the Caucasian, southwest Asian and Balkan areas, which suggests that the modern local vine diversity is deeply rooted in early viticulture. DNA was successfully recovered from historic pips and genome-wide analyses found close parental relationships to modern Georgian cultivars.

An iron and bronze workshop in the lower city of Tell es-Safi/Gath, dated to the mid-late Iron IIA, contributes new data on the chronology, organization, and practice of metal production in the urban Philistine setting. Analyses show that iron objects were likely produced and maintained on a large scale, alongside bronze, employing regionally unique forms of crucibles and tuyères. The material culture of metalworking is discussed in relation to contemporaneous iron production sites in the region, building a more robust picture of the adoption of iron metallurgy in the Levant versus the status of bronze and iron.

Manot Cave contains important human fossils and archaeological assemblages related to the origin and dispersal of anatomically modern humans and the Upper Paleolithic period. This record is divided between an elevated in situ occupation area and a connecting talus. We, thus, investigated the interplay between the accumulation of the sediments and their associated artifacts in the occupation areas and the translocation of part of these sediments and artifacts down the talus. We examined the lithostratigraphy of two excavation locations in the occupation area (areas E and I), and two in the talus (areas C and D). We also assessed the diagenetic processes that have affected all these areas. A linear array of stalagmites and stalactites separates the occupation area from the talus, demarcating a major topographic barrier between the two. We infer that during human occupation, sediment accumulation of soil, wood ash, and bone was rapid and that some sediments with their associated artifacts overflowed the barrier and translocated down the talus. During periods of nonoccupation, the ash in the occupation area partially dissolved owing to the release of acid from the degrading bat and bird guano, and the layer thicknesses decreased. The south side of the talus (area C) has a normally stratified archaeological record, with the older archaeological materials underlying the younger materials. This suggests that the barrier between the occupation area and area C was relatively shallow and allowed a fairly continuous sediment accumulation in the talus. In the central part of the talus (area D), the stratigraphy is complex and shows mixing, presumably owing to the steep underlying bedrock topography and the mixing that occurs when sediments move down a steep slope. Finally, the distribution of secondary phosphates is consistent with the location of a main cave entrance to the south of the Paleolithic occupation area.

Radiocarbon (C-14) dating of anthropogenic carbonates (CaCO3) such as ash, lime plaster and lime mortar, has proven a difficult task due to the occurrence of a number of contaminants embedded within the CaCO3 pyrogenic binder. These include C-14-free geologic components and/or secondary phases bearing an unknown amount of C-14, and thus the alteration of the original pyrogenic isotopic signature of the material results in major age offsets when carbon recovery is performed through acid hydrolysis. Here we present a characterization/quantification approach to anthropogenic carbonates that includes Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction, thin section petrography, thermogravimetric analysis and scanning electron microscopy coupled with high-resolution cathodoluminescence, with which we identified the pyrogenic CaCO3 fraction in an aerial lime plaster and two hydraulic mortars. The preserved pyrogenic component was then isolated by density separation and its purity checked again using FTIR. Carbon was recovered through thermal decomposition in vacuum. The resulting C-14 age matches the expected age of the lime plaster, whereas hydraulic mortars are slightly offset due to the carbonation of calcium hydroxide lumps. This approach highlights the importance of a dedicated characterization strategy prior to dating and may be applied to aerial lime plasters to obtain accurate ages.

Radiocarbon dating is rarely applied in Classical and Post-Classical periods in the Eastern Mediterranean, as it is not considered precise enough to solve specific chronological questions, often causing the attribution of historic monuments to be based on circumstantial evidence. This research, applied in Jerusalem, presents a novel approach to solve this problem. Integrating fieldwork, stratigraphy, and microarchaeology analyses with intense radiocarbon dating of charred remains in building materials beneath Wilson's Arch, we absolutely dated monumental structures to very narrow windows of time-even to specific rulers. Wilson's Arch was initiated by Herod the Great and enlarged during the Roman Procurators, such as Pontius Pilatus, in a range of 70 years, rather than 700 years, as previously discussed by scholars. The theater-like structure is dated to the days of Emperor Hadrian and left unfinished before 132-136 AD. Through this approach, it is possible to solve archaeological riddles in intensely urban environments in the historical periods.

A closely controlled radiocarbon sequence for the EB I-III, compiled over six seasons of excavations at Tel Bet Yerah, Israel, provides new information on the EB I-II and II-III transitions. These dates support the possibility of a decades-long overlap between some late EB I and early EB II sites and indicate a mid- to late 29th-century cal BC date for the introduction of Khirbet Kerak Ware in the southern Levant. South Levantine EB II is shown to co-extend neatly with the First Dynasty of Egypt.

Early Ahmarian, Levantine Aurignacian and Post-Levantine Aurignacian archeological assemblages show that the karstic Manot Cave, located 5 km east of the Mediterranean coast in the Western Galilee region of Israel, was intensively occupied during the Early Upper Paleolithic. The coexistence of these rich archaeological layers with speleothems in Manot Cave provides a window of opportunity for determining the relationships between climatic conditions and the nature of human activity and mobility patterns in the Western Galilee region during the Early Upper Paleolithic period. This study, based on four stalagmites that grew almost continuously from ∼75 to 26.5 ka, covers most of the last glacial, and overlaps with the human occupation of the cave. The speleothems oxygen (δ¹⁸O) and carbon (δ¹³C) isotopic records indicate that climate and environmental conditions fluctuated during the last glacial, some of which correspond with Dansgaard–Oeschger (D-O) cycles 12, 10, 7 and Heinrich (H) events VI and V. Consistent with independent evidence from botanic and faunal remains, these climatic shifts brought about significant environmental changes in the region, ranging from dominant thick Mediterranean forest to more open landscape. A good correlation with less negative δ¹³C values is most pronounced during the Early Ahmarian time period, but there was also a change to less negative δ¹³C values during the Levantine Aurignacian and Post-Levantine Aurignacian industries in the Levant. These positive δ¹³C shifts suggest that environmental transformation towards a more open grassy landscape dominated by C4 vegetation might have played an important role in the development of these cultural entities (mainly the Early Ahmarian) in Manot Cave region.

The Central Balkans, in present-day Serbia, was a potentially dynamic zone during the Middle and Upper Paleolithic (MP-UP), as it is situated between hypothesized dispersal routes of modern humans and refuges of late Neanderthals. However, the population history of the region remains poorly understood because there are lithe chronometric data from Late Pleistocene sites in Serbia. Here, we review the existing paleoanthropological record for the MP-UP in the Central Balkans and surrounding areas. Then, we add to it by reporting radiocarbon dates from two Serbian cave sites, Pegturina and Hadzi Prodanova, which contain Middle Paleolithic and Gravettian assemblages. The results provide reliable human occurrence-dates older than 39 ka calibrated radiocarbon years before present (cal BP) and between 34 and 28 ka cal BP. As shallow palimpsest deposits with low artifact yields, the sites are not ideal contexts for establishing chrono-cultural stratigraphy. However, it is proposed that the occupants before 39 ka cal BP were Neanderthals producing MP artifacts, while those after 34 ka cal BP were modern humans with Gravettian traditions.

The historic event of the Late Antique Little Ice Age (LALIA) was recently identified in dozens of natural and geological climate proxies of the northern hemisphere. Although this climatic downturn was proposed as a major cause for pandemic and extensive societal upheavals in the sixth-seventh centuries CE, archaeological evidence for the magnitude of societal response to this event is sparse. This study uses ancient trash mounds as a type of proxy for identifying societal crisis in the urban domain, and employs multidisciplinary investigations to establish the terminal date of organized trash collection and high-level municipal functioning on a city-wide scale. Survey, excavation, sediment analysis, and geographic information system assessment of mound volume were conducted on a series of mounds surrounding the Byzantine urban settlement of Elusa in the Negev Desert. These reveal the massive collection and dumping of domestic and construction waste over time on the city edges. Carbon dating of charred seeds and charcoal fragments combined with ceramic analysis establish the end date of orchestrated trash removal near the mid-sixth century, coinciding closely with the beginning of the LALIA event and outbreak of the Justinian Plague in the year 541. This evidence for societal decline during the sixth century ties with other arguments for urban dysfunction across the Byzantine Levant at this time. We demonstrate the utility of trash mounds as sensitive proxies of social response and unravel the time-space dynamics of urban collapse, suggesting diminished resilience to rapid climate change in the frontier Negev region of the empire.

