Publications
2024
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(2024) Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports. 57, 104597. Abstract
The Levantine Epipaleolithic period witnessed remarkable cultural processes, culminating with the rise of sedentary hamlets in the Early Natufian. The role of terminal Pleistocene climate changes as a catalyst for these societal shifts has been debated, suffering from a lack of well-dated and localized proxies associated with the human landscape. The charcoal assemblage from the Epipalaeolithic sequence (Kebaran, Geometric Kebaran and Natufian; ca. 25,00012,700 cal. BP) at Ein Qashish South (EQS, Israel) indicates an Eastern Mediterranean vegetation and the common use of oak (both evergreen and deciduous/semi-deciduous) and almond throughout the sequence. A precipitation curve is presented for the region under study based on stable carbon isotope (δ13C) measurements of identified and dated charcoals from the EQS sequence and from the Natufian el-Wad Terrace (EWT), Mount Carmel, and interpreted in relation to precipitation, the primary environmental factor influencing plant δ13C absorption in the region under study. The resulting proxy covers a period spanning the Last Glacial Maximum and the end of the Pleistocene in the southern Levant. This is the first time a charcoal-based sequence from a high-resolution archaeological record encompasses the precipitation patterns of the entire Epipalaeolithic sequence in the southern Levant. To assess the viability of δ13C analysis of southern Levantine oak (Tabor oak, Quercus ithaburensis, and evergreen oak, Quercus calliprinos) for palaeoclimate reconstruction, isotope measurements were performed on three current oak tree growth rings sampled from a sequence characterised by documented varying annual precipitation. Our experimental results suggest that almond is more susceptible to climate change and, therefore, more suitable as a palaeoclimatic proxy. Δ13C records from almond and oak suggest a more humid climate than today throughout the Epipalaeolithic sequence, with the most humid peak in the Early Natufian. The overall productive environments, particularly in the time when sedentarisation is most apparent, may have contributed to the observed cultural shifts.
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(2024) Radiocarbon. 66, 3, p. 597-603 Abstract
The automatic graphitization system (AGE3) by IonPlus is very popular among radiocarbon dating laboratories. Usually, solid samples are burnt in an elemental analyzer (EA), and the gaseous CO2 is transferred for graphitization. Our system is coupled also with an isotope ratio mass spectrometer (IRMS), which measures the δ13C and δ15N of that gas. Some less routine pretreatment protocols require the production of gaseous samples and prevent the possibility of using the EA-AGE3 system, as the EA is used for solid samples only. In order to use that system, including the measurements of stable isotopes, we developed a glass tube cracker that connects to the EA. The device is routinely used in our laboratory and is mainly built from Swaglok catalog parts. We show that the background (blank) levels of a marble standard are indistinguishable between using the cracker and burning solid marble using the EA. We further demonstrate that the δ13C values are consistent and that the extraction efficiency when using the device is above 93%. Full descriptions, drawings, and working protocol are supplied.
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(2024) Scientific Reports. 14, 18195. Abstract
Identification of the sex of modern, fossil and archaeological animal remains offers many insights into their demography, mortality profiles and domestication pathways. However, due to many-factors, sex determination of osteological remains is often problematic. To overcome this, we have developed an innovative protocol to determine an animals sex from tooth enamel, by applying label-free quantification (LFQ) of two unique AmelY peptides LRYPYP (AmelY;[M+2]2+ 404.7212 m/z) and LRYPYPSY (AmelY;[M+2]2+ 529.7689 m/z) that are only present in the enamel of males. We applied this method to eight modern cattle (Bos taurus) of known sex, and correctly assigned them to sex. We then applied the same protocol to twelve archaeological Bos teeth from the Neolithic site of Beisamoun, Israel (8-th7-th millennium BC) and determined the sex of the archaeological samples. Since teeth are usually better preserved than bones, this innovative protocol has potential to facilitate sex determination in ancient and modern bovine remains that currently cannot be sexed.
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(2024) Levant. Abstract
This paper presents, for the first time, an analysis of the early Iron Age IIA occupation at En Ḥaẓeva. A series of radiocarbon measurements from short-lived samples obtained from the sites earlier occupation levels (Strata VIIIVII) were all dated to the 10th century BCE. It is noteworthy, that Stratum VII occupies the second half of the 10th century BCE exclusively, with its final phase around 900 BCE. Fixing the sites absolute chronology has far-reaching implications, enabling the placement of the early Iron Age IIA settlement within the broader historical context. Situated c. 20 kilometres from the most significant copper industry centre in the Levant Khirbet en-Nahas, En Ḥaẓeva enjoyed a strategic location in the transport network of copper through the Negev Highlands and the Beer-Sheba Valley to the Mediterranean seaports. It is claimed that the economic prosperity related to copper production at Khirbet en-Nahas during the early Iron Age IIA was En Ḥaẓevas raison dêtre.
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(2024) Minerals. 14, 7, 729. Abstract
The petrous bone generally preserves ancient DNA better than other fossil bones. One reason for this is that the inner layer of the petrous bone of pigs and humans contains about three times as many osteocytes as other bones, and hence more DNA. A FIB-SEM study of modern pig petrous bones showed that the 3D structure of the thin inner layer is typical of woven bone that forms in the fetus, whereas the thicker outer layer has a lamellar structure. The lamellar structure is common in mammalian bones. Here we study human petrous bones that are about 2500 years old, obtained from three Phoenician sites in Sicily, Italy. A detailed FIB-SEM study of two of these bones, one well preserved and the other poorly preserved, shows that the 3D bone type structure of the human petrous inner layer is woven bone, and the outer layer is lamellar bone. These are the same bone type structures found in pig petrous bones. Furthermore, by comparing nine differently preserved petrous bones from the same archaeological region and age, we show that their collagen contents vary widely, implying that organic material can be significantly altered during diagenesis. The mineral crystals are better preserved and hence less crystalline in the inner layers compared to the outer layers. We therefore infer that the best-preserved DNA in fossil petrous bones should be found in the thin inner layers immediately adjacent to the otic cavity where much more DNA is initially present and the mineral phase tends to be better preserved.
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(2024) Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 121, 19, e232102412. Abstract
Reconstructing the absolute chronology of Jerusalem during the time it served as the Judahite Kingdoms capital is challenging due to its dense, still inhabited urban nature and the plateau shape of the radiocarbon calibration curve during part of this period. We present 103 radiocarbon dates from reliable archaeological contexts in five excavation areas of Iron Age Jerusalem, which tie between archaeology and biblical history. We exploit Jerusalems rich past, including textual evidence and vast archaeological remains, to overcome difficult problems in radiocarbon dating, including establishing a detailed chronology within the long-calibrated ranges of the Hallstatt Plateau and recognizing short-lived regional offsets in atmospheric 14C concentrations. The key to resolving these problems is to apply stringent field methodologies using microarchaeological methods, leading to densely radiocarbon-dated stratigraphic sequences. Using these sequences, we identify regional offsets in atmospheric 14C concentrations c. 720 BC, and in the historically secure stratigraphic horizon of the Babylonian destruction in 586 BC. The latter is verified by 100 single-ring measurements between 624 to 572 BC. This application of intense 14C dating sheds light on the reconstruction of Jerusalem in the Iron Age. It provides evidence for settlement in the 12th to 10th centuries BC and that westward expansion had already begun by the 9th century BC, with extensive architectural projects undertaken throughout the city in this period. This was followed by significant damage and rejuvenation of the city subsequent to the mid-eight century BC earthquake, after which the city was heavily fortified and continued to flourish until the Babylonian destruction.
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(2024) Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports. 55, 104471. Abstract
With a rich, well-dated Early Upper Palaeolithic layer, the Mughr el-Hamamah cave site is key for understanding the Middle-Upper Palaeolithic transition in the Levant. The archaeological deposit consists of two units. Layer A resulted from pastoral activities during the 20th century and Layer B dated between 44.5 and 40.0 ky BP. During Layer A's formation, shepherds disturbed Layer B, redepositing Early Upper Palaeolithic sediments and lithic artefacts in Layer A matrix. Activity from Layer A's formation also resulted in spatially patchy percolation and bioturbation, leaving microarchaeological traces such as dung spherulites in some areas in Layer B. In contrast, contemporaneous chemical diagenetic processes from Layer B's primary formation caused spatially uneven post-depositional dissolution of animal bone. In this article we present a multi-proxy microarchaeological approach to investigate the post-depositional processes in Layer B, focussing on possible impacts on the plant archaeological record. The identification of intrusive spherulites from shepherds activities define the limits of disturbance in Layer B. Micromorphological analyses have identified four intact micro-facies in Layer B, representing an interplay of natural and anthropogenic factors. Micromorphological details in bedded combustion features favour the interpretation that associated phytoliths represent fuel traces. Dicot fruit phytoliths occur in the western area of the cave, where well-preserved charred wood and seeds were also found. Grass-diagnostic phytoliths correspond to C3 and C4 taxa, indicating an overall humid environment with dry spells. Microarchaeological analysis identifies traces of both bedded and dispersed hearth materials, mixed with variable plant resources for food, fuel, and possibly other uses. This strengthens the interpretation of Mughr el-Hamamah Layer B as a dense, complicated palimpsest of recurring activities, formed over many millennia.
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(2024) Archaeological Research in Asia. 37, 100501. Abstract
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. 4634 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. 37.536.0 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. 34.533.1 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.
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(2024) Journal of Archaeological Science. 161, 105906. Abstract
Many of the surfaces of a large industrial scale wine press from the Byzantine period in Yavne, Israel, are covered in mosaic tesserae. These surfaces are part of the grape presses, storage pools, fermentation pools and also the walkways between these structures. The calcitic tesserae resemble limestone in color, texture and fracture properties. We were therefore surprised to discover that they are more disordered at the atomic level than consolidated limestone and in fact they are as disordered as porous and friable chalk. In addition SEM examination of fracture surfaces reveals abundant nannofossils, mostly coccoliths and foraminifera; properties that are also reminiscent of chalk. The nanofossil identifications shows that the tesserae are from the Middle Eocene, and this includes the chalky Maresha Formation that outcrops about 15kms from the site. SEM examination of polished surfaces shows that the larger pores of tesserae are lined with euhedral calcite crystals. Vickers hardness measurements show that the tesserae are much harder than chalk, and are comparable to limestone. There are two scenarios for explaining these seemingly contradictory observations. One scenario is that a chalky limestone geological formation with all these properties exists somewhere in the Mediterranean region and is the source of the raw material for the tesserae. The second scenario is that the Byzantine constructors of the wine press transformed a chalk into a harder and more consolidated material. Chalk transformation processes akin to plaster formation can be excluded based on the analyses of the stable carbon isotopic compositions of the tesserae, as well as their 14C concentrations. A chemical transformation using a weak acid that would only affect the calcite in the vicinity of the accessible pores, and leave the bulk of the chalk and its microfossils in a good state of preservation, is conceivable. In fact a by-product of producing wine is vinegar and the acetic acid of the vinegar could conceivably have been used for this purpose. If indeed a chemical transformation of soft chalk into a hard durable material was used, this would represent a \u201clost\u201d technology that might even be useful in present times.
2023
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Palaeoenvironments and chronology of the Damvlei Later Stone Age site, Free State, South Africa(2023) South African Archaeological Bulletin. 78, 219, p. 57-74 Abstract
The Modder River basin has been the focus of extensive surveys followed by targeted excavations of specific erosional gullies (known locally as dongas), where Middle and Later Stone Age artefacts and fossils are abundant. At Damvlei, a donga located on the left bank of the Modder, lithic artefacts and fossils were observed in the 1990s. Here, we present the results of two seasons of fieldwork (2019/21) at this locality, as well as unpublished surface faunal remains collected in 1995/96. Damvlei formed as a result of overbank deposition of the Modder River, as indicated by micromorphological analysis. The accumulation of the sedimentary sequence beneath the artefact-bearing levels started at 27 ± 3 ka at the earliest, based on optically stimulated luminescence dating. Artefacts, faunal remains, and phytoliths show that the site is characterised by Holocene Later Stone Age technology in an open-grassland environment typical of the terminal Florisian Land Mammal Age. Damvlei expands our knowledge of the Later Stone Age in the western Free State, and highlights the need for more extensive dating programmes aimed at framing human occupation in the central interior of South Africa.
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(2023) Scientific Reports. 13, 18851. Abstract
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.
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(2023) Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences. 15, 11, 177. Abstract
Pyrotechnological activities leave many traces in the archaeological record, most notably ash, which is the powdery residue of the combustion of organics such as wood. These traces have provided important insights into the biological and cultural evolution of humans. Given the common occurrence of ash layers at archaeological sites, the charred remains embedded within these features have been regularly targeted for radiocarbon dating. However, often charcoal does not preserve in sediments, and only the mineral fraction of ash is left. The latter is composed of calcium carbonate derived from the thermal decomposition of calcium oxalates produced by the plants used as fuel, and in principle can be dated using radiocarbon. Past attempts have shown that pyrogenic calcium carbonate in the form of calcite does not always preserve the radiocarbon content of the original plant, and that it is prone to recrystallization. Recently, pyrogenic aragonite (a metastable polymorph of calcium carbonate) in archaeological ash has produced accurate radiocarbon age determinations because its crystals did not recrystallize over time. In this paper, we report on the radiocarbon dating of an ash layer rich in aragonite identified at Tell es-Safi/Gath (Israel). Using a combination of infrared spectroscopy and micro-spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, phytolith analysis, micromorphology, and radiocarbon dating, we reconstructed the formation processes of the combustion feature and showed that most of the pyrogenic aragonite crystals in the ash layer exchanged carbon with the environment, and thus cannot be considered a closed system suitable for dating. Therefore, we proposed an improved extraction method to isolate the smallest crystals of pyrogenic aragonite and calcite, which are more likely to keep their original isotopic composition based on independent age controls from the same depositional context.
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(2023) Vegetation History and Archaeobotany. 32, 5, p. 453-474 Abstract
The Epipalaeolithic Natufian Culture (latest Pleistocene Levant, ca. 15,00011,500 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 (15,00013,800 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.
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(2023) Journal of Structural Biology. 215, 3, 107998. Abstract
We report on the 3D ultrastructure of the mineralized petrous bone of mature pig using focused ion beam scanning electron microscopy (FIB-SEM). We divide the petrous bone into two zones based on the degree of mineralization; one zone close to the otic chamber has higher mineral density than the second zone further away from the otic chamber. The hypermineralization of the petrous bone results in the collagen D-banding being poorly revealed in the lower mineral density zone (LMD), and absent in the high mineral density zone (HMD). We therefore could not use D-banding to decipher the 3D structure of the collagen assembly. Instead we exploited the anisotropy option in the Dragonfly image processing software to visualize the less mineralized collagen fibrils and/or nanopores that surround the more mineralized zones known as tesselles. This approach therefore indirectly tracks the orientations of the collagen fibrils in the matrix itself. We show that the HMD bone has a structure similar to that of woven bone, and the LMD is composed of lamellar bone with a plywood-like structural motif. This agrees with the fact that the bone close to the otic chamber is fetal bone and is not remodeled. The lamellar structure of the bone further away from the otic chamber is consistent with modeling/remodeling. The absence of the less mineralized collagen fibrils and nanopores resulting from the confluence of the mineral tesselles may contribute to shielding DNA during diagenesis. We show that anisotropy evaluation of the less mineralized collagen fibrils could be a useful tool to analyze bone ultrastructures and in particular the directionality of collagen fibril bundles that make up the bone matrix.