This communication will provide the latest information about the progress of the “Research Project for the Study of Georgian Grapes and Wine Culture”, managed by the National Wine Agency of Georgia since 2014. Local and foreign institutions continue to work together with the aim of stimulating multidisciplinary scientific research activity on Georgian viticulture and viniculture and to reconstruct their development from Neolithic civilizations to the present. The project is multidisciplinary in nature, merging contributions from archaeology, history, ethnography, molecular genetics, biomolecular archaeology, palaeobotany, ampelography, enology, climatology and other scientific fields.

The site of el-Wad Cave, and especially the adjacent terrace, is one of the deepest and most complex Natufian sites in the Mediterranean Levant. The northeast terrace of el-Wad has been excavated by us since 1994, revealing a rich Late Natufian layer and thick, multi-phased Early Natufian deposits. Here we focus on the 2007–2012 excavation seasons at el-Wad Terrace (EWT) and provide a detailed, updated account of the stratigraphy, sedimentology and dating of the site, the abundant Early Natufian architectural features and lithics, the ground stone tools assemblage and a primary burial of an adult woman. The Late Natufian appears as a relatively thin layer devoid of architectural features but containing a concentration of graves. Below it are thick Early Natufian sediments. Their upper part displays a few stone features. Their lower attained part represents the main “architectural stage” of the site. Architectural remains consist of a terrace wall and smaller walls, as well as stony floors, some of which abut the walls and likely constitute structure remains. Other features include large heaps of stones, lithics and bones, smaller stone installations (typically circles or pits), and distinct concentrations of finds or sediment patches.The sediments of EWT are the result of complex depositional and post depositional processes. Various geoarchaeological data, including magnetic susceptibility and micromorphological analyses of the sediments indicate intensive in-situ anthropogenic activity such as fire use and/or trampling, especially in the architectural stage.A large Early Natufian lithic sample from the two phases of the main architectural stage is described here in relation to its architectural context and through time. The ratios of tools, the distribution of the main tool categories, the dominance of lunates and Helwan retouch amongst the microliths, and the wealth of burins of various types resemble those of other Early Natufian assemblages. No temporal trends are apparent but a peak in flint densities was identified, coinciding with the transition between the two architectural phases. Additionally, the excavation has yielded one of the largest Natufian ground stone tool assemblages, encompassing nearly a thousand ground stone tools and tool fragments. The assemblage shows no noticeable differences between the Early and Late Natufian. These assemblages highlight the dominance of pestles and the related preference for compact basalt used to produce these items. Pestle discard patterns reflect the clear removal of the pestle active ends from the site in both periods.Our excavation results bring to light the existence of a massive and repeatedly (perhaps continuously) occupied living compound at the site during the Early Natufian. The good preservation of numerous architectural levels enabled us to study the artifactual assemblages in great detail, both temporally and spatially. Studies of different materials all show that items that went out of use were discarded within the Natufian living compound and underwent complex taphonomic processes by human action (primarily fire use and trampling) and geogenic processes. While changes in site use (especially building activities vs. interments) are apparent throughout the sequence, changes in material culture are less obvious. Overall, the deep Natufian sequence presented here, with the repeated structure construction, numerous features, huge densities of finds and ample indications for intensive, recurring habitations mark EWT as a significant Natufian hamlet, one of the few major hamlets in the Mediterranean zone during the Early Natufian.

Pits and silos are storage features that often occur at prehistoric archaeological sites. Their shape, size and content may show a large degree of variability, and their function may be related to a number of behaviors that can provide valuable insight into the occupational history of a site. Such structures are usually investigated through the study of their macroscopic content, which may include stone, ceramic and metal artifacts, charred remains, and plant material in the case of good preservation conditions. However, pits and silos are generally characterized by complex life cycles that encompass also the partial or total removal of fill deposits, and the reuse of earlier structures, which hinder a proper interpretation of their function. This requires the application of a microarchaeological approach to the study of the sedimentary matrix of fill deposits, especially when macroscopic remains are absent or not uniquely related to a specific human activity. Here we present the study of a series of pits from the Late Bronze Age levels at Ashkelon, Israel, which were characterized by multiple fills layers. Using a combination of infrared spectrometry, phytolith analysis, and micromorphology of sediments, we show that one of the pits was used as grain silo and maintained through time. Radiocarbon dating of charred wheat seeds recovered from the primary depositional context thus identified caused a fundamental re-evaluation of the stratigraphy of the excavation area and a better understanding of its chronology.

Flint is one of the most common rock types used for producing stone tools. During flint knapping huge amounts of microscopic sized flint particles are produced. Thus the presence of high concentrations of microflint in a sedimentary layer, could be a good indication that flint was knapped at that location. We have developed and tested a method for quantification of microflint concentrations in sediments. The method involves concentrating the microflints in specific density fractions, and then counting a representative proportion of the flint fragments using a polarized light microscope. We show that the method successfully identifies a knapping layer in an Initial Upper Palaeolithic level at the site of Boker Tachtit, Israel. This level also contains macroscopic flint debitage, including refitted artifacts. Microflint quantification can aid in identifying knapping areas and be useful for better understanding site formation processes. (C) 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Absolute dating of mortars is crucial when trying to pin down construction phases of archaeological sites and historic stone buildings to a certain point in time or to confirm, but possibly also challenge, existing chronologies. To evaluate various sample preparation methods for radiocarbon (C-14) dating of mortars as well as to compare different dating methods, i.e. C-14 and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL), a mortar dating intercomparison study (MODIS) was set up, exploring existing limits and needs for further research. Four mortar samples were selected and distributed among the participating laboratories: one of which was expected not to present any problem related to the sample preparation methodologies for anthropogenic lime extraction, whereas all others addressed specific known sample preparation issues. Data obtained from the various mortar dating approaches are evaluated relative to the historical framework of the mortar samples and any deviation observed is contextualized to the composition and specific mineralogy of the sampled material.

The timing of archeological industries in the Levant is central for understanding the spread of modern humans with Upper Paleolithic traditions. We report a high-resolution radiocarbon chronology for Early Upper Paleolithic industries (Early Ahmarian and Levantine Aurignacian) from the newly excavated site of Manot Cave, Israel. The dates confirm that the Early Ahmarian industry was present by 46,000 calibrated years before the present (cal BP), and the Levantine Aurignacian occurred at least between 38,000 and 34,000 cal BP. This timing is consistent with proposed migrations or technological diffusions between the Near East and Europe. Specifically, the Ahmarian could have led to the development of the Protoaurignacian in Europe, and the Aurignacian in Europe could have spread back to the Near East as the Levantine Aurignacian.

Insoluble bone collagen is one of the most common materials used for high-resolution radiocarbon (14C) dating. Unfortunately, in some bones, poor preservation of the insoluble collagen excludes the possibility of dating. During the burial of the bone the collagen sometimes degrades into peptides. These peptides are soluble in the acid used to dissolve the bone mineral. It is known that under appropriate conditions, collagen has the ability to self-assemble. Here we exploit this capability and present a method for reassembling the soluble collagen peptides in archaeological bones and dating them. We treated the acid fraction generated during the demineralization of the bone by desalting and neutralizing the solution by dialysis. During the dialysis, the soluble collagen peptides reassemble and precipitate in the dialysis bag. We used FTIR spectroscopy to determine that the precipitated material is indeed collagen. The 14C dates obtained from the reassembled collagen were compared to the dates of "standard" insoluble collagen, extracted in parallel from the same bone. Although there are some divergences of the dates, 3 out of 10 samples could have been dated only by the reassembled collagen. This shows that collagen peptides reassembly can be a valuable tool for dating bones with little or no insoluble collagen.

Tropical forests have been an important human habitat and played a significant role in early human dispersal and evolution. Likewise, the use of fire, besides being one of the exceptional characteristics of humans, serves as a marker for human evolution. While the use of fire by prehistoric hunter-gatherers is relatively well documented in arid and temperate environments, the archaeological evidence in humid tropical environment is to date very limited. We first review the archaeological evidence for hunter-gatherer use of fire in humid tropical environments and suggest that better understanding of formation processes is required. We present a geo-ethnoarchaeological study from South India, involving ethnography, excavations and laboratory-based analyses in order to build a new framework to study fire residues in humid tropical forests associated with hunter-gatherer's use of fire. Ethnographic observations point to a dynamic and ephemeral use of hearths. Hearths location were dictated by the social and ever-changing social dynamics of the site. The hearths deposited small amount of residues which were later swept on a daily basis, re-depositing ash and charcoal in waste areas and leaving only a microscopic signal in the original location. Particular acidic conditions and intensive biological activity within tropical sediments result in the complete dissolution of ash and bones while favouring the preservation of charcoal and phytoliths. Consequently, the identification of fire residues in humid tropical forests and the reconstruction of the human use of fire must involve multi-proxy microscopic analysis to detect its micro-signatures.

The Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (PPNB) is the first period in human cultural evolution that is characterized by the extensive production of lime plaster for architectural, decorative and ritual purposes. The production of large quantities of lime plaster requires the operation of a lime kiln, a structure where limestone cobbles are heated to high temperatures (> 600 degrees C) to obtain quicklime, which is then mixed with water to form a moldable lime putty. However, little is known about lime kilns and plaster production processes during the PPNB. This may be because the technology used at that time was simple and left few traces that are unique to lime plaster production. These include combustion features rich in lime plaster and heat-altered sediments, which are difficult to identify through only a visual inspection of the archaeological context. Here we report the study of a small sinkhole at the Nesher-Ramla quarry in Israel, which yielded Early PPNB artifacts. Using infrared spectrometry and micromorphology of sediments, we identified in-situ deposits of heat-altered sediments rich in fragments of burnt limestone, lime plaster, and wood ash in the form of charcoal, phytoliths and siliceous aggregates, which are features consistent with the operation of a lime kiln. Charred botanical remains were characterized and used for radiocarbon dating, which determined the age of the site at 10,400 cal BP. We therefore conclude, based on the examination of the microscopic archaeological record, that this sinkhole was used as a lime kiln during the Early PPNB.

The rich remains from the Early Bronze II at Tel Arad have been interpreted as representing several centuries of activity. According to conventional wisdom, after the destruction of Stratum III by fire, Stratum II endured for about 150 years. However, high precision dates obtained for Stratum II as well as a subsequent destruction event suggest that rapid reconstruction took place in the span of one or two decades. The results point to a short duration of the EB II occupation in Arad and these are in agreement with the south Levantine radiocarbon chronology for the Early Bronze Age. They suggest that the end of the EB II occupation was synchronous with the 1st Egyptian Dynasty ruler Qaʿa.

New discoveries of legumes in the lower Galilee at the prehistoric site of Ahihud in Israel shed light on early farming systems in the southern Levant. Radiocarbon dating of twelve legumes from pits and floors indicate that the farming of legumes was practiced in southern Levant as early as 10.240-10.200 (1 sigma) ago. The legumes were collected from pits and other domestic contexts dated to the Early Pre-Pottery Neolithic B. The legumes identified include Vicia faba L. (faba bean), V. ervilia (bitter vetch), V. narbonensis (narbon vetch), Lens sp. (lentil), Pisum sp. (pea), Lathyrus inconspicuus (inconspicuous pea) and L. hirosolymitanus (jerusalem vetchling). Comparison with coeval sites in the region show how the presence of peas, narbon vetches, inconspicuous peas, jerusalem vetchlings and bitter vetches together with faba bean and lentils is unique to the Pre-Pottery Neolithic, and might indicate specific patterns in farming or storing at the onset of agriculture.

In contrast to the abundant fossil record of arctic ground squirrels, Urocitellus parryii, from eastern Beringia, only a limited number of fossils is known from its western part. In 1946, unnamed GULAG prisoners discovered a nest with three mummified carcasses of arctic ground squirrels in the permafrost sediments of the El'ga river, Yakutia, Russia, that were later attributed to a new species, Citellus (Urocitellus) glacialis Vinogr. To verify this assignment and to explore phylogenetic relationships between ancient and present-day arctic ground squirrels, we performed 14 C dating and ancient DNA analyses of one of the El'ga mummies and four contemporaneous fossils from Duvanny Yar, northeastern Yakutia. Phylogenetic reconstructions, based on complete cytochrome b gene sequences of five Late Pleistocene arctic ground squirrels and those of modern U. parryii from 21 locations across western Beringia, provided no support for earlier proposals that ancient arctic ground squirrels from Siberia constitute a distinct species. In fact, we observed genetic continuity of the glacialis mitochondrial DNA lineage in modern U. parryii of the Kamchatka peninsula. When viewed in a broader geographic perspective, our findings provide new insights into the genetic history of U. parryii in Late Pleistocene Beringia.

Phytolith-rich layers in archaeological sites constitute well defined stratigraphic horizons that would be invaluable if absolutely dated. Previous attempts to radiocarbon date phytoliths produced inconsistent results using plants with known ages. In this study a new approach to extract and analyze the silica occluded carbon was tested on well-dated archaeological contexts in Beth Shemesh and Tell es-Safi/Gath, and on modern wheat plants that grew in a controlled environment. Results show that by dissolving the silica using mild conditions, phytolith insoluble fractions can be extracted and their radiocarbon contents analyzed reproducibly. After phytolith dissolution, the remaining insoluble fractions with 10–30%C have radiocarbon concentrations that are statistically similar to associated charred seeds (within 2σ), and insoluble fractions with 40%C show concentrations that are identical to the seeds. These results show that the insoluble fraction of phytoliths is a suitable material for answering chronological questions.

We demonstrate a proof-of-principle method to separate particles of two CaCO₃ polymorphs, calcite and aragonite, based on surface charge density differences that affect electrophoretic mobility values. Calcite and aragonite standards show significant differences in their electrophoretic mobility distributions in polyphosphate-containing suspensions. Phosphate additives, which are commonly used to reduce particle aggregation, have a serendipitous added benefit of stabilizing CaCO₃ against dissolution. However, the mobility differences among archaeologically relevant samples, such as lime plasters and chalk, are not consistently different enough to make this a reliable separation strategy. Nevertheless, this study is important because it takes a new and fundamentally different approach to non-destructive separation of archaeological materials.

The understanding of crop domestication is dependent on tracking the original geographical distribution of wild relatives. The faba bean (Vicia faba L.) is economically important in many countries around the world; nevertheless, its origin has been debated because its ancestor could not be securely identified. Recent investigations in the site of el-Wad (Mount Carmel, Israel), provide the first and, so far, only remains of the lost ancestor of faba bean. X-ray CT scan analysis of the faba beans provides the first set of measurements of the biometry of this species before its domestication. The presence of wild specimens in Mount Carmel, 14,000 years ago, supports that the wild variety grew nearby in the Lower Galilee where the first domestication was documented for Neolithic farmers 10,200 years ago.

For aggregate-free, calcite-containing lime binders, we correlate long-range crystallinity parameters from X-ray diffraction measurements (lattice constants, crystalline domain sizes, and microstrain fluctuation values) with short-range structural parameters from extended X-ray absorption fine structure data (coordination environments, attenuation factors, and fit stabilities). In doing so, we reveal a correlation between unit cell contraction and a more ideal local calcite structure. Using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray absorption near edge spectroscopy, we rule out the possibility of contributions from amorphous calcium carbonate and show that the structural disorder is likely related to localized regions of incomplete carbonation. Thus, by using data from this judicious combination of structural characterization tools, we demonstrate that short-range structural distortions occur in calcitic lime binders and that these distortions can be detected even in multiphase mixtures.

The Holocene sequence of the Kebara wetlands, a groundwater-surface water interaction zone ecosystem, was studied in a borehole (Core A), retrieved from the eastern trough of the Carmel coast of Israel. A multi-proxy approach was used for environmental reconstruction, and new ages were added for reassessment of the chronology. The fauna (mainly ostracods), flora, and palaeo-salinity estimates indicate marginal wetland that experienced shrinkage and enlargement, reflecting changing hydrological and climatic conditions. New luminescence ages of sediments and radiocarbon dating of terrestrial seeds in the upper part of the sequence provide a more reliable and accurate chronology. The lower part of the core, between about 14,000 and about 7000 BP, indicates mainly wetter conditions, while the upper part, dated to the last 7000 BP, suggests drier conditions in general, with a few wetter episodes. The almost total disappearance of the fauna in the core after about 6000 BP is in agreement with regional climate records that document increasing aridity in the Levant. A comparison of modern δ¹⁸O and δ¹³C (water and ostracod) values from the Timsah ponds, the present remnants of the wetland, with the values derived from ostracods in the drilling indicates that, like today, the past wetlands were fed mainly by the karstic carbonate-rich Yarkon-Taninnim mountain aquifer. This paper emphasizes the importance of understanding the sources of the water feeding the wetlands for the re-assessment of previous chronology that was based on total organic carbon (TOC) ¹⁴C dating.