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(2023) Journal of Archaeological Science. 157, 105823. Abstract
Evidence of fire is one of the most important features for identifying and characterizing destruction events. Analysis of microscopic remains of fire has developed exceedingly in recent years, enabling archaeologists to examine new questions relating to the intensity of destruction events and to the circumstances of the creation of destruction layers. One of the most crucial events in the history of the Southern Levant is the Babylonian destruction of Judah and its capital Jerusalem in 586 BCE, which shaped the biblical narrative and theology for generations to come. Building 100 was an extraordinarily large and rich elite building, thoroughly destroyed during the Babylonian campaign. This paper presents a study of the destruction layer excavated within the rooms of the building. FTIR spectrometry and archaeomagnetic analysis were combined in the micro-archaeological study of the remains in order to create a detailed reconstruction of the destruction event. This reconstruction sheds new light on how the Babylonian destruction was manifested in reality in the elite buildings of Jerusalem.
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(2023) Scientific Reports. 13, 1, 12971. Abstract
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.
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(2023) Antiquity. p. 1-8 Abstract
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.
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(2023) Radiocarbon. 65, 3, p. 681-691 PII S00338. Abstract
The Minoan eruption of Santorini, Greece, is an important and often-debated chronological marker in contexts of the Eastern Mediterranean region. Among various age estimates of this event, one based on wiggle-matching of radiocarbon (14C) dates from an olive branch found in Santorini by Friedrich et al. (2006) has been widely discussed. Calibrated age estimates based on wiggle-matching of these 14C ages have been changing with improvements in the 14C calibration curve. As also shown earlier, calibration of average 14C age of multiple tree rings dated together should not be done using a single-year calibration curve. Since recent calibration curves include many single-year 14C datasets, a different approach should be considered to calibrate the average 14C age of block of multiple tree rings. Here we have demonstrated the use of multiple moving average (MA) calibration curves for calibrating the sequence of four 14C ages reported for the Santorini olive branch. The resultant calibrated ages for the Minoan Eruption are relatively younger than previous estimates and range from the late-17th century BCE to mid-16th century BCE date.
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(2023) Quaternary Science Reviews. 307, 108054. Abstract
The Kos Plateau Tuff (KPT), was an enormous caldera forming eruption originating from a vent within the Kos/Nisyros/Yali volcanic complex, occurring at 161 ka. It is the largest recognised Late Quaternary eruption in the Eastern Mediterranean. With its distinctive, highly silicic chemical composition, the resulting ash deposits have been used both as a synchronous marker for palaeoenvironmental records in the region, and to provide information on eruption processes and magnitude. Here, we describe ash layers detected at multiple sites (deep-sea sequences and a terrestrial archaeological site) with ages generated by radiometric dating and sapropel correlation, to demonstrate the existence of a later, but geochemically similar eruption from the Kos volcano which has not previously been identified in proximal volcanic units. This eruption is dated to MIS 5e (-124-129 ka), i.e. -40 kyr younger than the KPT. This tephra marks the start of MIS5e, and presents a rare opportunity to independently and precisely align paleoenvironmental records and archaeological sites during a time of rapid warming and sea level rise analogous to the present day. The presence of multiple tephras also implies the possibility of multiple eruptions during this period. This adds to our knowledge of the active and hazardous nature of Kos/Nisyros/Yali volcanic complex. (c) 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
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(2023) Journal of Human Evolution. 178, 103342. Abstract
The Levantine Early Upper Paleolithic (ca. 4530 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 entitiesthe 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. 37.534.0 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.
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(2023) Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 120, 17, e221356312. Abstract
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.
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(2023) Journal of Paleolithic Archaeology. 6, 11. Abstract
Following renewed excavations at Boker Tachtit (2013-2015), a revised study of the lithic assemblage techno-typological characteristics was conducted placing it within a regional context. The growing number of archaeological sites in the Levantine desert regions assigned to the Initial Upper Paleolithic calls for an updated perspective regarding technological affinities and social interaction. Combining the techno-typological data from the new and old excavations at Boker Tachtit with previously published material suggest a transitional continuum within the sequence. The techno-typological shift seen within the Boker Tachtit sequence and its comparison to other assemblages from penecontemporaneous sites in the region indicates that the Initial Upper Paleolithic technological practices evolved through incremental processes resulting in novel technological traits and innovative technological systems.
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(2023) Journal of Arid Environments. 210, 104906. Abstract
The excavation of Har Harif 45, a campsite radiometrically dated to the 6th5th millennia BCE, in the Negev highlands (Israel) uncovered many charcoals determined as Phoenician juniper (Juniperus phoenicea). Today, Phoenician juniper is absent from the Negev desert and can only be found on the ridges of northern Sinai (Egypt) and Jordan. Based on the relative abundance of polished stone axes and adzes found in Har Harif 45 in comparison to other contemporaneous sites, we suggest that the extinction of juniper trees from the Negev highlands was caused mainly by intensive and selective cutting of this highly beneficial woody species. On a wider view, the disappearance of Juniperus phoenicea from the Negev Desert provides a good example of human impact on the natural environment during the transition from hunter-gather societies to late Pottery Neolithic (and later periods of the 6th5th millennia BC) pastoralist societies, where a greater population density increased the demand for natural resources such as juniper wood. We show that the archaeological evidence from Har Harif 45 combined with the archaeobotanical data sheds new light on the human influence on the Negev highland environment during the late 6th and 5th millennia BC.
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(2023) Rivista di Archeologia. 47, p. 107-117 Abstract
The archaeological site of Lio Piccolo is situated in the northeastern region of the Venice lagoon, at depths ranging from 1.5 to 3.5 meters along Canale Rigà. Initially discovered by Er-nesto Canal in 1988, it has, since then, been the subject of in-vestigation, including a publication by Valentina Goti Vola (2019), who proposed an initial dating based on the stylistic examination of the numerous fresco fragments found on the channel bed surface. During the excavation campaigns led by Carlo Beltrame in the summers of 2021 and 2022, a platform of foundation piles tied to a brick-lined basin, covered with wooden planks and posts, was uncovered. A plinth was also discovered, the func-tion of which remains enigmatic. To establish a precise chro-nology, a particular radiocarbon-based dating program was undertaken under the guidance of Elisabetta Boaretto at the Weizmann Institute of Science. This program involved a comprehensive characterization of the contextual setting and ma-terials, employing techniques such as Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, wood analysis, dendrochronology, and 14 C dating, enabling accurate determination of wood sample ages with a margin of error of ±20 years. In line with our research objectives, samples were obtained from various construction materials throughout the site, along with two sections of posts: one retrieved from the wooden pil-ing and another from the plinth. By comparing the14C dates obtained from different growth rings within a given tree trunk, it was possible to ascertain the date closest to when the tree was employed in construction. This comprehensive study aims to establish the precise year of the structures construction and elucidate the duration of the basin's utilization period.
2022
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(2022) Scientific Reports. 12, 1, 4466. Abstract
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.
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(2022) Quaternary Science Reviews. 294, 107738. Abstract
Charred olive pits are frequently preserved in archaeological sites in Israel, from ca. 5000 BCE. As olive fruits grow during one season, the carbon comprising their pits reflects their year of growth, making charred olive pits found in situ ideal for radiocarbon dating of archaeological contexts. An additional aspect, up until now not explored, is utilizing the ratio between the stable carbon isotopes (delta 13C) in these charred olive pits as a proxy for climate. Olive pits provide multiple advantages as a proxy, allowing for higher resolution of climate reconstruction, both spatially and temporally, reflecting the environment in which the olive trees were growing, and humans were living. Here we show firstly, an analysis of modern olive pits and assess the connection between pit cellulose delta 13C and aridity index. Specifically, we identify the threshold Delta 13C for olive trees under severe drought stress as below 15.5 +/- 0.5 parts per thousand. Next, as olive pits are usually found charred in archaeological contexts, we evaluated the effect of charring on the delta 13C signal of the modern olive pits. Finally, we present Delta 13C values of more than 500 charred olive pits from 51 archaeological sites in Israel, spanning similar to 6000 years. Based on these values we have identified periods of arid conditions and wet conditions in the past.
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(2022) PLoS ONE. 17, 10, e0269348. Abstract
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.
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(2022) Radiocarbon. 64, 5, p. 969-987 Abstract
Vast burial fields, some with hundreds of burials, categorize the southern Levants Intermediate Bronze Age period (IBA). This phenomenon contrasts with a limited number of burials found from the preceding Early Bronze III period. This paper presents the first radiocarbon dating research of sampled bones from shaft tombs from five IBA burial sites across Israel: Yehud, Jebel Qaaqir, Sheikh-Danon, Hazorea, and Kefar-Veradim. Prescreening methods, including Fourier transform infrared analysis, were applied to identify best-preserved collagen in archaeological bones for radiocarbon dating. Overall, the measured date ranges cover the IBA timeline, supporting the observation that the IBA signature shaft tombs are a fundamental tradition of the IBA culture, at least in Israel. A single IBA shaft tomb at Jebel Qaaqir which contained remains of multiple humans, supplied different dates for various people, spanning over a few hundred years. These results suggest a tribal or family-oriented IBA community with a long-lasting tradition reflected in centuries of collective burial practices.
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(2022) Bioarchaeology of the Near East. 16, p. 29-49 Abstract
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.
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(2022) Quaternary International. 624, 30, p. 148-167 Abstract
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. 10,50010,300 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).
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(2022) Sedimentary Geology. 433, 106123. Abstract
Unraveling the failure history of submarine slides and delineating its environmental controls are crucial for practical hazard assessments, but are commonly challenging and costly. Here we address this challenge by investigating the Goliath slide complex, one of the largest documented slide scars on the ~200\u202fkm long continental slope offshore Israel. Geophysical evidence suggest that the Goliath complex is a relatively young feature. However, despite its proximity to submarine infrastructure and to one of the most populated coastal areas in the Mediterranean, its recent temporal development was never determined.
Based on a detailed analysis of sub-meter resolution multi-channel seismic profiles, four sediment cores were retrieved from the northern head scarp and toe domains of the Goliath slide complex. Selective sedimentological and chronological analyses were carried out following a detailed computed tomography analysis of the cores. The results reveal two generations of deposits on the northern head scarp of Goliath, separated by a detachment surface. Two 14C ages of 7.46\u202f±\u202f0.13\u202fcal\u202fka BP (core PHS-1) and 7.38\u202f±\u202f0.16\u202fcal\u202fka BP (core PHS-5) were obtained for the sediments immediately overlying this surface, implying that the Goliath northern head scarp was formed, at least in part, during a substantial ~7.4\u202fcal\u202fka BP event. A ~3.7 kyrs hiatus within the late Holocene sedimentary sequence of core PHS-5 may suggest an additional, more recent and presumably smaller, slide event that occurred at ~2.4\u202fka BP. The sedimentary succession from Goliath's toe domain (core PTL-3), located ~32\u202fkm downslope from the head scarp, show an upper 1.2\u202fm long continuous undisturbed sequence dated to the last ~14\u202fka BP and including sapropel S1 deposits. This sequence overlies three disturbed units, interpreted as mass transport deposits (MTDs) containing various deformation features, large-scale burrows, sharp contacts and fold structures. A 14C age dates the base of the hemipelagic sequence to 13.91\u202f±\u202f0.23\u202fcal\u202fka BP, representing the minimum age of the slide event that deposited this MTD. Ages within the MTD units are substantially older (18.21\u202f±\u202f0.27 to 28.66\u202f±\u202f0.33\u202fcal\u202fka BP) than in the overlying sequence and an age-inversion within the MTDs supports their interpretation as transported sediments.
The timing of the prominent slide events in the Goliath complex corresponds with the late stages of meltwater pulses 1A (~14.613.7\u202fka BP) and 1C (~8.27.5\u202fka BP), periods of accelerated sea level rise and probably increased sediments supply. Our results suggest that climate-driven factors likely contributed significantly to slope instability in this area, while earthquakes on the Dead Sea Transform may have been the triggering factor for the Goliath Slide events. -
(2022) Quaternary Geochronology. 69, 101269. Abstract
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.
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(2022) Quaternary International. 614, p. 126-145 Abstract
In 2018, we initiated renewed excavation of the Later Stone Age (LSA) deposits at Wonderwerk Cave. Here we describe the goals and initial results of the first two seasons of excavation, including the first micromorphological description of these deposits. We employed a small-scale excavation technique to emphasize precision recording and limit the destruction of sensitive deposits. Our preliminary results indicate that meaningful patterns in material culture records and paleoecological proxy materials can be derived from such investigations.
Bioturbation of the LSA deposits is widespread in our micromorphological samples, suggesting that some post-depositional movement of the sediment occurred but did not impact overall stratigraphic integrity. This is supported by the radiocarbon chronology (derived from various material records), which indicates that this movement had a limited effect on the material record.
Three technocomplexes (the Kuruman/Oakhurst, Wilton, and Historic) were identified in the new Wonderwerk lithic material record, alongside increasing evidence for a period of intensified use and/or occupation of the site during the Wilton a pattern previously identified by the F. Thackeray's and A. Thackeray's 1970s excavations. New radiocarbon ages support previous determinations placing the timing of this intensification at ca. 6200 years cal BP.
Faunal and ostrich eggshell records also support previous findings, confirming an anthropogenic origin for the faunal remains and suggesting that different pathways of OES bead production were employed at the site at different times. The presence of herbivore dung and associated spherulites in a micromorphology thin section provides a new potential line of evidence to support the Thackeray's tentative suggestion for sheep herding at the site ca. 2000 years BP. While this evidence is far from conclusive, it suggests that the Wonderwerk Cave LSA record may have a role to play in resolving the timing of the adoption of sheep by hunter-gatherers on the Ghaap Plateau.
Our work on the LSA at Wonderwerk Cave serves as a touchstone within the more regionally focused Northern Cape Archaeology and Ecology Project (NCAEP) an international and interdisciplinary research project studying the LSA paleoenvironment of the South African arid interior. Ultimately, NCAEP is designed to produce a multi-proxy diachronic climatic record of the Northern Cape firmly situated within new and existing radiocarbon chronologies. -
(2022) Journal of archaeological science, reports. 41, 103302. Abstract
Olive (Olea europaea) trees in the arid Negev Desert of southern Israel are important relicts on the ancient agricultural landscape. Among them are a cluster of several trees located in Wadi Zetan, at the heart of the Shivta horticulture terroir, with its abundant agricultural runoff remains. Two isolated olive bearing trees stand in a sheltered beneath cliff in the upper part of the wadi. Radiocarbon dating of an internal part of the trunk of one of these living trees estimates its minimum age as the mid-16th early 17th century CE (∼500 years old). Archaeological excavations conducted beneath the trees and the adjacent dam revealed OSL samples of loess accumulation dated to the Early Islamic period (8th-9th centuries CE). The stratigraphy and chronology of this sediment deposition indicate its rapid and short accumulation. Palynological analysis of the same OSL dated samples indicates that grapevines and olive trees were cultivated in the immediate vicinity of the site during the Early Islamic period. The lack of pollen of cultivated taxa from the latter part of the sequence points to cessation of the agricultural activity, probably a few hundred years later. Leaf samples for DNA profiling of the trees in comparison to other local old olive trees around the country, indicate that the trees in Wadi Zetan are genetically close to a known cultivar common among ancient olive trees. The trees have survived for at least a few hundred years, in an arid area, due to the local conditions and enhanced drainage from the man-made upper runoff system. These old olive trees bear a powerful and symbolic significance, indicating the endurance and sustainability of ancient desert runoff agriculture. Moreover, the survival of their relicts in Wadi Zetan suggests their potential as cultivars greater resilience to the harsh growing conditions of arid environments.
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(2022) Megiddo V. p. 1117-1127 Abstract
This chapter reports almost all dates produced from short-lived organics from the late bronze iii and iron age levels at megiddo.1 the dating was carried out in the framework of the iron age dating Project
(Sharon et al. 2005; 2007). all dates are listed in table 25.1; samples marked with an asterisk have already been published (boaretto et al. 2005; Sharon et al. 2007). the rest are new dates. dates produced in the past from charcoal (boaretto 2006) have not been included. -
The Iron Age Cemetery of Tel Erani, between the Mediterranean Coastal Plain and the Shephelah(2022) Israel Exploration Journal. 72, 2, p. 140-168 Abstract
The site of Tel Erani in the hinterland of the coastal plain has been excavated since the 1950s by several archaeological teams. Salvage excavations at the site conducted by the Israel Antiquities Authority in 2015-2016 exposed a cemetery dating to Iron Age I-1IA that had been dug into Early Bronze Age I deposits in the southern part of the mound's lower terrace. This article presents preliminary results of the analyses of the human remains, selected material- culture finds, animal offerings recovered from the burials, and l4C dating. These data provide insights into the nature of the cemetery and its relationship with contemporary sites and contexts.
2021
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(2021) Radiocarbon. 63, 6, p. 1715-1735 Abstract
Various archaeological and historical evidence shows that the marginal area of the Negev desert of southern Israel enjoyed great agricultural prosperity in the Byzantine period (4th-7th centuries CE). Among the different types of agricultural installations are pigeon towers, which were built near the fields to produce fertilizer to enrich the nutrient-poor desert soils. Such extensive specialized agriculture practice was much less applied in the Negev in the successive Early Islamic period in the mid-7th century. Here we recovered in situ pigeon bones from five pigeon towers in the Negev, applied multiple characterization methods (FTIR, grinding curve, and C/N ratio) to estimate the preservation of bones, and achieved absolute dating for the abandonment of the towers. The obtained dates indicate rapid decline of agricultural activities in the second half of the 6th century CE and beginning of the 7th century. These findings, together with other evidence for Byzantine decline of agricultural hinterland and urban dysfunction of the settlements, suggest that the farming activities in the Negev declined in the Late Byzantine period (550-640 CE) and support the hypothesis that climatic-driven causes were the main trigger for the eventual cultural-societal decline of the Negev region.
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(2021) Journal of Human Evolution. 160, 102868. Abstract
The excavation of Manot Cave (Israel) reveals intensive occupation during the Early Upper Paleolithic and provides the first continuous set of anthracological data available for the Ahmarian, Levantine Aurignacian and post-Levantine Aurignacian periods. The paper aims to study the vegetal landscape around Manot Cave in the context of climate changes that characterized the last part of the Marine Isotope Stage 3 (MIS 3) and to address the issue of firewood and food procurement among Paleolithic hunter-gatherers. Charcoal samples recovered from the archaeological layers at Manot Cave shed light on the fuel and food procurement strategies while radiocarbon dating and stable carbon isotope analysis (Δ13C) of selected charcoals provide information about the ancient climate. The results show that five woody taxa were exploited at the site; Amygdalus sp. was the most common species, whereas Quercus ithaburensis, Tamarix sp., Pomoideae indet., and Pistacia atlantica were relatively rare. The representations of the recovered wooden species suggest that an open forest of almonds and oaks existed in the area during MIS 3. Radiocarbon dating of Amygdalus sp. charcoals, coupled with stable carbon isotope analysis (Δ13C) of modern and archaeological Amygdalus sp. clearly indicate variations in rainfall that could have decreased the density of tree cover. These analyses provide high-resolution data on the climate changes affecting the surroundings of Manot Cave between ∼46 and 28 ka cal BP and indicate two drier phases corresponding to the Ahmarian and post-Levantine Aurignacian cultures while a more humid period identified during the Levantine Aurignacian.
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(2021) Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research. 386, 1, p. 77-93 Abstract
From 1985-2014, the Leon Levy Expedition to Ashkelon excavated a trench on the north side of Ashkelons 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.
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(2021) New studies in the archaeology of Jerusalem and its region / חידושים בארכיאולוגיה של ירושלים וסביבותיה. Vol. 14. p. 119-142 Abstract
The Byzantine funerary chapel decorated with the \u201cBirds Mosaic\u201d 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 1898:253259). 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
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(2021) Radiocarbon. 63, 5, p. 1453-1469 Abstract
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 \u201cHigh Chronology\u201d for the EBA in the southern Levant. The excavation also produced dates associated with IBA \u201cBlack Wheel-Made Ware\u201d vessels, which were found in large numbers at Hazor.
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(2021) Quaternary Science Reviews. 268, 107138. Abstract
Raqefet Cave is located in southeast Mount Carmel, Israel. It contains a long archaeological sequence with two major occupations: in the early Upper Paleolithic (Levantine Aurignacian culture, ca. 36,00035,000 cal. BP) and the Late Epipaleolithic (Natufian culture, ca. 14,00012,000 cal. BP). Abundant charred remains were found in the cave's deposits consisting of various species. Drawing on Δ13C values of dated Amygdalus sp. (almond) charcoal specimens, we sought to reconstruct Late Pleistocene precipitation patterns from a high-resolution archaeological record. The results produced the longest, single-site, plant-based paleoclimatic sequence in the southern Levant, and they generally correspond to other paleoclimatic proxies generated for the region. They indicate that the plant taxa and reconstructed precipitation levels were all in the range of modern eastMediterranean climate but with some notable fluctuations. Specifically, we highlight the rainfall differences between the dryer Levantine Aurignacian and the wetter Natufian cultures.
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(2021) Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS. 118, 25, e201465711. Abstract
The Initial Upper Paleolithic (IUP) is a crucial lithic assemblage type in the archaeology of southwest Asia because it marks a dramatic shift in hominin populations accompanied by technological changes in material culture. This phase is conventionally divided into two chronocultural phases based on the Boker Tachtit site, central Negev, Israel. While lithic technologies at Boker Tachtit are well defined, showing continuity from one phase to another, the absolute chronology is poorly resolved because the radiocarbon method used had a large uncertainty. Nevertheless, Boker Tachtit is considered to be the origin of the succeeding Early Upper Paleolithic Ahmarian tradition that dates in the Negev to ∼42,000 y ago (42 ka). Here, we provide 14C and optically stimulated luminescence dates obtained from a recent excavation of Boker Tachtit. The new dates show that the early phase at Boker Tachtit, the Emirian, dates to 50 through 49 ka, while the late phase dates to 47.3 ka and ends by 44.3 ka. These results show that the IUP started in the Levant during the final stages of the Late Middle Paleolithic some 50,000 y ago. The later IUP phase in the Negev chronologically overlaps with the Early Upper Paleolithic Ahmarian of the Mediterranean woodland region between 47 and 44 ka. We conclude that Boker Tachtit is the earliest manifestation of the IUP in Eurasia. The study shows that distinguishing the chronology of the IUP from the Late Middle Paleolithic, as well as from the Early Upper Paleolithic, is much more complex than previously thought.
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(2021) Forest Ecology and Management. 488, 118971. Abstract
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.
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(2021) Radiocarbon. 63, 3, p. 853-883 Abstract
The following paper presents the results of radiocarbon (14C) dating of Middle Bronze Age (MB) contexts in Jerusalem. The dates, sampled with microarchaeology methods from three different locations along the eastern slopes of the citys ancient core, reveal that Jerusalem was initially settled in the early phases of the period, with public architecture first appearing in the beginning of the 19th century BC and continued to develop until the 17th century BC. At that time, a curious gap in settlement is noted until the 16th century BC, when the site is resettled. The construction of this phase continued into the early 15th century BC. The dates presented are discussed in both the site-level, as well as their far-reaching implications regarding MB regional chronology. It is suggested here that the high chronology, dating the Middle Bronze Age between 2000 and 1600 BC is difficult to reconcile with dates from many sites. In contrast, a more localized chronology should be adopted, with the Middle Bronze Age continuing into the early 15th century BC in certain parts of the southern Levant, such as the region of Jerusalem.
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(2021) Hadashot Arkheologiyot: Excavations and Surveys in Israel / חדשות ארכיאולוגיות: חפירות וסקרים בישראל. 133, Abstract
In OctoberNovember 2015 and 2016, excavations were conducted at the prehistoric site of Nahal Aqev, situated in the En Avedat nature reserve in the Negev (Licenses No. G-27/2015; G-88/2016; map ref. 1820030/5244050; Fig. 1). The excavations, on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority and Weizmann Institute of Science, were directed by O. Barzilai and E. Boaretto, with the assistance of E. Heims (administration), M. Oron (area supervision and flint implements), S. Weiner (micromorphology), N. Porat (OSL dating), L. Weinblum and L. Regev (recording software), C. Amit (studio photography), T. Tsuk and Y. Haimi (planning and consultation) and students from the Weizmann Institute and Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.
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(2021) Levant (London). 52, 3, p. 301-320 Abstract
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.
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(2021) Levant. 53, 2, p. 151-163 Abstract
Black Wheel Made Ware (BWMW) is a distinguished pottery-type of the Intermediate Bronze Age (EB IV) in the Levant, a period dated to the second half of the 3rd millennium BCE. Considerable research was done both on the origin of BWMW and on how these vessels reflect inter-regional relations. This paper presents the first radiocarbon-based absolute dating of BWMW contexts, sampled from a few sites in northern Israel. These 14C dates clearly point to the 23rd century BCE as the period when BWMW was a circulated commodity in the southern Levant. Pottery types that are commonly found together with BWMW are potential candidates for the same chronological horizon. BWMW examples found in the northern Levant have no associated absolute dates and are assigned in general to the EB IVB period. Thus, the new dates presented here are, currently, the only secure absolute dating of BWMW pottery and should be used to revisit the absolute chronology of northern Levant sites where BWMW pottery has been identified.
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(2021) Scientific Reports. 11, 1, p. 2218 2218. Abstract
We present here the earliest evidence for large-scale table olive production from the mid-7th millennium BP inundated site of Hishuley Carmel on the northern Mediterranean coast of Israel. Olive pit size and fragmentation patterns, pollen as well as the architecture of installations associated with pits from this site, were compared to finds from the nearby and slightly earlier submerged Kfar Samir site. Results indicate that at Kfar Samir olive oil was extracted, while at Hishuley Carmel the data showed that large quantities of table olives, the oldest reported to date, were prepared. This process was most probably facilitated by the sites proximity to the Mediterranean Sea, which served as a source of both sea water and salt required for debittering/pickling/salting the fruit, as experimentally demonstrated in this study. Comparison of pit morphometry from modern cultivars, wild-growing trees and the archaeological sites, intimates that in pit morphology the ancient pits resemble wild olives, but we cannot totally exclude the possibility that they derive from early cultivated trees. Our findings demonstrate that in this region, olive oil production may have predated table olive preparation, with each development serving as a milestone in the early exploitation of the olive.
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(2021) Ägypten und Levante. 31, p. 45-74 Abstract
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 Hazors 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.
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(2021) Scientific Reports. 11, 1, p. 1-11 704. Abstract
Abstract The volcanic eruption of Santorini in the Bronze Age left detectable debris across the Mediterranean, serving as an anchor in time for the region, synchronizing chronologies of different sites. However, dating the eruption has been elusive for decades, as radiocarbon indicates a date about a century earlier than archaeological chronologies. The identification of annual rings by CT in a charred olive branch, buried alive beneath the tephra on Santorini, was key in radiocarbon dating the eruption. Here, we detect a verified annual growth in a modern olive branch for the first time, using stable isotope analysis and high-resolution radiocarbon dating, identifying down to the growing season in some years. The verified growth is largely visible by CT, both in the branchs fresh and charred forms. Although these results support the validity of the Santorini branch date, we observed some chronological anomalies in modern olive and simulated possible date range scenarios of the volcanic eruption of Santorini, given these observed phenomena. The results offer a way to reconcile this long-standing debate towards a mid-sixteenth century BCE date.
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(2021) Vegetation History and Archaeobotany. 30, 1, p. 63-76 Abstract
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 (60005800 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 (19001500 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.
2020
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(2020) Comparative Oriental Manuscript Studies Bulletin. 6, 2, p. 173-186 Abstract
The paper presents the results of the radiocarbon dating and ink analysis of a leather fragment bearing an important liturgical text in Hebrew from the early centuries of the common era. The work initiated by the scholarly interest in the text stresses the importance of the date and materiality of the manuscripts and closes with an appeal to the curators of manuscript collections.
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(2020) Radiocarbon. 62, 6, p. 1637-1649 Abstract
Recent radiocarbon (14C) research demonstrates that the urban culture of Early-Bronze III in the southern Levant ends around 2500 BC, and not around 2300 BC as was widely assumed. This should extend the Intermediate Bronze Age by 200 years. Charred olive pits from Intermediate Bronze Age contexts in the site of Khirbat el-Alya Northeast in the Judean Shephelah region (Israel) were 14C dated, resulting in calibrated dates around 2500 BC. The date range of Khirbat el-Alya Northeast samples is an indication that in the Mediterranean parts of the southern Levant, the Intermediate Bronze Age material culture appeared around the time of the decline of the preceding culture of Early-Bronze IIIaround 2500 BC or somewhat earlier. Possible Intermediate Bronze settlement pattern and the sites relation to the nearby Early-Bronze city of Tel Yarmuth are discussed based on previous Intermediate Bronze and Early-Bronze related research in the surrounding area.
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Radiocarbon Dating of the Plaster of Siloam Pool in the City of David(2020) Atiqot. 101, p. 79-81 Abstract
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(2020) Antiquity. 94, 377, p. 1-8 Abstract
The discovery of an Early Upper Palaeolithic rockshelter, Nahal Rahaf 2, in the southern Judean Desert revives the debate about whether the Levantine Aurignacian extended into the arid regions of the Southern Levant.
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(2020) Journal of Human Evolution. 102883. Abstract
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.