Ciemna Cave is one of the most important archaeological sites documenting Middle Palaeolithic settlement inCentral Europe. It has been excavated since the beginning of the 20th century, providing rich materials commonly known fortheir bifacial component linked with the Micoquian. Since 2007 a new project has been underway focusing on the MainChamber, which had so far been unexplored. The outcome is a much more complex picture environmental context and culturalaffinities of the site. This article aims to present key questions concerning the record in the Main Chamber, but also to propose a new interpretation of Ciemna Cave as an extensive, diversified cave system. Using 3D modelling of the bedrock of cave system’s surrounding area, we propose that dynamic filling of the cave impacted settlement there. It was proved also that the sediments in the Main Chamber are homogenous, which enables radiocarbon dating of the undisturbed sequence layers. Although new radiocarbon determinations were made using state-of-the-art pretreatment methods, we still could not fully resolve the problem of dating the upper part of the section, due to age-limit of this method.

Even though the faba bean (Vicia faba L.) is among the most ubiquitously cultivated crops, very little is known about its origins. Here, we report discoveries of charred faba beans from three adjacent Neolithic sites in the lower Galilee region, in the southern Levant, that offer new insights into the early history of this species. Biometric measurements, radiocarbon dating and stable carbon isotope analyses of the archaeological remains, supported by experiments on modern material, date the earliest farming of this crop to ∼10,200 cal BP. The large quantity of faba beans found in these adjacent sites indicates intensive production of faba beans in the region that can only have been achieved by planting non-dormant seeds. Selection of mutant-non-dormant stock suggests that the domestication of the crop occurred as early as the 11 th millennium cal BP. Plant domestication| Vicia faba L.| Pre-Pottery Neolithic B| radiocarbon dating| Δ13 C analysis.

Feasting events may serve a diverse set of social, political and/or economic functions. Acknowledgement of the important role they played in past societies is reflected in the plethora of publications reporting occurrences of feasting in the Levantine archaeological record. These range in time from the Epi-Paleolithic through the Iron Age and have been reported primarily from ritual contexts (e.g., Goring-Morris and Horwitz 2007; Lev-Tov and McGeough 2007; Zuckerman 2007; Twiss 2008; Ben-Shlomo et al. 2009; Munro and Grosman 2010; London 2011).

In the original proposal entitled Reconstructing Ancient Israel – The Exact and Life Sciences Perspective, two of us (Israel Finkelstein and Steve Weiner) wrote, “If the microscopic data are well integrated into the macroscopic (archaeological) record, they will undoubtedly provide new insights into the study of Ancient Israel.” And this was what this 5-year (2009–2014) European Research Council (ERC) sponsored program (details below) was all about. New ground was broken on three fronts: conceptual, methodological, and in the generation of new data that indeed provide novel insights into the history and material culture of Ancient Israel in particular and the Iron Age Levant in general. The reviews presented in this special volume synthesize some of these new insights. The findings have been published in about 70 papers (see Appendix).

The Late Bronze Age to the Iron Age transition involves profound cultural and political changes in the southern Levant. The transition is dated to the 12th century BC, based on archaeological artifacts and historical documents. A more precise absolute date for this transition for the southern Levant based on radiocarbon is diffcult since the¹⁴C calibration curve reduces precision signifcantly due to wiggles that form an approximately 200-yr-long plateau. This article analyzes¹⁴C samples from the Late Bronze Age to the Iron Age transition at Qubur el-Walaydah. To increase the resolution of¹⁴C dates within the plateau,¹⁴C samples were collected only from well-defned multilayered contexts.¹⁴C dates from 11 contexts were obtained and these were analyzed using a Bayesian model that incorporated the stratigraphic information. Using this integra-tive approach we date the Late Bronze Age III levels at Qubur el-Walydah, containing the initial phase of locally produced Philistine pottery between 1185–1140 BC, and the Late Bronze to Iron Age transition between 1140–1095 BC.

The Late Bronze Age to Iron Age transition in the coastal southern Levant involves a major cultural change, which is characterized, among other things, by the appearance of Philistine pottery locally produced in styles derived from outside the Levant. This transition in the coastal southern Levant is conventionally dated to the 12th century BC, based on historical and archaeological artifacts associated with the Philistine pottery. Radiocarbon dating can provide a more precise independent absolute chronology for this transition, but dating for the period under discussion is complicated by the wiggles and relatively flat slope in the calibration curve, which significantly reduce precision. An additional complication is that the stratigraphic record below and above the transition at this site, as well as at most other sites in the region, is far from complete. We thus used a variety of microarchaeological techniques to improve our understanding of the stratigraphy, and to ensure that the locations with datable short-lived materials were only derived from primary contexts, which could be related directly to the associated material culture. The ¹⁴C dates were modeled using Bayesian statistics that incorporate the stratigraphic information. Using this integrative approach, we date the appearance of the Philistine pottery in Tell es-Safi/Gath in the 13th century BC.

Mediterranean landscapes have been characterized by the ongoing interaction between natural processes and anthropogenic activities over several thousands of years. However, separating the relative contributions of these two factors in shaping the landscape has proved to be difficult. With reference to three excavated probes located in the environs of the archaeological site of Tell es-Safi/Gath (central Israel), we outline a methodological approach that may aid in distinguishing between the impact of natural and anthropogenic agencies on the accumulation of sediment fills. We conclude that at Tell es-Safi/Gath, natural geomorphic processes were the major factors that shaped the landscape, but anthropogenic activity is expressed in a brief period of time as evidenced by a high sedimentation rate, combined with high δ13C values, a relatively high quantity of phytoliths, and a high concentration of charred particles. This anthropogenic signature is interpreted as resulting from the destruction of the site by Hazael, King of Aram Damascus (ca. late 9th century BCE). This research demonstrates how high-resolution multi-disciplinary sampling of probes for dating, C isotopic composition, phytolith characterization, pollen analysis and assessment of sedimentation rates, in combination with the study of human cultural history at an archaeological site, may facilitate the distinction between natural and anthropogenic causes of sedimentation.

Wood ash found at archaeological sites is the most direct evidence of the presence of combustion features. The preservation of wood ash within archaeological deposits is often poor due to diagenetic processes and therefore its identification requires the use of spectroscopic methods. FTIR spectrometry is able to detect the main calcite component of wood ash, unless this is mixed with other calcitic phases of geologic origin. Using FTIR spectrometry we identified non-biogenic aragonite in archaeological heat-altered sediments and lime plasters. The presence of aragonite in such conditions is unusual, as it is unlikely to crystallize at ambient temperatures and pressures or in absence of Mg. The experimental conditions which favor the nucleation of this aragonite phase were investigated with FTIR spectrometry, XRPD and SEM imaging of modern lime plaster and quicklime samples prepared in the laboratory using different calcium carbonate starting materials. We show that aragonite forms at ambient temperatures and pressures upon carbonation of calcium oxide and calcium hydroxide together with calcite and its nucleation and growth are influenced by environmental parameters, such as carbon dioxide partial pressure, relative humidity and temperature. This pyrogenic aragonite is a reliable indicator for calcareous materials exposed to temperatures above 600°C, and therefore it can be used to determine the presence of heat-altered sediments and ash in the absence of structured combustion features. This mineral phase could have applications in radiocarbon dating as well.