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(2020) Fouilles de Tel Yarmouth (1980-2009). Rapport final. Volume 1. p. 503-508 Abstract
The Tel Yarmuth acropolis Sounding 2 was excavated during six seasons, exposing a series of levels and contexts from which material was recovered for radiocarbon dating.A total of ten samples were selected for final radiocarbon dating using either the decay counting method or the accelerator mass spectrometry method. Under the supervision of Dr Israel Carmi four samples were measured by decay counting (RT labelled samples in Tables 23.123.2) in 1998 and six were measured by Prof. Elisabetta Boaretto by accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) with the D-REAMS accelerator (RTD labelled samples in Tables 23.1 and 23.3) in 2013.
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(2020) Tel Aviv. 47, 2, p. 208-236 Abstract
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.
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(2020) Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports. 31, 102263. Abstract
Pottery kilns are usually recognizable in the archaeological record based on their prominent and characteristic architectural features, evidence of exposure to high temperatures and associated waste products. Here we describe how we identified a kiln that has no readily recognizable architectural features, but does have an upper chamber full of broken pottery, and a lower chamber full of ash. The typology of the pottery in the upper chamber and radiocarbon dating show that the kiln was constructed after around 600 CE and was used until the early 7th century. The confining structures around these two chambers are sediments, some of which were deliberately brought to the site. A detailed study of the section through the kiln using on-site and off-site microarchaeological techniques revealed much about the firing conditions. The ash is composed almost entirely of phytoliths with a small amount of calcite. Surprisingly the diversity of phytolith morphotypes identified was low, and many of the phytoliths are unusually large multicells. The phytolith analysis shows that the fuel was mainly the stalks/chaff of domesticated grasses, most probably wheat, and probably not animal dung. Many of the phytolith morphologies are distorted and charred due to exposure to high temperatures, and show birefringence. Infrared spectra show that the phytoliths have partially recrystallized into the high temperature silicate mineral cristobalite. Slags formed close to the inner surfaces of the confining sediments presumably from melted phytoliths, and some of the clay-rich sediment close to these surfaces is clearly heat altered. These observations show that the temperatures in the firing chamber ranged from around 700 to 900 °C. The calcite in this ash is extremely disordered at the atomic level, based on the grinding curve analysis. A partial reconstruction of the kiln structure shows that the pottery chamber is above the firing chamber, and there is no constructed partition that separates the two chambers. The identification and characterization of this unusual kiln depended significantly on the use of the microarchaeological approach.
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(2020) Radiocarbon. 62, 3, p. 503-525 Abstract
The most recent workshop on mortar dating (25-27 Oct. 2018, Bordeaux, Montaigne University, France), which closely followed the publication of an extensive round robin-exercise involving several laboratories, was an opportunity to review the history and challenges of mortar dating methods and procedures currently in use. This review stems from the keynote lectures presented at the meeting, and wishes to summarize recent results, present trends, and future challenges. Three major areas are brought into focus (1) radiocarbon (C-14) dating of complex mortars: can we assess the chances of successful dating?, (2) C-14 dating of archaeological carbonate materials: difficulties, new directions and applications, and (3) single grain optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating of mortars in architectural archaeology: the current state of the art. This paper reflects the material presented by the authors and discussed at the workshop.
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(2020) Radiocarbon. 62, 3, p. 633-655 Abstract
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.
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(2020) Quaternary Science Reviews. 237, 106304. Abstract
Far'ah II is an open-air site in the north western Negev desert (Israel). Previous excavations in the 1970's revealed a rich, in situ Middle Paleolithic (MP) assemblage composed of flint and limestone artifacts, animal bones and charcoal. Renewed excavation at the site were undertaken in 2017, to re-date it and provide a more accurate constrain to the sites' age, as well as collect samples for paleoclimatic proxies. Our new Optically Stimulated Luminescence and C-14 ages together with the stable oxygen isotope signature of the loess sediments, constrain the age of the upper archaeological horizon to
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(2020) PLoS ONE. 15, 6, 0233307. Abstract
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.
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(2020) Levant. 51, 1, p. 54-75 Abstract
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.
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(2020) Forest Ecology and Management. 458, 117784. Abstract
The ongoing increase in human population and the subsequent freshwater demands raise conflicts regarding conservation of riparian ecosystems. Identifying anthropogenic effects on these vulnerable nature resources is crucial for preventing future damages. Here we measured tree-ring width and isotopic carbon composition (delta C-13) in stem wood of protected Platanus orientalis trees at the Kziv Nature Reserve, a Mediterranean riparian ecosystem in northern Israel. In this reserve, water was pumped for human needs during 1976-2006 from the major spring feeding the stream. We show a negative exponential correlation between stem growth and pumped water amounts. Spring drawdown had a significant negative effect on growth even in years when amounts were reduced to similar to 2.10(6)m(3) year(-1), leveling off at around 5.10(6) m(3) year(-1). Precipitation and spring volume effects on growth were exposed only after pumping stopped, further indicating its role in inhibiting tree growth. During the pumping years, stem wood delta C-13 was up to 1.8%0 higher than after pumping cessation, indicating the drought stress imposed on trees. Our results provide an unequivocal evidence for the adverse effect of water pumping on riparian Platanus orientalis tree growth. Such effects, and their related tree mortality risk, must be considered in sustainable water management planning.
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(2020) Science of the Total Environment. 699, 134285. Abstract
In the Mediterranean basin, diffuse-porous, semi-ring-porous and ring-porous tree species coexist in the same regions. Climate change might differently affect these types, but a mechanistic understanding of drought effects on their xylem structure is lacking. We investigated tree-ring width and xylem functional traits in ring-porous Quercus boissieri, semi-ring-porous Q. ithaburensis and diffuse-porous Q. calliprinos, at xeric (Galilee) and mesic (Golan) sites in the South-Eastern Mediterranean basin. We quantitatively assessed how dry and wet years affect growth and xylem traits in different porosity type oaks, and evaluated whether porosity type is preserved or altered during these years. We measured, counted or computed tree-ring width, vessel number, maximum lumen area, frequency, tree-ring and xylem theoretical hydraulic conductivity along 40-year ring series of 50 trees in total. We also quantified ring porosity in each year using two indices, the Gini coefficient and the porosity ratio of vessel area, and described vessel area intra-ring variations by distribution profiles. We then compared these parameters in the live driest and live wettest years of the 40-year period. Radial growth and functional trait variations were more similar between species in the same site (strong drought effects in Q. ithaburensis and Q. calliprinos in Galilee, moderate effects in Q. boissieri and Q. calliprinos in Golan) than between sites for the same species (Q. calliprinos was more affected in Galilee than in Golan). Ring porosity indices and distribution profiles showed that diffuse-porous xylem structure of Q. calliprinos was maintained even under dry conditions at both sites. However, Q. boissieri xylem shifted from ring-porous in wet and normal years to semi-ring-porous in dry years, i.e. the porous ring cannot be completely built under water constraint. This suggests that ring porous strategy, typical of temperate regions with strong seasonality, might not be realized under future drier conditions in the Mediterranean basin. (C) 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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Radiocarbon dates from Cave T1(2020) Tell es-Safi/Gath II. Abstract
Tell es-Safi/Gath II; Excavations and Studies. Edited by Aren M. Maeir and Joe Uziel. Münster: Zaphon, 2020 Ägypten und Altes Testament. 105
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Radiocarbon dating(2020) The Early Pre-Pottery Neolithic B Site at Nesher-Ramla Quarry (NRQN), Israel. p. 33-36 Abstract
The Early Pre-Pottery Neolithic B Site at Nesher-Ramla Quarry (NRQN), Israel. Scientific editor: Reuven Yeshurun. Haifa: The Zinman Institute of Archaeology, University of Haifa, 2020
2019
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(2019) Journal of Archaeological Science. 107, p. 32-39 Abstract
Charred micro-remains in archaeological sediments vary from large destruction layers, to localized lenses, and they are invaluable stratigraphic anchors when found in situ. Visual observations of black sediments are a good marker for primary depositions of burning events, however, an independent criteria is necessary to verify these sediments were not mixed with other contexts. In this study, a microarchaeological approach was used to quantify charred micro components in sediments from a pyrotechnological pit at Qubur el-Walaydah, allowing the assessment of their diffusion between sediments. Organic micro-particles were purified from black lenses in situ and their surrounding sediments, based on their density, showing the organic fraction is composed of particles that are lighter than a density of 1.7 g/mL and smaller than 1 mm(3). Thermal and structural characterizations show that the micro-particles from black lenses are charred between 30 and 40%, compared with 5% in the surrounding sediments. A new method to quantify the charred micro-particles was developed based on microscopy, showing black lenses and hearths have between 40,000-110,000 charred micro-particles per gram of sediments, while their surrounding archaeological sediments have less than 20,000. These results show micro particles could be purified and characterized, providing a quantifiable approach for assessing mixing between sediments based on particles concentrations. One application is micro-stratigraphic interpretations of primary depositions, allowing portable microscopes on-site to assess the mixing between sediments. Another application is to include the charred micro-particles in the radiocarbon dating assemblage as evidence for in situ burning. Dating charred micro-remains should be used only to solve chronological questions that do not require high resolution accuracy, when cultural material and macro-charred remains are not found.
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(2019) Journal of Human Evolution. 160, 102605. Abstract
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 DansgaardOeschger (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.
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(2019) Near Eastern Archaeology. 82, 2, p. 90-101 Abstract
A magnificent new jewelry hoard was uncovered on July 11, 2010 in Area H of the northwestern sector of Tel Megiddo. This site in the Jezreel Valley (Israel) is one of the most important in the southern Levant thanks to four archaeological expeditions that have thoroughly excavated the mound and rapidly published the results of their digs (Ussishkin 2018). All expeditions unearthed hoards of different types from the Late Bronze and Iron Ages (Hall 2016). This new hoard was unearthed in a destruction debris, securely dated to the Early Iron Age I, ca. 1070 BCE (local Level H-11, which equals University of Chicagos Stratum VIIA). During this period, part of a building (remnants of two rooms and an inner courtyard surrounded by three large open courtyards) was found in this area (figs. 12; Finkelstein et al. 2017: 26769). The building is positioned only about 30 m from Canaanite Palace 2041 of the city of Stratum VIIA. This article offers a preliminary publication of the hoard; a full report will soon be published in the Megiddo VI volume (Arie forthcoming a).
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(2019) Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports. 25, p. 266-279 Abstract
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.
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(2019) Quaternary Science Reviews. 211, p. 166-185 Abstract
This article presents a systematic methodological comparison of three archaeobotanical proxies (phytoliths, pollen and seeds) applied to an assemblage of dung pellets and corresponding archaeological refuse deposits from Early Islamic contexts at the site of Shivta. We set out with three main methodological questions: one, to evaluate the relative input of botanical remains from dung in refuse assemblages; two, to evaluate each archaeobotanical dataset and to test whether they are comparable, complementary or contradictory in their interpretations from dung; and three, infer herding practices at the site during the Early Islamic period. Our findings show that ovicaprine dung accumulated in Early Islamic Shivta during at least two periods: mid-7th-mid-8th centuries CE, and late-8th-mid-10th centuries CE. Methodologically, we see incomplete and incompatible reconstructions arise when each method is considered alone, with each proxy possessing its own advantages and limitations. Specifically, the amount of preserved seeds in dung pellets is low, which restricts statistical analysis and tends to emphasize small or hard-coated seeds and vegetation fruiting season; yet this method has the highest taxonomic power; pollen preserves only in uncharred pellets, emphasizes the flowering season and has an intermediate taxonomic value; phytoliths have the lowest taxonomic value yet complete the picture of livestock feeding habits by identifying leaf and stem remains, some from domestic cereals, which went unnoticed in both seed and pollen analyses. The combined archaeobotanical reconstruction from samples of the mid-7th-mid-8th centuries suggests that spring-time herding at Shivta was based on freegrazing of wild vegetation, supplemented by chaff and/or hay from domestic cereals. For the late-8th -mid-10th century samples, phytolith and pollen reconstruction indicates autumn-winter free-grazing with no evidence of foddering. Unlike the dung pellets, macrobotanical remains in the refuse deposits included domestic as well as wild taxa, the former mainly food plants that serve for human consumption. Plant remains in these refuse deposits originate primarily from domestic trash and are only partially composed of dung remains. The significance of this study is not only in its general methodological contribution to archaeobotany, but also to lasting discussions regarding the contribution of dung remains to archaeological deposits used for seed, pollen and phytolith analyses. We offer here a strong method for determining whether deposits derive from dung alone, are mixed, or absolutely do not contain dung. This has important ramifications for archaeological interpretation. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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(2019) Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 116, 17, p. 8239-8248 Abstract
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.
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(2019) Minerals. 9, 2, 121. Abstract
Lime plaster and mortar are pyrotechnological materials that have been employed in constructions since prehistoric times. They may nucleate as calcite and/or aragonite under different environmental settings. In nature, aragonite and calcite form through biogenic and geogenic processes that lead to different degrees of atomic order. The latter is a result of defects in the crystal lattice, which affect the properties of crystals, including their interaction with infrared light. Using Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR) with the KBr pellet method, it is possible to exploit these differences and assess the degree of atomic order of aragonite and calcite crystals and thus their mechanisms of formation. Here we use FTIR to characterize the degree of short-range atomic order of a pyrogenic form of aragonite recently observed in experimental and archaeological lime binders. We show that pyrogenic aragonite has a unique signature that allows its identification in archaeological sediments and lime binders of unknown origin. Based on these results, we developed a new FTIR-based method to assess the integrity and degree of preservation of aragonite and calcite when they occur together in the same material. This method allowed a better assessment of the diagenetic history of an archaeological plaster and finds application in the characterization of present-day conservation materials, such as lime plaster and mortar, where different polymorphs may nucleate and undergo recrystallization processes that can alter the mechanical properties of binders.
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(2019) Radiocarbon. 61, 1, p. 1-11 Abstract
The question under discussion is whether the dates of the Late Bronze (LBIIB)-LBIII (Iron IA) transitions in three sites in the southern Levant, namely Megiddo, Tell es-Safi/Gath and Qubur el-Walaydah occur at the same time, as has been proposed by Israel Finkelstein in his article in 2016 in Egypt and Levant. Here we respond to Finkelstein's comments. We add some new data, clarify the issues that were raised, and conclude that the Late Bronze (LBIIB)-LBIII (Iron IA) transitions occurred at different times in northern and southern Israel.
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(2019) Radiocarbon. 61, 1, p. 13-37 Abstract
The Late Bronze Age to Iron Age transition in the Levant includes the appearance of new material culture that is similar in styles to the Aegean world. In the southern Levant, the distribution of early styles of Aegean-like pottery, locally produced, is limited to the coastal areas of Canaan, making synchronization with the rest of the region difficult. Radiocarbon (C-14) dating provides a high-resolution absolute chronological framework for synchronizing ceramic phases. Here, absolute C-14 chronologies of the Late Bronze to Iron Age transition in the sites Tel Beth Shean, Tel Rehov, Tel Lachish, and Tel Miqne-Ekron are determined. Results show that the ranges of transitions vary in an absolute time frame by 50-100 years between different sites and that the range of the Late Bronze Age to Iron Age transition in Canaan spans the 13th-11th centuries BC plateau. These chronologies, based on a site-by-site approach for dating, show that the change between early types of Aegean-like pottery (Monochrome) to developed types (Bichrome), occurred over 100 years in Canaan and that the transition occurred in southern sites prior to sites in the north. These ranges show that not only is the Late Bronze to Iron Age not contemporaneous, but also synchronization between sites based on their ceramic assemblages is problematic.
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(2019) BIO Web of Conferences. 12, 03003. Abstract
This communication will provide the latest information about the progress of the \u201cResearch Project for the Study of Georgian Grapes and Wine Culture\u201d, 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.
2018
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(2018) Mitekufat Haeven: Journal of the Israel Prehistoric Society. 48, p. 5-61 Abstract
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 20072012 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 \u201carchitectural stage\u201d 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 ofEWT 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.
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(2018) Levant. p. 1-23 Abstract
Deposits rich in bioarchaeological materials were unearthed in two dovecotes found near Sa?adon, a Byzantine-period village (5th?6th century CE) in the semi-arid part of the Negev. One structure contained a layer of pigeon manure and articulated pigeon skeletons, preserved occupation levels and evidence of sudden destruction (mid-6th century CE), whereas the other lacked distinct occupation debris indicting more orderly human abandonment. Our findings demonstrate the importance of raising pigeons for their high-quality manure in connection with agricultural development around the Negev Byzantine settlements. This product was essential for fertilizing vineyards and orchards; our findings provide direct evidence for the intensive nature of desert agriculture and a new approach to addressing questions of past human sustainability in an environmentally marginal area.
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(2018) Scientific Reports. 8, 1, 11841. Abstract
Charred olive wood is abundant in the archaeological record, especially around the Mediterranean. As the outermost ring closest to the bark is assumed to represent the latest time that the tree was alive, the radiocarbon date obtained from the outermost rings of an olive branch buried during the Santorini volcanic eruption is regarded as crucial evidence for the date of this cataclysmic event. The date of this eruption has far reaching consequences in the archaeology of the Aegean, Egypt and the Levant, and the understanding of their interconnections. We analyzed the radiocarbon concentrations in cross-sections from a modern olive tree trunk as well as from a living branch, and obtained near-annual resolution dates using the radiocarbon "bomb peak". In both cases we show that radiocarbon dates of the last formed wood along the circumference are not chronologically homogenous, and can differ by up to a few decades. Thus the outermost wood layer does not necessarily represent the date of the last year of growth. These findings challenge the interpretation of the results obtained from dating the olive branch from the Santorini volcanic eruption, as it could predate the eruption by a few decades. In addition, our results are also significant for any future studies based on archaeologically preserved olive wood.
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(2018) Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports. 19, p. 177-188 Abstract
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.
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(2018) Near Eastern Archaeology. 81, 1, p. 24-27 Abstract
The overall objective of archaeological excavations is to extract as much reliable information as possible from the whole archaeological record: both macroscopic and microscopic. An effective approach to achieve this goal is to integrate observations on the macroscopic and microscopic records as the excavation proceeds by operating an on-site analytical laboratory at the excavation. In this way important primary context locations can be better identified as they are exposed, and the excavation and sampling strategy can be adapted accordingly (Weiner 2010).
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(2018) Journal of Archaeological Science. 91, p. 52-64 Abstract
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.
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(2018) Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research. 380, 1, p. 61-131 Abstract
Excavations at Huqoq in Israel's eastern Lower Galilee are bringing to light a Late Roman synagogue, a medieval public building, and the remains of ancient and modern (pre-1948) villages. In this interim report, we describe the major discoveries of the 20142017 seasons, including the extraordinary figural mosaics decorating the synagogue floor. Our discoveries provide evidence of a Galilean Jewish community that flourished through the 5th and 6th centuries C.E.a picture contrasting with recent claims of a decline in Jewish settlement under Byzantine Christian rule. The possibility that the medieval public building might also be a synagogue has important implications for understanding Galilean Jewish settlement in the Middle Ages, about which almost nothing is known. The excavations also shed light on the last phase of the settlement's long history: the development of the modern village of Yakuk in the 19th through 20th centuries.
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(2018) Quaternary International. 464, p. 187-205 Abstract
This study presents distinct and small task-specific sites associated with the Middle to Late Epipalaeolithic period exposed during a salvage project at the site of Ashalim at the fringe of the northwestern Negev desert dunefield (Israel). Six areas spanning the Geometric-Kebaran to Harifian periods were systematically collected upon a unique 4 m high and 100 m wide linear dune-like morphology. This morphology was a vegetated linear dune that blocked the underlying drainage system and led to the development of standing bodies of water which, together with the exposed wet bottom provided fauna and flora resources during the winter and spring. The relatively large number of sickle blades and lunates uncovered during the excavations suggest cereal consumption combined with hunting activities.Ten optically-stimulated luminescence (OSL) measurements conducted for the dune-like morphology indicate that the occupations of the site post-date similar to 15.5 +/- 3.1 ka BP, while bodies of water were present intermittently until at least similar to 11 ka BP, possibly even after the Harifian occupation. Two radiocarbon dates, taken from ostrich eggshell fragments that were found upon the flat surface of the dune-like morphology, further support this time range. The current study demonstrates how aeolian-fluvial interactions, and not necessarily a wetter climate, are important for forming conditions conducive for occupation by prehistoric groups in arid zones. (c) 2017 Elsevier Ltd and INQUA. All rights reserved.
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Chronology (and chronologies) of the kura-araxes culture in the southern caucasus: An integrative approach through bayesian analysis(2018) Origini. 41, 1, p. 81-138 Abstract
This study proposes a re-definition of the absolute chronology for the 4th and 3rd millennium in the Southern Caucasus, with particular regard to the Kura-Araxes culture. An overview of the history of research demonstrates how the fragmentation of archaeological practice has long challenged the completion of a comprehensive chronological study based on both absolute and relative archaeological data. In this work, the two datasets were combined following the principles of Bayesian modelling. Firstly, existing radiocarbon dates were collected and characterised in relation to chrono-cultural phases and associated material assemblages. Secondly, all dates were scrutinised based on archaeological and analytical reliability criteria. Thirdly, the remaining dates were compiled within Bayesian models representative of the chrono-cultural scenario. Results of the modelling process led to the distinction of differing chronological trends within geographically distinct sub-regions of the Southern-Caucasus, as represented by the Kura (North) and Araxes (South) river valleys, which are naturally demarcated by the Lesser Caucasus Range.
2017
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(2017) Radiocarbon. 59, 6, p. 1859-1871 Abstract
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.
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(2017) Scientific Reports. 7, 1, 17025. Abstract
The Late Epipalaeolithic Natufian (similar to 14,600 - 11,500 cal BP) is a key period in the prehistory of southwest Asia. Often described as a complex hunting and gathering society with increased sedentism, intensive plant exploitation and associated with an increase in artistic and symbolic material culture, it is positioned between the earlier Upper-and Epi-Palaeolithic and the early Neolithic, when plant cultivation and subsequently animal domestication began. The Natufian has thus often been seen as a necessary pre-adaptation for the emergence of Neolithic economies in southwest Asia. Previous work has pointed to the Mediterranean woodland zone of the southern Levant as the 'core zone' of the Early Natufian. Here we present a new sequence of 27 AMS radiocarbon dates from the Natufian site Shubayqa 1 in northeast Jordan. The results suggest that the site was occupied intermittently between similar to 14,600 - 12,000 cal BP. The dates indicate the Natufian emerged just as early in eastern Jordan as it did in the Mediterranean woodland zone. This suggests that the origins and development of the Natufian were not tied to the ecological conditions of the Mediterranean woodlands, and that the evolution of this hunting and gathering society was more complex and heterogeneous than previously thought.
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(2017) Proceedings Of The National Academy Of Sciences Of The United States Of America-Physical Sciences. 114, 48, p. E10309-E10318 Abstract
Chemical analyses of ancient organic compounds absorbed into the pottery fabrics from sites in Georgia in the South Caucasus region, dating to the early Neolithic period (ca. 6,000-5,000 BC), provide the earliest biomolecular archaeological evidence for grape wine and viniculture from the Near East, at ca. 6,000-5,800 BC. The chemical findings are corroborated by climatic and environmental reconstruction, together with archaeobotanical evidence, including grape pollen, starch, and epidermal remains associated with a jar of similar type and date. The very large-capacity jars, some of the earliest pottery made in the Near East, probably served as combination fermentation, aging, and serving vessels. They are the most numerous pottery type at many sites comprising the so-called "Shulaveri-Shomutepe Culture" of the Neolithic period, which extends into western Azerbaijan and northern Armenia. The discovery of early sixth millennium BC grape wine in this region is crucial to the later history of wine in Europe and the rest of the world.
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(2017) Science Advances. 3, 11, 1701450. Abstract
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.
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(2017) Frontiers in Plant Science. 8, 1918. Abstract
The age of living massive olive trees is often assumed to be between hundreds and even thousands of years. These estimations are usually based on the girth of the trunk and an extrapolation based on a theoretical annual growth rate. It is difficult to objectively verify these claims, as a monumental tree may not be cut down for analysis of its cross-section. In addition, the inner and oldest part of the trunk in olive trees usually rots, precluding the possibility of carting out radiocarbon analysis of material from the first years of life of the tree. In this work we present a cross-section of an olive tree, previously estimated to be hundreds of years old, which was cut down post-mortem in 2013. The cross-section was radiocarbon dated at numerous points following the natural growth pattern, which was made possible to observe by viewing the entire cross-section. Annual growth rate values were calculated and compared between different radii. The cross-section also revealed a nearly independent segment of growth, which would clearly offset any estimations based solely on girth calculations. Multiple piths were identified, indicating the beginning of branching within the trunk. Different radii were found to have comparable growth rates, resulting in similar estimates dating the piths to the 19th century. The estimated age of the piths represent a terminus ante quern for the age of the tree, as these are piths of separate branches. However, the tree is likely not many years older than the dated piths, and certainly not centuries older. The oldest radiocarbon-datable material in this cross-section was less than 200 years old, which is in agreement with most other radiocarbon dates of internal wood from living olive trees, rarely older than 300 years.
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(2017) Radiocarbon. 59, Special Issue 5, p. 1487-1496 Abstract
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.
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(2017) Antiquity. 91, 359, p. 1137-1154 Abstract
The Natufian culture (c. 15-11.5 ka cal BP) marks a pivotal step in the transition from hunting and gathering to sedentism and farming in the Near East. Although conventionally divided into Early and Late phases, this internal chronology lacks support from reliable absolute dates. This is now addressed by new AMS dating from two neighbouring Natufian sites at Mount Carmel in Israel: Raqefet Cave, conventionally assigned to the Late phase of the Natufian; and el-Wad Terrace, spanning the entire Natufian sequence. Results indicate that these two sites were in fact contemporaneous at some point, but with distinct lunate assemblages. Distinguishing between Natufian phases is, therefore, more complex than previously thought; the social implications of diverse but co-existing cultural manifestations must be considered in any future reconstruction of the Natufian.
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(2017) Journal of Arid Environments. 144, p. 156-169 Abstract
Archaeological surveys of the Negev Highlands show that the settlement history of this arid environment oscillated widely over time. This observation is almost entirely based on scant sherd assemblages from surveys, with only a few chronometric ages from one or two archaeological features at a given site. The reasons for the scarcity of chronometric ages include insufficient attention to radiocarbon dating in past research, low amounts of datable organic material for radiocarbon dating and issues related to low rate of site accumulation, and incomplete preservation of activity remains. In order to overcome these problems, we present here the results of a detailed chronometric radiocarbon and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating study exploring the development of Negev archaeological sites in the third millennium BCE. The study included micromorphological analyses to aid identification of sedimentological and post-depositional processes at the studied sites. At Nahal Boqer 66, one of many small Negev third millennium BCE sites, seven radiocarbon ages were determined from archaeological contexts that suggest repeated discontinuous activity throughout the Early Bronze (EB) and early part of the Intermediate Bronze Age (IBA) (c. 33002350 BCE). At Ein Ziq one of a few large sites in the region seven samples were dated; they show a very short period of activity in the beginning of the IBA (c. 24502200 BCE). OSL age determinations at this site provided evidence for the rapidity of site burial by sediment accumulation. Also, OSL ages from secure depositional contexts verified via micromorphology are in agreement with those obtained by radiocarbon dating. Taken together, the results provide new systematic evidence for the timing of EBIBA activity in the arid Negev Highlands.
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(2017) Quaternary Science Reviews. 171, p. 85-99 Abstract
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.
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(2017) Radiocarbon. 59, 4, p. 1171-1193 Abstract
One of the most impressive structures in Jerusalem's ancient landscape is the tower that was built to surround and protect the Gihon Spring, Jerusalem's perennial water source. The structure, first discovered by Reich and Shukron (2004), encompasses the cave in which the spring sprouts from, with walls 7 m thick built of large boulders. The Spring Tower, along with the other features relating to it, were all attributed to the Middle Bronze Age II, based on their architectural and stratigraphical relationship, the type of architecture, and the pottery found. In the continued excavations carried out by the Israel Antiquities Authority along the outer, eastern face of the Spring Tower, it was noted that at least the northeast side of the tower was not built on bedrock, but rather on layers of sediment, which were sealed by the massive boulders at the base of the tower. In order to provide an absolute dating for the structure, two sections were sampled for radiocarbon (14C) dating beneath the foundation stones at two locations. Scenarios for the construction of the tower during Middle Bronze Age (MB) and Iron Age II are considered, based on the new 14C data, yielding a series of dates, the latest of which falls in the terminal phases of the 9th century BCE, alongside previous excavation data.
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(2017) Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports. 14, p. 353-364 Abstract
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.
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(2017) American Journal of Physical Anthropology. 163, 3, p. 446-461 Abstract
Objectives: Early evidence for the treatment of dental pathology is found primarily among food-producing societies associated with high levels of oral pathology. However, some Late Pleistocene hunter-gatherers show extensive oral pathology, suggesting that experimentation with therapeutic dental interventions may have greater antiquity. Here, we report the second earliest probable evidence for dentistry in a Late Upper Paleolithic hunter-gatherer recovered from Riparo Fredian (Tuscany, Italy). Materials and Methods: The Fredian 5 human consists of an associated maxillary anterior dentition with antemortem exposure of both upper first incisor (I1) pulp chambers. The pulp chambers present probable antemortem modifications that warrant in-depth analyses and direct dating. Scanning electron microscopy, microCT and residue analyses were used to investigate the purported modifications of external and internal surfaces of each I1. Results: The direct date places Fredian 5 between 13,000 and 12,740 calendar years ago. Both pulp chambers were circumferentially enlarged prior to the death of this individual. Occlusal dentine flaking on the margin of the cavities and striations on their internal aspects suggest anthropic manipulation. Residue analyses revealed a conglomerate of bitumen, vegetal fibers, and probable hairs adherent to the internal walls of the cavities. Discussion: The results are consistent with tool-assisted manipulation to remove necrotic or infected pulp in vivo and the subsequent use of a composite, organic filling. Fredian 5 confirms the practice of dentistryspecifically, a pathology-induced interventionamong Late Pleistocene hunter-gatherers. As such, it appears that fundamental perceptions of biomedical knowledge and practice were in place long before the socioeconomic changes associated with the transition to food production in the Neolithic.