Cooking installations are among the most abundant features in Bronze and Iron Age archaeological sites in the southern Levant, yet until now their study has been mostly descriptive. We present a study of 11 purported archaeological cooking installations from three different Bronze and Iron Age sites in Israel in which we deployed a variety of microarchaeological techniques. We provide direct physical evidence, based on Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy demonstrating that the archaeological installations were operated with temperatures as high as 900°C. Using this technique we also demonstrate that all the mud-constructed installations studied by us were internally-fueled and therefore should be identified as Tannurs rather than the externally- fueled Tabuns. We studied in detail the quantities of ash-related microscopic remains, including opaline phytoliths, calcitic wood ash pseudomorphs and dung spherulites. We show that phytolith morphotype analysis cannot distinguish between wood-dominated and dung-dominated fuel materials, while a newly developed method that calculates the ratio of ash pseudomorphs to dung spherulites (PSR method) makes such a distinction possible.Moreover, we experimented with the effect of partial dissolution on fuel ash PSR values and utilize the results to explain taphonomy and diagenesis associated with two types of archaeological cooking installations - pebble hearths and baking ovens. In addition, we identified micromorphological criteria that can be used to assess whether ash deposits in or above a cooking installations are in situ and/or disturbed. Taken together, all lines of evidence used in this study indicate that wood was the major fuel material across time and space in the studied archaeological contexts, while dung was a secondary source of fuel. This observation also cross-cuts different culture-historical entities (Philistines, Canaanites, Israelites and Egyptians). In addition, wood was preferred as fuel irrespective of environmental differences among the studied sites. This study is yet another demonstration of the value of integrating microarchaeological techniques and approaches to traditional macroscopic archaeology.

The close association of metal ingots to the smelting operation and hence to the ore deposit makes them good candidates for provenance studies which in turn can be used for reconstructing paths of metal trade. A unique group of ingots from Hazor, Israel and two ingot groups retrieved during underwater explorations off the Carmel coast (Israel) were subjected to microstructure, chemical and lead isotope analysis. Ingots from Timna, Bir Nasib and Deir Alla, previously studied, were also subjected to bulk chemical and lead isotope analysis (LIA). The results enabled us to follow changes in the supply of copper to sites of this part of the Levant between two main copper producers: Cyprus and the Arabah (Timna and Faynan). The analyses showed that two of the ingot assemblages correspond to two different phases of Cypriot copper exportation in the second millennium BCE. The earlier phase, identified here for the first time, dated to the Middle Bronze Age II - Late Bronze Age I, consisted of trade in black copper in the form of relatively small plano-convex ingots, as suggested by the evidence from Hazor. The later phase, dated to the Late Bronze Age II, during which Cypriot copper was traded in the form of large oxhide-shaped ingots, is well-known and is evidenced by oxhide ingots recovered off the Carmel coast. A third assemblage from Neve Yam, off the same coast, consisting of 54 ingots of similar shape and composition, is identified here as the hitherto unknown product of the large-scale operations at Faynan in the Iron Age.

Megiddo (Israel) is a key site for the study of the stratigraphy, chronology, and history of the Bronze and Iron ages in the Levant. The article presents a Bayesian chronological model for seven ceramic typology phases and 10 stratigraphic horizons at this site, covering the Late Bronze and much of the Iron Age. The model is based on 78 samples, which provided 190 determinations- the most thorough set of radiocarbon determinations known so far in a single site in the Levant. This set of data provides a reliable skeleton for the discussion of cultural processes and historical events in the region and beyond, including the periods of the Egyptian Empire in Canaan and the Northern Kingdom of Israel.

The relative chronology of the Aegean Iron Age is robust. It is based on minute stylistic changes in the Submycenaean, Protogeometric and Geometric styles and their sub-phases. Yet, the absolute chronology of the time-span between the final stages of Late Helladic IIIC in the late second millennium BCE and the archaic colonization of Italy and Sicily toward the end of the 8th century BCE lacks archaeological contexts that can be directly related to events carrying absolute dates mentioned in Egyptian/Near Eastern historical sources, or to well-dated Egyptian/Near Eastern rulers. The small number of radiocarbon dates available for this time span is not sufficient to establish an absolute chronological sequence. Here we present a new set of short-lived radiocarbon dates from the sites of Lefkandi, Kalapodi and Corinth in Greece. We focus on the crucial transition from the Submycenaean to the Protogeometric periods. This transition is placed in the late 11th century BCE according to the Conventional Aegean Chronology and in the late 12th century BCE according to the High Aegean Chronology. Our results place it in the second half of the 11th century BCE. Copyright:

The microstructure and chemical composition of eight faience beads from an early Iron Age (12th century BCE) assemblage found in the ancient city port of Ashkelon (Israel) are determined by means of FTIR spectrometry, pXRF, microRaman and SEM-EDS analysis. The results are compared with published data of Egyptian and Near Eastern artifacts. Each sample exhibits a hue which is obtained by adding a specific colorant to the glazing mixture. A new gray chalcopyrite-manganese-based colorant was identified. Cementation glazing was most likely used in the manufacturing process of the specimens analyzed, except for the blue bead, which is an Egyptian blue frit. The results suggest that these objects represent a unique assemblage, quite different from contemporary Egyptian and Near Eastern materials, and provide new information regarding the Iron Age faience evidence in the southern Levant.

Remarkably, the largest archaeological game traps ever recorded in the Near East are found in arid landscapes, both on plains and in hilly terrains. This paper describes the construction methods used on steep slopes in the Negev Highland. Apparently, in some cases a massive rampart (rather than a free-standing wall) was built around the trap's head. The details reflect careful planning and heavy-duty work, including leveling and then using more than 100 t of stone for the rampart construction. New C-14 data date the Sayarim site to the Early Bronze Age (minimum age), and the Pitam site to pre-Late Bronze Age. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd and INQUA. All rights reserved.

Excavations at Fazael 2 provide important insights into our understanding of the latest phases of the Chalcolithic period in the southern Levant. Radiometric determinations suggest that Stratum 2 at the site was occupied about 4000-3900 Cal BC, thus being among the latest Chalcolithic settlements in the Jordan Valley. This article describes the first two seasons of excavation and presents the architecture and stratigraphy accompanied by a description of the various assemblages found at the site. These assemblages are typically Chalcolithic in almost every aspect, but the flint artifacts attest to the beginning of the use of Canaanean blades at the end of the Chalcolithic period. This is contrary to the accepted opinion that ascribes their appearance to the beginning of the succeeding period (Early Bronze Age I). Thus the possibility of a very late, possibly even post-Ghassulian Chalcolithic, entity may not be ruled out.

Ancient cooking installations yield important evidence for cooking technology and human diet. A cooking installation termed the Philistine pebble hearth is associated with the arrival of the Philistines at the beginning of the Iron Age in the southern Levant (ca. early/mid-12th century B.C.). These installations have been studied using traditional methods, focusing on a description of form and style in relation to the pottery of the period. Here we present a study using an experimental approach. We prepared three sets of experimental pebble hearths to study the pebbles' thermal behavior in relation to their volume. The comparison of these results with observations of Iron Age I archaeological hearths reveals different patterns in pebble shattering and soot patterns, indicating that the archaeological hearths were used in a different manner than the experimental ones. The experiments highlight the utility of shattered pebbles as an indicator of the use of fire directly on Philistine hearths, even in the absence of ash and/or charcoal. They also demonstrate that these installations may have been used with open fire or live embers. The results are applicable to the study of hearths worldwide, with implications for appropriate excavation methods and basic identification of ancient pyrotechnologies.

A metallurgically-oriented excavation in Area A at Tell es-Safi/Gath yielded evidence for iron and bronze production dating to the early Iron Age IIA. Two pit-like features, which differed considerably from one another in colour, texture and content, were excavated. Evidence shows that each feature represents a different in situ activity related to iron production, inferred by the presence of hammerscales, slag prills and slag. An upturned crucible was found on top of one of the features. Analysis of the crucible slag showed that it was used for bronze metallurgy. Tuyeres, both round and square in cross-section, were found in and around the two features. The presence of the two industries together presents a unique opportunity to explore the relationship between copper and iron working. This is especially important against the background of the scarcity of evidence for iron production in the Levant during the early phases of the Iron Age. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The reliability of a radiocarbon date depends in part on the degree of precision and accuracy of the measurement. While analytical precision and accuracy can be improved by careful sample cleaning procedures and high laboratory standards, accuracy also depends upon the certainty to which the sample can be attributed to a specific material culture or event in the past. This might be questionable when based only on partial archaeological information. As a consequence, it is very difficult to date clear-cut chronological transitions within specific periods. This issue is particularly apparent in the case of Mediterranean Iron Age chronology, where 2 somewhat different perspectives are proposed, the "High Chronology" and the "Low Chronology," which differ by ~50 yr. Here, we present the preliminary results of an ongoing project that aims to characterize Iron Age archaeological contexts from the eastern Mediterranean, and to identify those contexts that are suitable for dating, in order to improve the accuracy of ¹⁴C dates. This study involves the analysis of sediments by means of FTIR spectrometry, soil micromorphology, phytolith and phosphate extraction, all of which provide insights into the site-formation and postdepositional processes at the different sites under investigation. These techniques, applied at Tell es-Safi/Gath (Israel), enabled us to better identify a secure context for dating.