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(2017) Journal of the Institute of Archaeology of Tel Aviv University. 44, 2, p. 165-177 Abstract
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.
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(2017) Radiocarbon. 59, 3, p. 775-784 Abstract
The Dangoor REsearch Accelerator Mass Spectrometer (D-REAMS) is a dedicated carbon-only AMS system, built by National Electrostatics Corporation (NEC). It is based on the 1.5SDH Pelletron, operating at 460 keV. The machine was installed at the Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel, in January-February 2013, and passed the acceptance test on March 2013. Since then, over 4500 samples have been successfully measured. Here, we present the results of an intercomparison experiment, done in collaboration with the Vienna Environmental Research Accelerator (VERA), and some typical operation parameters and measurement values of the new AMS system.
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(2017) PLoS ONE. 12, 5, 0177859. Abstract
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.
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(2017) Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports. 12, p. 173-182 Abstract
Heat treatment of flint changes its mechanical properties and improves its knappability. Here we examine flint artifacts from two occupational levels at the site of Boker Tachtit (Israel). Boker Tachtit is an important site for understanding the Middle to Upper Paleolithic transition in the Levant. The thin and stratified archeological levels together with a well-defined lithic technology make the site suitable for addressing the issue of heat treatment of raw materials for tool production. We use Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy to assess heat treatment of flint artifacts and compare them to geogenic flint nodules collected in Wadi Zin,
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(2017) Scientific Reports. 7, 42639. Abstract
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.
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(2017) Radiocarbon. 59, 1, p. 231-249 Abstract
Obtaining accurate age determinations from minerals in archaeological ash is a major unsolved issue in radiocarbon (14C) dating. This is because the original14C content of calcite, the main component of ash, is altered by isotopic exchange. Pyrogenic aragonite, another mineral phase recently discovered in ash, might preserve its14C signature through time. Using a new method based on density separation and step combustion, we were able to isolate and date aragonitic ash from an archaeological destruction horizon of known age. Here we show that the14C age of aragonite matches the age of the destruction horizon. Our results demonstrate that pyrogenic aragonite is a short-lived material suitable for14C dating and directly related to human activities involving the use of fire, thus bearing major implications for the establishment of absolute chronologies for the past 50,000 yr.
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Early epipaleolithic engraved objects from Ein Qashish South Jezreel Valley, Israel(2017) Suyanggae and Her Neighbours in Haifa, Israel. p. 52 Abstract
Recently excavated Ein Qashish South (EQS), a 23000 years old large Early Epipaleolithic base camp in the Jezreel Valley, Israel yielded three engraved limestone palettes. Two of these are engraved on both sides and bear red stains. The engraved motifs include ladders, cross-hatching, chevrons as well as the image of a bird - the first figurative representation found so far in context of Early Epipaleolithic in the Southern Levant. Microscopic analysis indicate that one of the motifs, namely "the ladder" is accumulative in nature and can be interpreted as a notation system, similarly to previously described patterns of the same type found in contexts of Upper Paleolithic in Western Europe as well as in Late Epipaleolithic Natufian - culture associated with transition to agriculture in the Levant.
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(2017) Journal of Archaeological Science. 78, p. 57-65 Abstract
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 1030%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.
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(2017) Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports. 11, p. 370-380 Abstract
New radiocarbon dates are reported for Late Middle Paleolithic (MP) layers of Ciemna and Oblazowa Caves in Southern Poland. The sites present methodological challenges for radiocarbon dating related to post-depositional mixing, materials preservation, and radiocarbon measurements near the detection limit. We describe strategies to address these issues, which allowed for estimation of the timing of lithostratigraphic layers. At Ciemna, bones associated with LateMP artifacts are older than 50 ka. At Oblazowa, bones associated with LateMP artifacts produced dates 50-45 ka cal BP and a possible Szeletian phase occurred sometime 45-39 ka cal BP. These new dates add to the regional chronology and strengthen the case that a number of distinct archaeological industries appeared in Southern Poland and Moravia during Marine Isotope Stage 3. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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(2017) Environmental and Experimental Botany. 133, p. 128-138 Abstract
Performance and survival of Mediterranean trees depend on their capacity to cope with water stress. In harsh environments, xylem growth strategies are critical to ensure efficient water transport, though these are largely unknown for many species, including most Mediterranean oaks. We investigated xylem anatomical traits in tree-ring series of deciduous Quercus ithaburensis and Q. boissieri in the South-Eastern Mediterranean Basin to assess xylem response to climate variability, with special attention to dry and warm years and to temperature increase over the last decades. Abundant precipitation and low temperature during the wet season (NovemberApril) benefited xylem formation of both species. However, intra-ring analysis revealed different patterns, as the size of early-formed vessels in Q. boissieri was related to previous-year ring, while in Q. ithaburensis it was strongly affected by current wet season conditions. During dry years, vessel size and number in Q. ithaburensis were strongly reduced, but they fully recovered in the following year (high resilience). Conversely, Q. boissieri vessels were barely reduced during dry or warm years (high resistance). Different strategies allow both species to overcome dry and warm years, but their capacity to withstand long-term warming seems to differ. Q. ithaburensis xylem traits did not evidence any trend over the last few decades, while Q. boissieri was facing a decline in some traits. Our analysis suggests that the growth strategies of Q. ithaburensis would be effective under future drier conditions, while temperature increase could induce a hydraulic deterioration and a potential decline in the less fit Q. boissieri.
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(2017) Analytical Methods. 9, 3, p. 427-433 Abstract
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.
2016
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(2016) Scientific Reports. 6, 37399. Abstract
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.
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(2016) Radiocarbon. 58, 3, p. 649-677 Abstract
The absolute chronology of the Kura-Araxes (KA) culture in the Southern Caucasus still represents a challenge due to the fragmentation and inadequacy of the radiocarbon record, as well as the inconsistencies in material typologies in the region. Recent archaeological fieldwork at the site of Aradetis Orgora in the Shida Kartli region of Georgia revealed four occupation levels dating to the KA II phase according to the local relative chronology.14C samples were collected from reliable contexts and further selected according to reliability criteria, taking into account both archaeological issues and lab procedures. FTIR was applied in order to determine the preservation of charcoals and to monitor the efficiency of lab treatments on all the samples. Only accurate14C measurements were selected for Bayesian analysis incorporating stratigraphic information. Two models were run, the second of which simulated intervals corresponding to unexcavated stratigraphy or due to a lack of samples. In this article, the available14C dates for the KA occupation at Aradetis are presented for the first time and analyzed using Bayesian principles. The results of Bayesian modeling suggest that the occupation of the excavated KA II levels cover the period between 30402810 BC (simple model) or 30902720 BC (interval model).
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(2016) Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research. 55, 30, p. 8334-8340 Abstract
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.
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(2016) PLoS ONE. 11, 8, e0160687. Abstract
Three engraved limestone plaquettes from the recently excavated Epipaleolithic open-air site Ein Qashish South in the Jezreel Valley, Israel comprise unique evidence for symbolic behavior of Late Pleistocene foragers in the Levant. The engravings, uncovered in Kebaran and Geometric Kebaran deposits (ca. 23ka and ca. 16.5ka BP), include the image of a bird- the first figurative representation known so far from a pre-Natufian Epipaleolithic-along with geometric motifs such as chevrons, crosshatchings and ladders. Some of the engravings closely resemble roughly contemporary European finds interpreted as "systems of notations" or "artificial memory systems"-records related to timing of seasonal resources and associated aggregation events of nomadic groups. Moreover, similarly looking signs and patterns are well known from the context of the local Natufian-a final Epipaleolithic culture of sedentary or semi-sedentary foragers who started practicing agriculture. The investigation of the engravings found in Ein Qashish South involves conceptualizations developed in studies of European and local parallels, a selection of ethnographic examples and preliminary microscopic observations of the plaquettes. This shows that the figurative and non-figurative images comprise a coherent assemblage of symbols that might have been applied in order to store, share and transmit information related to social and subsistence realms of mobile bands. It further suggests that the site functioned as a locality of groups' aggregation and indicates social complexity of pre-Natufian foragers in the Levant. While alterations in social and subsistence strategies can explain the varying frequency of image use characterizing different areas of the Late Pleistocene world-the apparent similarity in graphics and the mode of their application support the possibility that symbol-mediated behavior has a common and much earlier origin.
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(2016) Quaternary International. 396, p. 138-149 Abstract
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.
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(2016) Quaternary Science Reviews. 131, p. 20-32 Abstract
The major social and economic changes associated with the rise of a sedentary lifestyle and the gradual transition to food production in the southern Levant are often considered to have been triggered by climate changes at the end of the Pleistocene (~20,000-11,000 years BP). This explanation, however, is biased by the scarcity of high-resolution climate records directly associated with human activity and the lack of refined palaeoecological studies from multi-stratified sites in the area.Here, we present the results of an anthracological analysis, carried out on charcoals collected along a continuous column of archaeological sediments in the Natufian site of el-Wad Terrace (Mount Carmel, Israel). We also present the carbon isotopes analysis of 14C-dated archaeological remains of Amygdalus sp. The analyses of charcoal shows the predominance of an oak forest including Quercus calliprinos and ithaburensis around the site during the Early Natufian building phase (~14,600-13,700 cal BP), and the values of δ13C point to a high rainfall rate. This period is followed by a marked decrease in the local rainfall between ~13,700 and 12,000 cal BP). The reduction, culturally associated with the latest Early Natufian and the Late Natufian, is independently recorded by the speleothems of the region: Soreq Cave and Jerusalem Cave. This period incorporates an increase in drought tolerant species such as Amygdalus sp. Thermo-Mediterranean species, such as Olea europaea and Ceratonia siliqua, as well as Pistacia palaestina, which dominate the modern landscape, become established in the Holocene. We conclude that the Natufian settlement at el-Wad Terrace flourished in the context of oak forests, and subsequently occupation intensity decreased in concurrence to the drying trend. This shift does not correspond to the cultural typology (i.e. Early Natufian vs. Late Natufian). Human response to climate change at the terminal Pleistocene Levant was multifaceted and localized. Its understanding requires the analysis of records that are well-tied to human ecology and behavior.
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(2016) PLoS ONE. 11, 1, e0146647. Abstract
The Natufian culture is of great importance as a starting point to investigate the dynamics of the transition to agriculture. Given its chronological position at the threshold of the Neolithic (ca. 12,000 years ago) and its geographic setting in the productive Jordan Valley, the site of Nahal Ein Gev II (NEG II) reveals aspects of the Late Natufian adaptations and its implications for the transition to agriculture. The size of the site, the thick archaeological deposits, invested architecture and multiple occupation sub-phases reveal a large, sedentary community at least on par with Early Natufian camps in the Mediterranean zone. Although the NEG II lithic tool kit completely lacks attributes typical of succeeding Pre Pottery Neolithic A (PPNA) assemblages, the artistic style is more closely related to the early PPNA world, despite clear roots in Early Natufian tradition. The site does not conform to current perceptions of the Late Natufians as a largely mobile population coping with reduced resource productivity caused by the Younger Dryas. Instead, the faunal and architectural data suggest that the sedentary populations of the Early Natufian did not revert back to a nomadic way of life in the Late Natufian in the Jordan Valley. NEG II encapsulates cultural characteristics typical of both Natufian and PPNA traditions and thus bridges the crossroads between Late Paleolithic foragers and Neolithic farmers.
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(2016) Quartar. 63, p. 33-46 Abstract
Ciemna Cave is one of the most important archaeological sites documenting Middle Palaeolithic settlement in Central Europe. It has been excavated since the beginning of the 20th century, providing rich materials commonly known for their bifacial component linked with the Micoquian. Since 2007 a new project has been underway focusing on the Main Chamber, which had so far been unexplored. The outcome is a much more complex picture environmental context and cultural affinities 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 systems 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.
2015
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(2015) Analytical Methods. 7, 21, p. 9304-9309 Abstract
We show that two different sources of calcite (geogenic flowstones and anthropogenic lime plaster) have complex, yet distinctive, structural disorder signatures. It is effective to identify these differences by pairing a rapid, fieldwork-compatible technique (Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy) with a robust laboratory-based technique (X-ray diffraction (XRD) peak width analyses). We demonstrate that crystalline domain size, microstrain fluctuations, and lattice strain each affect the FTIR spectra of calcite. To focus on each variable separately, XRD data and FTIR absorption spectra are compared among calcite samples formed by different processes. Small crystalline domain sizes cause changes to FTIR peak intensity ratios (grinding curves). However, larger microstrain fluctuations or larger lattice strain also produce similar changes. Thus, inferring structural differences from calcite FTIR spectra alone is not advisable. Instead, we advocate using FTIR grinding curves in conjunction with analyses of angle-dependent XRD peak widths using the Williamson-Hall relation. Thus, combining these two analysis techniques is more powerful and informative than using either one alone. These findings are relevant for heritage science, including archaeology.
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(2015) Scientific Reports. 5, 14370. Abstract
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.
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(2015) Nature. 520, 7546, p. 216-219 Abstract
A key event in human evolution is the expansion of modern humans of African origin across Eurasia between 60 and 40 thousand years (kyr) before present (bp), replacing all other forms of hominins1. Owing to the scarcity of human fossils from this period, these ancestors of all present-day non-African modern populations remain largely enigmatic. Here we describe a partial calvaria, recently discovered at Manot Cave (Western Galilee, Israel) and dated to 54.7 ± 5.5 kyr bp (arithmetic mean ± 2 standard deviations) by uranium-thorium dating, that sheds light on this crucial event. The overall shape and discrete morphological features of the Manot 1 calvaria demonstrate that this partial skull is unequivocally modern. It is similar in shape to recent African skulls as well as to European skulls from the Upper Palaeolithic period, but different from most other early anatomically modern humans in the Levant. This suggests that the Manot people could be closely related to the first modern humans who later successfully colonized Europe. Thus, the anatomical features used to support the 'assimilation model' in Europe might not have been inherited from European Neanderthals, but rather from earlier Levantine populations. Moreover, at present, Manot 1 is the only modern human specimen to provide evidence that during the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic interface, both modern humans and Neanderthals contemporaneously inhabited the southern Levant, close in time to the likely interbreeding event with Neanderthals2,3.
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(2015) Near Eastern Archaeology. 78, 1, p. 12-25 Abstract
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).