The chronology of the Early Bronze Age (EBA) in the southern Levant and the synchronization between the sites, considering seriation and radiocarbon dates, have shown large inconsistencies and disagreement. We have assembled 420 ¹⁴C dates, most of them previously published and a few provided directly by the excavators. The dates have been re-evaluated on the basis of their archaeological context and using analytical criteria. Bayesian modeling has been applied to the selected dates in relation to the given seriation of the EBA subperiods (EB I, II III, IV). Sites with 2 or more sequential sub-phases were individually modeled in order to define the transitions between the subperiods. The new chronology indicates that the EB I-II transition occurred site-dependently between 3200-2900 BC, with EB II-III around 2900 BC, and EB III- IV ~2500 BC.

Biogenic carbonate hydroxyapatite crystals are inherently disordered at the atomic level due mainly to the substitutions of various ions in the crystal structure, and, in the case of the bone family of materials, to the fact that these very small crystals have a very large surface-to-bulk ratio. Characterization of the extent of disorder is of much interest, as this relates to the stability and hence solubility of the crystals. Here the infrared spectrometry grinding curve approach developed for calcite, is adapted to carbonate hydroxyapatites. The infrared splitting factor is plotted against the full width at half height of the strong phosphate absorption peak as a function of increased grinding of the sample. By doing so, the contribution of particle size to the shape of the peaks is better separated from the contribution of atomic disorder to peak shape. It is shown that differences in disorder exist between dentine, cementum, and bone crystals which could reflect crystal size and/or atomic defects within the crystal. It is als shown that systematic differences exist between enamel samples from different taxa, which we assume only reflects atomic disorder differences within these large crystals. The method can be used to characterize atomic disorder in natural hydroxyapatites, as well as in the many different types of synthetic hydroxyapatites used for biomedical implants. Carbonated hydroxyapatite is widely used in biomedical applications. Biogenic carbonate hydroxyapatite crystals are inherently disordered at the atomic level. Using the grinding curve approach based on peak broadening in infrared spectrometry, systematic disorder differences between enamel samples from different taxa, and differences in disorder between dentine, cementum and bone crystals are shown.

The report announces the important radiocarbon-dated sequence recently obtained at Dzudzuana Cave in the southern Caucasus foothills. The first occupants here were modern humans, in c. 34.5-32.2 ka cal BP, and comparison with dated sequences on the northern slope of the Caucasus suggests that their arrival was rapid and widespread. The rich, well-dated assemblages of lithics, bone tools and a few art objects, coloured fibres, pollen and animal remains deposited at Dzudzuana through 20 millennia provide an invaluable point of reference for numerous other sites previously excavated in western Georgia. Detailed information has been placed in a supplementary excavation report online. The data support the significance of these excavations for a better understanding of modern human dispersals.

Ash is formed when plant calcium oxalate crystals (CaC₂O₄) decompose to form calcite (CaCO₃). We found that ash does retain the original calcium oxalate radiocarbon concentration, but in addition, there is another minor ¹⁴C source. This is shown by the presence of a consistent small shift in the pMC and δ¹³C levels when comparing cellulose and ash from modern and archaeological woods. Possible mechanisms for ¹⁴C exchange during combustion or due to diagenesis are considered in order to define parameters for identifying better-preserved wood ash samples.

Archaeological investigations of 'desert kites' in south Israel show them to have been animal traps of considerable sophistication and capacity, constructed in the Early Bronze Age or earlier. Extensive stone-wall arms gather in gazelles from their habitual trails and canalise them into a sunken enclosure, cunningly hidden from view of the galloping herd until it was too late...

This work presents an attempt to date brines and determine flow rates of hypersaline groundwater in the extremely dynamic system of the Dead Sea (DS), whose level has dropped in the last 30 yr by ~20 m. The processes that affect the carbon species and isotopes of the groundwater in the DS area were quantified in order to estimate their flow rate based on radiocarbon and tritium methods. In contrast to the conservative behavior of most ions in the groundwater, the carbon system parameters indicate additional processes. The dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) content of most saline groundwater is close to that of the DS, but its stable isotopic composition (δ¹³C_DIC) is much lower. The chemical composition and carbon isotope mass balance suggest that the low δ¹³C_DIC of the saline groundwater is a result of anaerobic organic matter oxidation by bacterial sulfate reduction (BSR) and methane oxidation. The radiocarbon content (¹⁴C_DIC) of the saline groundwater ranged from 86 pMC (greater than the ~82 pMC value of the DS in the 2000s) to as low as 14 pMC. The similarity between the ¹⁴C_DIC value and Na/Cl ratio of the groundwater at the DS shore and that of the 1980s DS brine indicates that the DS penetrated to the aquifer at that time. The low ¹⁴C_DIC values in some of the saline groundwater suggest the existence of ancient brine in the subaquifer.

A rapid phytolith extraction procedure is described, that allows phytolith concentrations and morphotype assemblages to be analyzed within hours. This procedure enables the results of these analyses to be used during an archaeological excavation, in order to better understand how plants were used. The new procedure was tested using a standard phytolith extract and two experimental phytolith-sediment blends and found to be both accurate and precise. The reliability of partial slide counting was evaluated and found to be as accurate and precise as existing phytolith quantification methods. The new extraction and counting procedures were applied to an archaeological site, Tell es-Safi/Gath, Israel. The results demonstrate how information on phytolith concentrations in sediments that are available from one day to the next, can be used during an excavation to more effectively document the local features of interest and obtain better information.

Local sea level curves are obtained by using various methods, from land as well as from sea records and are based on different indicators. The most updated Holocene sea level curve for the coast of Israel, Eastern Mediterranean, from about 9500 cal years ago up to about 700 hundred years ago (the end of the Crusaders period) is based mainly on coastal archaeological remains. For the last Millennia an attempt was made to use bio-constructions along the present-day abrasion platforms as a tool for reconstructing past sea levels. Here we present radiocarbon dating of pre-bomb mollusks from the intertidal zone in order to determine the reservoir age of the bio-construction.

Yuchanyan Cave in Daoxian County, Hunan Province (People's Republic of China), yielded fragmentary remains of 2 or more ceramic vessels, in addition to large amounts of ash, a rich animal bone assemblage, cobble and flake artifacts, bone tools, and shell tools. The artifacts indicate that the cave was a Late Paleolithic foragers' camp. Here we report on the radiocarbon ages of the sediments based on analyses of charcoal and bone collagen. The best-preserved charcoal and bone samples were identified by prescreening in the field and laboratory. The dates range from around 21,000 to 13,800 cal BP. We show that the age of the ancient pottery ranges between 18,300 and 15,430 cal BP. Charcoal and bone collagen samples located above and below one of the fragments produced dates of around 18,000. These ceramic potsherds therefore provide some of the earliest evidence for pottery making in China.

Radiocarbon dating has had an enormous impact on archaeology. Most of the dates are obtained using charred materials and, to a lesser extent, collagen from bones. The contexts in which charred materials and bones are found are often, however, not secure. There are 3 other datable materials that are usually in secure contexts: plaster/mortar, phytoliths, and the organic material in the ceramic of whole vessels. The plaster/mortar of walls and floors are often in very secure contexts. Phytoliths are abundant in archaeological sites and in some situations form well-defined surfaces. Whole vessels are usually found in secure contexts and their typologies are indicative of a specific period. Dating each of these materials has proved to be difficult, and solving these technical problems represents major future challenges for the ¹⁴C community. The effective use of charcoal and bone collagen for dating can also be improved by paying careful attention to the micro-contexts in which they are found, such as in clusters or as part of well-defined features. Pre-screening to identify the best preserved material can also contribute to improving the accuracy of the dates obtained. A general objective should be to have an assessment of the quality of the material to be dated so that the potentially invaluable information from outliers can be exploited.

Infrared spectroscopy provides information not only on the type of calcium carbonate polymorph, but also on the extent of atomic order. In calcite, three major infrared absorption peaks are identified: ν₃, ν₂, and ν₄. It was shown that the ratio between ν₂ and ν₄ bands reflects the order of the calcite crystal structure. In this paper we analyse this ratio in geologically formed calcites, archaeological plasters, modern plasters and experimentally prepared plasters. For the geological calcite, the values of the ν₂/ν₄ ratio are around 3, whereas for the experimentally prepared plasters, the values are around 6.5. The ν₂/ν₄ ratio for archaeological plasters varies from 3 to 6. This shows that a high ratio is indicative of disorder in the crystal, and implies that the calcite was formed from calcium oxide at high temperatures. It also implies that this disorder can be preserved for at least 14,000 years. The ν₂/ν₄ ratio of calcite from archaeological sites can thus be used to differentiate between anthropogenic calcite, such as in plaster, mortar and wood ash, from geogenic calcite, such as in limestone. The ratio may also be used to identify plaster or ash that still retains its original crystals and therefore carbon-14 content.

The presence of many phytolith-rich layers in late Bronze and Iron Age deposits at Tel Dor, Israel, are indicative of specific locations where plants were concentrated. Detailed studies of six of these phytolith-rich layers and associated sediments from Tel Dor show that the phytoliths were derived mainly from wild and domestic grasses. The most common domestic grass was the cereal Triticum aestivum (bread wheat). Three of these layers have a microlaminated microstructure, associated dung spherulites and phosphate nodules; characteristics that all point to the phytolith-rich layers having formed from dung in animal enclosures. In two of the layers, the microlaminated structure is absent while dung spherulites and phosphate nodules are present, suggesting that these too originate from dung that was not deposited in an enclosure. The sixth layer is microlaminated but does not contain spherulites. We thus cannot suggest a parsimonious explanation of its observed properties. Concentrations of burnt phytoliths are present in three locations, implying that dung was either burnt in situ or the ashes from burnt dung were redeposited. The transformation of dung accumulations into phytolith-rich layers involves a loss of organic material and hence a significant reduction in sediment volume, which is clearly apparent in the stratigraphy of some of the locations examined. The volume reduction can be observed in the macrostratigraphy and has important implications with regard to macrostratigraphic interpretation. The presence of abundant phytolith-rich layers on the tell has significant implications for the concept of 'urbanism' during these periods.

Vacuum distillation is shown to be useful for the quantitative extraction of dissolved inorganic carbon (as CO₂) and water from sediments of the unsaturated zone in the Coastal Aquifer of Israel. Several tests of vacuum extractions from tap water and sediments are presented, including standard addition, which show that the distillation procedure is quantitative, with minimal or no carbon isotope fractionation. The optimal temperature of the sediment during the extraction was also defined. Examples of vacuum extractions of sediments are shown.

Recent excavations at Motza near Jerusalem revealed a large Neolithic site that was continuously inhabited from the Early PPNB until the Pottery Neolithic period. The well-dated Early PPNB occupation comprises various architectural remains, human burials , clay and stone figurines, and rich flint and obsidian assemblages. Layer VI is approximately 2 m thick and consists of three discrete occupational levels with distinct architectural remains. These include curvilinear and rectangular structures with lime plastered floors, courtyards, hearths, and long massive walls of up to 1 m width. This layer is dated by sixteen radiocarbon dates, all falling within the range of 8600-8200 cal. BС. The EPPNB flint assemblage at Motza demonstrates a combination of the continuation of the earlier PPN A traditions together with the introduction of new technological innovations. The formal tools are dominated by Helwan and Jericho points, with many of the former being made on bidirectional blades in the north Levantine mode. Sickle blades are also mainly fashioned on bidirectional blanks. Mountain gazelle (Gazella gazella), the dominant species of the EPPNB faunal remains, indicates that hunting was still important. Gazelle bones were preferred for manufacturing bone tools, continuing PPN A Sultanian practices. Most of the human remains were primary burials, with no preference in the orientation of the bodies, although they were tightly flexed. Graves illustrate various funerary practices although primary inhumations on tightly flexed position are more common. All three primary graves of adults show evidence of later skull removal. Corpse treatment seems nonetheless quite particular at Motza as most of the graves were associated in different ways with remains of plaster, more frequently, as patches mixed in the filling of the grave. The archaeological evidence from Motza revises the hypothesis held by some that the PPNB in this region only started in the MPPNB.

The geographical evolution of Haifa Bay and Zevulun Plain, Israel, from the late Pleistocene to the Holocene, is based on detailed analysis of drilled cores. At the beginning of the Holocene the Bay area was still under terrestrial conditions. Only about 9500 to 9000 cal. yr BP, when sea level rose to about 35-30 m below present sea level (b.s.l.), did Nile-derived sand start to bypass the Carmel headland and Haifa Bay come into existence as a morphological feature. Between 8000 and 7150 cal. yr BP, when sea level was 14-10 m b.s.l., the invading sea crossed the present-day coastline. At about 6800 to 6600 cal. yr BP sea level rose to about 5 m b.s.l. and flooded the Zevulun Plain up to 2 km inland, and the River Qishon estuary up to 4 km inland. It is still unknown exactly when the sea reached its maximum penetration inland but later, about 4000 years ago, the coastline in the research area was still east of the present-day coast, up to 3 km in the Zevulun Plain and 4.8 km in the River Qishon estuary. When the coastline started to retreat westward, the reclamation was followed by intensive deposition of shallow marine sand and aeolian dunes, while to the east, different wetland conditions developed. The archaeological data indicate that during the Early Bronze Age I and Early Bronze Age II, dated to between 5600 and 4700 cal. yr BP, and even later, during the Middle Bronze Age II period, about 4600 to 3500 cal. yr BP, the coastline was still east of the present-day coast, but it never actually reached the bases of most of the tells, as has been suggested, except for Tel Akko and Tel Abu Hawam.

High concentrations of empty valves of the genus Glycymeris are found along the Israeli coast, both at the water line and in adjacent archeological sites. In contrast with the abundance of the empty shells, live specimens are rare. This discrepancy raises the questions of when and where did Glycymeris live on the Israeli shelf and why and when did they disappear. In this study, concentrations of empty shells from contemporary depositional environments were sampled at 13 sites along the waterline and 91 sites on the Israeli inner shelf between 3 and 30 m water depth. In addition, 12 coastal archeological sites were sampled so as to determine the distribution of bivalves in the last few thousands years, and a random sample was checked for taphonomic characteristics. Six valves of Glycymeris insubrica were radiocarbon dated. Glycymeris shells comprise 89% to 100% of the total dead mollusks shells found south of Haifa with G. insubrica comprising up to 100% of the entire Glycymeris assemblage. In archeological sites, G. insubrica is also abundant. G. insubrica, an opportunist species, appeared in large numbers 5000-5500 years ago and almost ceased to exist 1500-1000 years ago. Taphonomic studies based on the present-day state of preservation of Glycymeris support the observation that they ceased to exist sometime after 2000 years ago. The sharp increase in their numbers is attributed to a combination of several factors. The inner shelf became oligotrophic 5500 years ago. The Late Holocene sea level rise slowed down considerably and nearly reached its maximum. Sandy sediments predominated and new habitats were open. The near disappearance of G. insubrica 1500 to 2000 years ago was probably due to the ongoing impoverishment of nutrient flux and reduction in marine productivity of the Eastern Mediterranean. It may also have been part of the natural succession of populations that replace each other resulting in a distinct community change.