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(2015) Radiocarbon. 57, 2, p. 237-252 Abstract
The history of lake-level changes at the Dead Sea during the Holocene was determined mainly by radiocarbon dating of terrestrial organic debris. This article reviews the various studies that have been devoted over the past 2 decades to defining the Dead Sea levels during the Bronze and Iron Ages (~5.5 to 2.5 ka cal BP) and adds new data and interpretation. In particular, we focus on research efforts devoted to refining the chronology of the sedimentary sequence in the Zeelim Gully, a key site of paleoclimate investigation in the European Research Council project titled Reconstructing Ancient Israel. The Bronze and Iron Ages are characterized by significant changes in human culture, reflected in archaeological records in which sharp settlement oscillations over relatively short periods of time are evident. During the Early Bronze, Intermediate Bronze, Middle Bronze, and Late Bronze Ages, the Dead Sea saw significant level fluctuations, reaching in the Middle Bronze an elevation of ~370 m below mean sea level (bmsl), and declining in the Late Bronze to below 414 m bmsl. At the end of the Late Bronze Age and upon the transition to the Iron Age, the lake recovered slightly and rose to ~408 m bmsl. This recovery reflected the resumption of freshwater activity in the Judean Hills, which was likely accompanied by more favorable hydrological-environmental conditions that seem to have facilitated the wave of Iron Age settlement in the region.
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(2015) Radiocarbon. 57, 5, p. 825-850 Abstract
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.
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Jordan River Dureijat - A New Epipaleolithic Site in the Upper Jordan Valley(2015) Mitekufat Haeven: Journal of the Israel Prehistoric Society. 45, p. 5-30 Abstract
Jordan River Dureijat (JRD), an Epipaleolithic site on the banks of the Jordan River south of its outlet from the Hula Valley, was discovered as a result of a drainage operation in the year 1999. The site, located 1.2 km north of the Benot Ya'aqov Bridge, is 14 C dated to between 14,000 and 15,000 Cal BC. This paper presents the results of a survey and test excavation conducted during the summer of 2002 and their bearing on our understanding of the Epipaleolithic of the region, of which very little is known to date. As with all sites on the banks of the Jordan River in this vicinity, the sediments of JRD show exceptional preservation of organic remains, in particular, botanic finds. The paper describes the chronology of the site, the lithic assemblage, the fauna with special emphasis on the fish and mollusc remains, and the seeds and fruits retrieved from this preliminary excavation. The findings obtained from JRD have already yielded a wealth of environmental data and contributed significantly to our understanding of human presence in the region. Jordan River Dureijat - A New Epipaleolithic Site in the Upper Jordan Valley. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/292984156_Jordan_River_Dureijat... [accessed Jul 27, 2017].
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The Natufian Site of Nahal Sekher VI: The 2009 Excavation Season(2015) Mitekufat Haeven: Journal of the Israel Prehistoric Society. 45, p. 97-130 Abstract
Nahal Sekher VI is a Natufian campsite located within the eastern edge of the northwestern Negev desert dunefield. The site was test excavated in the 1980s and entirely re-excavated in 2009. The new excavation area (165 m²) consisted of a distinct Natufian horizon. The paper presents the new excavation and discusses its results in respect to paleoenvironments, site formation processes, site function and chronology. Geoarchaeological analyses of depositional and post depositional processes and artifact characteristics, together with OSL ages and radiocarbon dates, suggests that the site was exposed for substantial time, and subjected to several deflation and sand accumulation events. In addition, sediments corresponding to short-lived standing-water bodies were identified near the site. Though organic remains were not preserved, hunting and related activities as well as plant processing took place at and around the site as suggested by the composition of the flint and stone tool assemblages. The mutual presence of Helwan lunates and backed lunates in the lithic assemblage is bewildering. It is uncertain if this represents repetitive visits to the site by Early and Late Natufians or a single Natufian occupation during which these two lunate types coexisted. The Natufian Site of Nahal Sekher VI: The 2009 Excavation Season. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/286880158_The_Natufian_Site_of_....
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(2015) Radiocarbon. 57, 2, p. 197-206 Abstract
In the original proposal entitled Reconstructing Ancient Israel The Exact and Life Sciences Perspective, two of us (Israel Finkelstein and Steve Weiner) wrote, \u201cIf the microscopic data are well integrated into the macroscopic (archaeological) record, they will undoubtedly provide new insights into the study of Ancient Israel.\u201d And this was what this 5-year (20092014) 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).
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(2015) Radiocarbon. 57, 2, p. 207-216 Abstract
The establishment of an absolute chronology for the Late Bronze and Iron Ages in the southern Levant would make it possible to use changes in material culture in order to study the impact of trade, dissemination of knowledge, and the impact of climate on historical processes. To achieve this, a detailed absolute chronology is needed for individual sites and on a regional scale with a resolution that can differentiate events within a century. To realize this challenging goal, only samples from well-established primary contexts ought to be studied. Such primary contexts (with \u201cdating assemblages\u201d) can be identified by combining macroscopic with microscopic observations. Chronological studies at the sites of Qubur el-Walaydah, Tel es-Safi, and in particular, Megiddo, demonstrate that high-resolution dating can be achieved, with very few outliers in the data sets. The major limitation on applying this approach is the fact that we are currently constrained to dating short-lived samples (charred seeds and olive pits) and collagen from bones. Thus, an immediate goal of radiocarbon research is to develop the ability to date other short-lived materials, such as organic material occluded in siliceous plant phytoliths, wood ash, and possibly organic residues preserved in pottery vessels.
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(2015) Radiocarbon. 57, 1, p. 77-97 Abstract
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 11851140 BC, and the Late Bronze to Iron Age transition between 11401095 BC.
2014
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(2014) Palynology. 38, 2, p. 280-302 Abstract
A detailed pollen record for the time interval of ∼2500-500 BCE, which covers the time period of the Intermediate Bronze Age (Early Bronze Age IV) into the Iron Ages in the Levant, is presented. The study was conducted in the Ze'elim Gully, which drains the southern Judean Highlands into the Dead Sea. During the Bronze and Iron Ages, the Judean Highlands exhibited dramatic settlement fluctuations. To better understand these oscillations, high-resolution fossil pollen data were combined with a recent pollen data set, lithological features, radiocarbon dating and palaeohydrological information derived from the Dead Sea levels. Due to the occurrence of hiatuses in this fluvial environment, we used a composite profile which was based on two palynological-sedimentological profiles. This integrated information enabled us to reconstruct in great detail for the first time the environmental conditions in relation to the picture derived from archaeological field-work in the Judean Highlands. Evidence for drier climate conditions at the end of the Late Bronze Age may account for the dramatic changes in the settlement pattern which include the destruction of a large number of urban centres and shrinkage of other major sites, not only in the Judean Highlands but in the entire southern Levant. This arid phase may have been one of the reasons for the collapse of eastern Mediterranean civilizations in the mid-thirteenth and twelfth centuries BCE. The improved conditions in the Judean highlands during the Iron Age I (evident by the increasing percentages of both Mediterranean elements and agricultural taxa, e.g. olive and cereals) enabled the recovery of settlement activity, which is the backdrop for the rise of ancient Israel.
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(2014) Anthropocene. 8, p. 70-82 Abstract
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.
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(2014) Journal of the Israel Prehistoric Society. 44, p. 148-179 Abstract
The period between ca. 5,200 and 4,500 years (Cal BC), framed by the end of the Pottery Neolithic/Early Chalcolithic Wadi Rabah culture on the one hand and the appearance of the Late Chalcolithic Ghassulian on the other hand, is underrepresented in current research when compared with the periods that pre- and post-date it. The site of Tel Tsaf (Middle Jordan Valley) is distinguished by its superb preservation of mudbrick architecture and organic materials, as well as by the evidence for large-scale storage and long distance trade. It therefore offers ideal conditions to study changes in household economies during the formative stages of the Late Chalcolithic period and the ecological settings of these changes. In this paper we offer a preliminary account of the first season of the renewed project at Tel Tsaf as well as preliminary results of some of the analyses already conducted.
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(2014) Journal of Archaeological Science. 49, 1, p. 237-248 Abstract
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.
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(2014) PLoS ONE. 9, 8, e102441. Abstract
Cherubism is a benign fibro-osseous disease of childhood limited specifically to the maxilla and mandible. The progressive replacement of the jaw bones with expansile multilocular cystic lesions causes eventual prominence of the lower face, and hence the classic "cherubic" phenotype reflecting variable extents of jaw hypertrophy. Histologically, this condition has been characterized as replacement of the normal bone matrix with multicystic pockets of fibrous stroma and osteoclastic giant cells. Because of radiographic features common to both, primarily the presence of multiloculated lucencies with heterogeneous "ground-glass" sclerosis on CT imaging, cherubism was long mistaken for a craniofacial subtype of fibrous dysplasia. In 1999, however, the distinct genetic basis for cherubism was mapped to chromosome 4p16.3 and the SH-3 binding protein SH3BP2. But while there are already three suspected cases of fibrous dysplasia amongst archaeological populations, no definitive cases of cherubism have yet been reported in historical populations. In the current study we describe micro-and macro-structural changes in the face of a 17th century Joseon Dynasty Korean mummy which may coincide with the clinic-pathologic and radiologic features of cherubism.
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(2014) Journal of Archaeological Science. 46, 1, p. 50-67 Abstract
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.
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(2014) TEL AVIV-JOURNAL OF THE INSTITUTE OF ARCHAEOLOGY OF TEL AVIV UNIVERSITY. 41, 1, p. 20-49 Abstract
Several Early Bronze Age levels have been exposed at Tell e fi/Gath since 2004. This report describes the results of the excavation of the EB III domestic neighbourhood on the eastern part of the site, in Area E. Its layout was common to other Early Bronze urban centres, including small, multiroom houses with a courtyard, and in a few cases also a small storage room. Occupants had access to local and long distance trade and exotic goods, used various administrative recording methods, and sacrificed valuable animals. These results are discussed in conjunction with other Early Bronze finds from the site, both from the surface survey and from excavations in other areas. Based on these data, we discuss the role of Early Bronze Age Tell es-Sāfi/Gath from a regional perspective. The results of the excavation suggest that the site was an important EB III political and economic centre in the district.
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New insights into Levantine copper trade: Analysis of ingots from the Bronze and Iron Ages in Israel(2014) Journal of Archaeological Science. 45, 1, p. 159-177 Abstract
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.
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(2014) Agypten und Levante. 24, p. 241-264 Abstract
In a recent study by Regev et al. (2012), the radiocarbon data of Southern Levant was reanalyzed, causing a revision of the traditional absolute chronology of the Early Bronze Age in the Southern Levant. The new analysis demonstrated that the EB II was notably shorter than previously thought and that the EB III ended ca. 2500 BC, ca. 200-300 years earlier than the traditional chronologies. In order to understand how Megiddo fits into the new chronology, the authors designed and implemented a microstratigraphical excavation of the EB I to EB III strata at the site to identify new short-lived samples for radiocarbon dating. In modeling the results, we took advantage of known stratigraphical data to apply a wiggle-matching technique to the calibration curve, providing more precise dates for the samples. Overall, the dates from Megiddo are in line with the new radiocarbon-based chronology. These results as well as the implications of the dates for Egyptian-Levantine interactions of the 3rd Millennium BC are discussed.
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(2014) Radiocarbon. 56, 2, p. 851-869 Abstract
The chronological framework of European protohistory is mostly a relative chronology based on typology and stratigraphic data. Synchronization of different time periods suffers from a lack of absolute dates; therefore, disagreements between different chronological schemes are difficult to reconcile. An alternative approach was applied in this study to build a more precise and accurate absolute chronology. To the best of our knowledge, we have collected all the published 14C dates for the archaeological sites in the region from the Ebro River (Spain) to the Middle Danube Valley (Austria) for the period 1800-750 BC. The available archaeological information associated with the 14C dates was organized in a database that totaled more than 1600 14C dates. In order to build an accurate and precise chronology, quality selection rules have been applied to the 14C dates based on both archaeological context and analytical quality. Using the OxCal software and Bayesian analysis, several 14C time sequences were created following the archaeological data and different possible scenarios were tested in northern Italy and southern France.
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(2014) Levant. 46, 1, p. 98-117 Abstract
The article reports results of a long-term geoarchaeological project in the Negev Highlands. Based on previous phytolith analysis from degraded livestock dung, we suggested that the inhabitants of an Iron IIA site in the region subsisted on animal husbandry, without practicing cereal cultivation (Shahack-Gross and Finkelstein 2008). Here we report on further investigations - on another Iron Age site, a Byzantine/Early Islamic site, and on a pre-modern Bedouin winter encampment. We seek to test the nature of the phytolith record in this arid environment. We establish that phytolith assemblages in the study area are generally well preserved; that phytolith concentrations in dung of pre-modern free-grazing livestock were originally low; and that in a Byzantine/Early Islamic site for which cereal cultivation is documented textually, livestock dung includes cereal phytoliths. These patterns enable a secure interpretation of the phytolith assemblages from the Iron IIA sites, fortifying our previous suggestion that the Iron Age inhabitants of the Negev Highlands subsisted mainly on herding and did not undertake dry farming.
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(2014) Radiocarbon. 56, 1, p. 221-244 Abstract
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.
2013
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(2013) Journal of Archaeological Science. 40, 12, p. 4331-4347 Abstract
Mud constructed cooking installations such as ovens and hearths are common in modern, pre-modern and archaeological domestic contexts in West and Central Asia. Archaeological cooking installations are primarily identified using analogy of shape and size to ethnographic installations. The study presented here establishes direct evidence to the use of fire within mud constructed cooking installations, thus providing means for reducing ambiguity in identification of archaeological cooking installations. In addition, we present here a newly developed method that enables a clear-cut distinction between wood and dung ashes used as fuel materials in many modern and archaeological domestic contexts. The study is based on an ethnoarchaeological research in rural households at the Republic of Uzbekistan that was followed by geoarchaeological analyses of installation walls, wood ash, dung ash and wood and dung standards collected in the study area. Field work included ethnographic observations, interviews with informants and temperature measurements during cooking experiments. We show that changes in the clay mineral structure due to exposure to high temperatures on the interior walls of cooking installations can be detected using FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared) spectroscopy, providing for the first time direct evidence to the use of fire within such installations. We demonstrate that the temperature recorded by clay alteration on installation walls as well as in the ashes left on installation bottoms does not correspond to baking or cooking temperatures. We also show that the newly developed method, based on the ratio of wood ash pseudomorphs to dung spherulites, separates between wood and dung ashes with very high certainty. Yet, we identify a range of values where differentiation between wood and dung ashes is uncertain, and suggest it results from intensive mixing processes. Lastly, we show that phytolith morphotype analysis is an insufficient tool, if used alone, for distinguishing wood from dung ashes in the study area. The newly developed tools for temperature estimation within mud constructed installations and for fuel origin determination contribute to better understanding of cooking-related practices, and can be applied to archaeological contexts worldwide.
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(2013) PLoS ONE. 8, 12, A31. Abstract
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:
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(2013) Scientific Reports. 3, 3035. Abstract
Near Eastern wild boars possess a characteristic DNA signature. Unexpectedly, wild boars from Israel have the DNA sequences of European wild boars and domestic pigs. To understand how this anomaly evolved, we sequenced DNA from ancient and modern pigs from Israel. Pigs from Late Bronze Age (until ca. 1150 BCE) in Israel shared haplotypes of modern and ancient Near Eastern pigs. European haplotypes became dominant only during the Iron Age (ca. 900 BCE). This raises the possibility that European pigs were brought to the region by the Sea Peoples who migrated to the Levant at that time. Then, a complete genetic turnover took place, most likely because of repeated admixture between local and introduced European domestic pigs that went feral. Severe population bottlenecks likely accelerated this process. Introductions by humans have strongly affected the phylogeography of wild animals, and interpretations of phylogeography based on modern DNA alone should be taken with caution.