The Ohalo I - Hof Shaldag site was discovered in 1986, when water level in Lake Kinneret dropped to ca. -212 m. The finds cover an area of about 3,000 sq m. This final report includes a summary of previous publications, all fieldwork endeavors, and the details of the flint and basalt assemblages. During the year of the lowest water level, wood remains from the Late Pleistocene with no archaeological context were found. These include Platanus (Plane tree), Salix (Willow) and FraxinusFraxinus (Ash), radiometrically dated to 16,500 BP (uncal.). The large flint assemblage is characterized by the presence of many very large cores and blades, some of which are rolled and patinated. The blades were fashioned into endscrapers and burins, most probably dating to the Geometric Kebaran or somewhat earlier industries. There are also geometric and non-geometric microliths, as well as Natufian lunates. A variety of Pre-Pottery Neolithic B and Pottery Neolithic sickle blades and arrowheads are present, made on different flints and mostly sharp and fresh. There are isolated Wadi Raba / Chalcolithic tools. The basalt assemblage includes a high number of pestles, accompanied by a variety of bowls, net sinkers and other types. We believe the location served as an atelier, where large quantities of local flint and basalt were used for the production of tools. When considering other Epipalaeolithic sites around the lake, two points are clear. lake, two points are clear. First, the Ohalo I site provides evidence for the longest use of a single locale, as all other sites are single period occupations. Second, all the eastern Haon and Ein Gev sites are topographically much higher than the western sites (Ohalo I and II). As for the Neolithic period, the sites are to the south and a little away from the lake. Interestingly, the Ohalo I types of sickle blades are not similar to the ones found at the nearby Yarmukian Sha'ar Hagolan, but are of the Jericho IX - Lodian types.

The in situ produced cosmogenic beryllium isotope, ¹⁰Be, in flint artifacts from different layers in prehistoric caves can provide information on flint procurement. The buildup of ¹⁰Be in a flint matrix is related to the exposure time of the flint to cosmic rays. Although this exposure history can be complex, the ¹⁰Be content of flint assemblages can show whether the raw material was obtained from shallow mining and/or surface collection as opposed to sediments two or more meters below the surface. Flint artifact assemblages from two Palaeolithic caves in Israel, Tabun and Qesem, were analyzed. In Tabun cave the flint artifacts from Lower Layer E (Acheulo-Yabrudian, around 400 000-200 000 yr) contain very small amounts of ¹⁰Be, which is consistent with flint procured from sediments two or more meters deep. Artifacts from above and below Tabun Lower Layer E show a more complex distribution, as do artifacts from all layers of Qesem cave (Acheulo-Yabrudian). This is probably due to the fact that they were surface collected and/or mined from shallow (less than 2 m) depths. We show here that artifact assemblages have different concentrations of ¹⁰Be, indicating different raw material procurement strategies.

The Iron Age Dating Project was initiated four years ago in order to suggest a radiometric way out of the apparent stalemate reached in the debate over early Iron Age chronology in Israel. It is based on the conviction that a question of such a tight resolution requires an extensive database, carefully selected from many sites and dated by different methods and different laboratories. This is the only means by which inevitable archaeological and analytical errors may be identified and eliminated. The data set, about 100 samples from 21 sites in Israel, producing more than 400 individual measurements, requires explicit and versatile methods for the statistical modeling of the dates. This paper introduces the archaeological, analytical and statistical rationale of the project, alongside partial results. In addition, we present new dates from Tel Dor, the site that produced the first radiometric sequence empirically supporting the low chronology. These new dates, measured by different laboratories, corroborate the previous conclusions regarding Tel Dor. They again support the low chronology, as do the preliminary results of the Iron Age Dating Project. In 1996, two of us (A.G. and I.S.) sent ten samples from the early Iron Age sequence at Tel Dor to be dated by the Radiocarbon Dating Laboratory, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, then headed by Israel Carmi. Shortly afterwards Israel Finkelstein's first paper advocating a 'low chronology' for the Iron Age in Israel (1996) was published.

The development of mining to acquire the best raw materials for producing stone tools represents a breakthrough in human technological and intellectual development. We present a new approach to studying the history of flint mining, using in situ-produced cosmogenic Be-10 concentrations. We show that the raw material used to manufacture flint artifacts approximate to300,000 years old from Qesem Cave (Israel) was most likely surf ace-collected or obtained from shallow quarries, whereas artifacts of the same period from Tabun Cave (Israel) were made of flint originating from layers 2 or more meters deep, possibly mined or quarried by humans.

Core profiles in the deep SE Mediterranean Sea revealed a significant ?14C excess in the total dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) of porewater as compared to the ?14C of the sediments, below the bioturbation zone down to core bottom (>2 m). The main observation was that the age difference between porewater and sediments, as calculated from the excess, was not constant but rather increasing with depth. The porewater apparent age was younger by 10% than the age of the sediment at the core top and gradually became younger by about 70% at the bottom of the core. Flux calculations and mass balances of the chemical and isotopic data suggest that this 14C excess stems from a downward diffusive flux of 95 ± 15 atoms of 14CDIC m?2 s?1 from the bioturbation zone and overlying bottom water into the sediment. The 14CDIC flux is opposite in direction to the DIC flux out of the sediment. It is suggested here that the 14CDIC flux may severely interfere with age determination of small submarine ?brine lakes? formed in the deep Mediterranean. In addition, the 14C excess should show up in authigenic carbonate phases precipitating within the sediment and, hence, may serve as a tool to identify the extent and duration of authigenic carbonate precipitation.

The nuclide 44Ti(T1/2=59.2 yr) has recently become an important asset to nuclear astrophysics through the measurement of its cosmic radioactivity, yielding significant information on fresh 44Ti nucleosynthesis in supernovae. We propose to use AMS to determine the production rate of 44Ti by the main channel believed to be responsible for 44Ti astrophysical production, namely 40Ca(α,γ). A preliminary experiment conducted at the Koffler 14UD Pelletron accelerator demonstrates a sensitivity of 1×10−14 for the 44Ti/Ti ratio. The AMS detection was performed using 44Ti− ions sputtered from a TiO2 sample, reducing considerably the 44Ca isobaric interference. The present limit corresponds effectively to 44Ti production with resonance strength in the range 10–100 meV for a one-day 40Ca(α,γ) activation. Several such resonances are known to be responsible for 44Ti production in the astrophysical temperature range and should be amenable to experiment with the proposed method.

A method of study of weakly-formed negative ions by excitation in laser light and accelerator mass spectrometry is described. Measurement of the photoelectric detachment cross section of the extra electron as a function of the photon energy gives information on the electron affinity. Absolute cross sections for photodetachment of negative ions of La, Ce, Th and U have been measured at the fundamental wavelength (1064 nm) of a Nd: YAG laser. To demonstrate the feasibility of determination of the electron affinity by this method, measurements near the threshold of photodetachment in Te with known electron affinity (1.971 eV) were performed.

Eleven rainwater samples from Israel have been analyzed for their isotopic36Cl/Cl ratios and their soluble salt content. The rains display a range of36Cl/Cl ratios between1.8 × 10−15 and50 × 10−15, and chloride ion concentrations of between 0.3 and 4.2 meqCl/−l. The ratios between the concentrations of Na+, Mg2+ and Cl− in the samples demonstrate a clear marine origin for these ions in the rainwater. Although the stable35Cl isotope in rainwater is marine in origin, while the accompanying36Cl radioisotope is non-marine, both are linearly and positively correlated in chloride-rich (1meqCl/l) rains. The36ClCl seawater solute relationship may be explained as result of a mixing process between two chloride-bearing sources: (a) sea-spray laden air with a low36Cl/Cl ratio, and (b) a Cl-rich mineral dust reservoir, with a high36Cl/Cl ratio. Both are introduced and admixed into the atmosphere during storms. The possibility of a high36Cl/Cl ratio stratospheric end-member is rejected in view of the non-marine nature of the chlorine therein.

We describe in the present work the observation of XeH^- molecular ions from a standard Hiconex 834 source in which a sputter target of AgI mixed with Ag was sprayed with Xe gas. The formation of XeH^- ions is positively demonstrated by identifying ¹²⁹Xe and ¹³¹Xe by AMS analysis and energy and time-of-flight measurements, when negative ions of mass 130 and 132, respectively, are injected into the 14UD Rehovot Pelletron tandem accelerator. No evidence for the formation of Xe^- ions was found. The dependence of the intensity of the xenon group on the xenon gas pressure in the ion source shows that the probability of formation of XeH^- is very low and should not pose a significant background problem under normal circumstances in AMS measurements of ¹²⁹I.

A method is described whereby the chloride concentration and the ratio of 36Cl to total chloride of a given water body are compared with those of precipitation to determine the fraction of the original precipitation which was lost by evapotranspiration before it reached that water body. This method was applied to 11 water sources in the upper Jordan River basin, and the evapotranspirative loss was generally found to be in the range 40–90%. This method, which is much simpler than the other methods for determining regional evapotranspiration, will enable us to monitor the changes in the hydrological cycle which are expected to result from the greenhouse effect.