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(2013) Journal of Archaeological Science. 40, 10, p. 3626-3635 Abstract
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.
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(2013) Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 110, 29, p. 11774-11778 Abstract
Flowering plants possess mechanisms that stimulate positive emotional and social responses in humans. It is difficult to establish when people started to use flowers in public and ceremonial events because of the scarcity of relevant evidence in the archaeological record. We report on uniquely preserved 13,700-11,700-y-old grave linings made of flowers, suggesting that such use began much earlier than previously thought. The only potentially older instance is the questionable use of flowers in the Shanidar IV Neanderthal grave. The earliest cemeteries (ca. 15,000-11,500 y ago) in the Levant are known from Natufian sites in northern Israel, where dozens of burials reflect a wide range of inhumation practices. The newly discovered flower linings were found in four Natufian graves at the burial site of Raqefet Cave, Mt. Carmel, Israel. Large identified plant impressions in the graves include stems of sage and other Lamiaceae (Labiatae; mint family) or Scrophulariaceae (figwort family) species; accompanied by a plethora of phytoliths, they provide the earliest direct evidence now known for such preparation and decoration of graves. Some of the plant species attest to spring burials with a strong emphasis on colorful and aromatic flowers. Cave floor chiseling to accommodate the desired grave location and depth is also evident at the site. Thus, grave preparation was a sophisticated planned process, embedded with social and spiritual meanings reflecting a complex preagricultural society undergoing profound changes at the end of the Pleistocene.
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(2013) Quaternary International. 297, p. 147-154 Abstract
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.
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(2013) JOM. 65, 4, p. 481-488 Abstract
Structural, compositional, and isotopic characterization techniques are critically important to help identify pristine materials that are suitable for accurate and precise radiocarbon dating. Lime plasters, cements, and mortars are ideal materials for establishing firm and secure dates in the archaeological record as human-constructed living surfaces and installations. However, the often complex composite structures of plasters and their susceptibility to diagenetic processes have impeded the development of a reliable and reproducible method to identify the best specimens for dating. In this article we present an overview of the plaster production process and the radiocarbon dating method. We explain how material characterization techniques and radiocarbon dating can be integrated to make progress toward the ultimate goal of relating radiocarbon concentrations with environmental, sample preparation, and/or diagenetic conditions in which the plaster existed. A key aspect of this strategy relies on implementing material characterization techniques in the field, during an excavation, to help establish the archaeological context in which datable material is recovered.
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(2013) Paléorient. 39, 1, p. 23-46 Abstract
Although a chrono -cultural sequence , including a Chalcolithic period followed by an Early Bronze Age has long been accepted for the Southern Levant , relatively little was understood of the transition between those two distinct entities. Recent discoveries , particularly in the area of the western piedmont of the Judea- Samaria incline (the Shephela), have yielded substantial evidence of continuity in occupation and thus, the nature of the transition for that region and its relationship to the greater Southern Levant. This paper examines the radiocarbon evidence from the site of Modi' in in the Shephela , which indicates the transition there to have occurred in the first half of the 4th millennium BC. Using Bayesian analyses of the data , it further considers additional radiocarbon dates from other sites in the greater region , while offering a practical guide for evaluating validity of individual data to date archaeological deposits to which they have been ascribed
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Fazael 2, One of the Latest Chalcolithic Sites in the Jordan Valley? Report of the 2007-2008 Excavation Seasons(2013) Mitekufat Haeven: Journal of the Israel Prehistoric Society. 43, p. 148-185 Abstract
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.
2012
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(2012) ArcheoSciences. 35, 1, p. 135-141 Abstract
Bone and tooThmineral generally undergo diagenetic changes. These changes in the carbonate hydroxyapatite structure and composition can affect the signals embedded in the mineral phase, such as migration behavior, age of the specimen and the reconstruction of past environments. Mineral preservation state can be assessed using infrared spectroscopy which provides information on crystal disorder at the atomic level and mineral composition. Here we present a new approach to evaluate carbonate hydroxyapatite atomic disorder using infrared spectroscopy and the standard KBr sample mounting method. We show that by repeated grinding of the sample and then plotting the infrared splitting factor against the widThof the major phosphate absorption peak after each grinding, grinding curves with well defined trend lines can be obtained. The offsets between curves refiect differences in atomic disorder. We show that grinding curve offsets can be used to evaluate the state of preservation of bone, dentine and enamel mineral.
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(2012) Quaternary International. 259, p. 102-112 Abstract
The main processes invoked to explain the demise of Homo neanderthalensis are the effects of adverse climatic conditions in the northern hemisphere during Marine Isotope Stage 3 (MIS 3) and the outcome of the interaction with Anatomically Modern Humans (AMHs). Evidence for the co-existence of these two hominins, however, is elusive and, therefore, verifying the role which these processes might have played in the extirpation of Neandertals remains a topic of heated debate. A site which can contribute to throw light on the replacement of H. neanderthalensis by AMHs is Riparo Mezzena, a rockshelter in northern Italy, where late Mousterian lithic industries were found in association with human remains. This paper reviews the results of recent investigations on the lithic assemblages and human bones recovered during excavation campaigns which took place in 1957 and 1977. The study of the physical anthropology of the skeletal remains, in conjunction with palaeogenetic analyses on mitochondrial and nuclear DNA, have proven that the occupiers of Riparo Mezzena were Neandertals. The first radiocarbon date for the site, obtained on collagen extracted from a bovid from the lowermost part of the stratigraphic sequence (Layer III) and presented here (34,540 ± 655 14C uncal BP), attests that Riparo Mezzena was occupied during the Middle-to-Upper Palaeolithic transition period. The anthropogenic deposits at the site actually accumulated when the nearby site of Grotta di Fumane was occupied by humans who produced Proto-Aurignacian lithic industries. This suggests that Neandertals and AMHs probably co-existed for a short period of time in northern Italy, possibly competing for resources within the confined territory of the Monti Lessini. These findings arising from new research on the collections of Riparo Mezzena have important implications not only for the study of the Middle-to-Upper Palaeolithic transition in Italy, but also for the understanding of the process through which AMHs replaced H. neanderthalensis.
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(2012) Journal of Field Archaeology. 37, 2, p. 121-131 Abstract
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.
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(2012) Journal of Archaeological Science. 39, 2, p. 255-267 Abstract
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. Tuyères, 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.
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(2012) Radiocarbon. 54, 3-4, p. 887-896 Abstract
The Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (PPNB) site of Yiftahel, Israel, contains abundant plaster floors. We surveyed the states of preservation of the plasters using an infrared spectroscopic assay that characterizes the extent of disorder of the atoms in the calcite crystal lattice. We identified the 3 best-preserved plaster samples that had disorder signatures most similar to modern plaster. We then studied the surface layers, fine-grained matrices, and large aggregates of these samples using micromorphology, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) microscopy, stable carbon and radiocarbon concentrations. Even though some of the plaster components have a geogenic appearance in micromorphology slides and in FTIR spectra, the 14C analyses show that all components were exposed to high temperatures and as a result were equilibrated with the 14C content of the atmosphere ~10,000 yr ago. This implies that the plasters at Yiftahel were produced entirely from heat-altered calcite. We also show that these plasters have undergone significant diagenesis. The plaster component with the most disordered atomic signature, and hence the most similar in this respect to modern plaster, did indeed produce a 14C date close to the expected age.
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Er-Rujum (Sha'alabim East): An Intermediate Bronze Age (EB IV) site in the Ayyalon Valley(2012) Atiqot. 1 ed. p. 75-140 Abstract
At the site of Er-Rujum, located on the western slopes of the Ramallah Anticline in the northern part of the Ayyalon Valley, an Intermediate Bronze Age site was discovered below Ottoman-period rujums. The architecture at the site comprised broadrooms, with a central space and passages between them, demonstrating similarities with other Intermediate Bronze Age buildings excavated in the Jordan Valley and the Judean Hills. The finds at the site included pottery typical of the Southern Family, dominated by storage jars, flints, groundstone tools, a metal blade and beads, as well as faunal and botanical remains; pottery dating to Middle Bronze Age II was collected from fills, probably connected with a settlement from this period at nearby Sha'alabim. The site of Er-Rujum was interpreted as a rural village with a subsistence strategy comprising an association of agriculture with some cattle herding, together with manufacturing workshop activities. This site provides additional data toward an understanding of the nature and settlement patterns of this controversial period in the archaeology of the southern Levant.
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(2012) Radiocarbon. 54, 3-4, p. 823-836 Abstract
The Natufian (15-11.5 kyr BP) sites in the southern Levant are characterized by a lack of macrobotanical remains, including charcoal, and poor preservation of bone collagen. As a result, only about 30 reliable radiocarbon dates are available for building a chronology of the Natufian period. Here, we present new 14C data from the Natufian site of el-Wad terrace that fall in the range of the Early Natufian period. Using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis, we investigated the environmental factors that influenced the preservation of material for 14C dating of the site, and we tested a modified pretreatment method for poorly preserved charcoal samples. The normal pretreatment protocol for 14C samples (W-ABA) removed more charcoal material than the modified method, which omits the first acid treatment (W-BA). This first acid step seems to enhance the extraction of humic substances during the subsequent base step. We found that the poor preservation of charcoal could be attributed to the presence of calcite, and therefore an alkaline pH of sediments. The most important factor determining bone collagen preservation may have been the hydrological setting, i.e. fluctuating water levels due to oversaturation of the dense sediments after rainfall.
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(2012) Radiocarbon. 54, 3-4, p. 371-390 Abstract
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.
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(2012) Radiocarbon. 54, 3-4, p. 813-822 Abstract
The Natufian culture of the southern Levant played an integral role in the transition from simple hunter gatherers to food-producing societies of the Neolithic, but the major Natufian hamlets are currently poorly dated. Moreover, none of these complex, continuously occupied base camps have delivered an adequate number of dates to enable an in-depth delineation of intra-Natufian developments. This paper presents the first results of our dating program at el-Wad terrace, Mount Carmel (Israel), one of the major Natufian hamlets of the "core area" of this culture. Thirteen accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) radiocarbon age determinations were obtained from 46 bone (both ungulate and human) and charcoal samples, originating in Early Natufian living surfaces, dwellings, and burials. The obtained dates are largely in agreement with the cultural affiliation of the samples (13-15 kyr cal BP). Two series of dates from different locations show good agreement with the stratigraphy. The ages of the burials clearly point to their being younger than the living surfaces seemingly associated with them. Presently, no burials may be linked with the major architectural phase of Early Natufian el-Wad. Our ongoing dating program and the processing of additional samples from refined contexts will help shed important light on the initial phases of the Natufian culture, habitation duration, intensity, and continuity, as well as the relationships between site features and stratigraphy.
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(2012) Radiocarbon. 54, 3-4, p. 525-566 Abstract
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.
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(2012) Radiocarbon. 54, 3-4, p. 505-524 Abstract
Over the years, 40 radiocarbon samples (charcoal and seeds) have been measured from the site of Tel Yarmuth. These samples originate from 3 major archaeological periods: Final Early Bronze Age (henceforth EB) I, EB II, and EB IIIB-C. The samples are further on divided into 8 separate archaeological phases. Bayesian modeling analyses were performed on the data. Separate models were run with seeds and charcoals to detect a possible old-wood effect. Outliers were detected, and finally models with gaps were run to account for the lack of samples from 2 archaeological layers. The results suggest that at Tel Yarmuth the end of the EB II occurred ~2950-2880 BC, and that the EB III ended at the latest ~2450 BC, perhaps before 2500 BC. Although these dates are somewhat earlier than traditionally assumed, they are in close accordance with the new analysis of other 14C dates for the Early Bronze Age in the southern Levant (Regev et al., these proceedings).
2011
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(2011) Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences. 3, 3, p. 245-262 Abstract
Three hominin phalanges were recently identified in old faunal collections attributed to the Late Acheulean (Layer D2) dated to ca. 213 Kya, from Oumm Qatafa Cave (Judean Desert), a site excavated in 1928-1949. In terms of general appearance (colour, patina and adhering sediment), these specimens resembled the fauna with which they were found, but the likelihood of stratigraphic problems especially in old excavations, the presence of 4th millennium b. c. burials in the topmost Layer A at the site and the absence of any mention of Late Acheulean hominin remains in publications relating to the site prompted us to verify that the phalanges were indeed in situ. Osteometric examination showed the phalanges to be indistinguishable from those of Middle Paleolithic Levantine anatomically modern humans (AMHS) as well as Upper Paleolithic and recent populations, thus contributing little to the resolution of their provenance. To further investigate this issue, we compared the elemental composition of the phalanges to that of fauna from the same and overlying archaeological layers using non-destructive laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). The results showed a close resemblance in elemental composition between the phalanges and fauna from Layer D2, implying that they are in situ. This would indicate either an early occurrence of AMHS in the region or the presence of an ancestral archaic Homo. We propose that LA-ICP-MS offers a useful minimally invasive method for provenancing isolated human and faunal remains.
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(2011) Journal of Archaeological Science. 38, 9, p. 2424-2433 Abstract
The Middle to Upper Paleolithic transition (MP-UP transition) is considered a major technological and cultural threshold, at the time when modern humans spread " out of Africa" , expanded from the Levant into Europe and possibly into central and northern Asia. The dating of this techno-cultural transition has proved to be extremely difficult because it occurred sometime before 40,000 radiocarbon years before present (14C years BP), which is close to the end of the effective dating range of radiocarbon. Other dating methods such as Thermoluminescence (TL) or Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) are not sufficiently precise to date the recorded archaeological MP-UP transition in the Levant. Here we report a consistent set of stratified radiocarbon ages on freshly excavated charcoal from Kebara Cave, Mt. Carmel (Israel), that span the late Middle Paleolithic (MP) and Early Upper Paleolithic (EUP) This study applied novel strategies to improve sample preparation techniques and data analysis to obtain high-resolution radiocarbon models. From this study it is proposed that the MP-UP transition for this site can be placed immediately after 45,200 ± 700 14C years BP and before 43,600 ± 600 14C years BP or from 49/48 to 47/46 radiocarbon calibrated years before present (years Cal BP).
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(2011) Advanced Functional Materials. 21, 17, p. 3308-3313 Abstract
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.
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(2011) Antiquity. 85, 328, p. 331-349 Abstract
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.
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(2011) Journal of Archaeological Science. 38, 5, p. 1135-1147 Abstract
A common assumption in Near Eastern tell archaeology is that the majority of sediments originate from degraded mud bricks. Little is known about the mechanism of mud brick wall degradation. Here we present a detailed macro- and microscopic ethnoarchaeological study of the degradation of a mud brick house and propose a comprehensive mechanism for tell formation processes in arid environments. The study took place in southern Israel by trenching a ca. 60 year old abandoned mud brick house, followed by extensive sediment sampling. Macroscopic observations showed that mud brick walls degrade by collapse of single bricks and/or collapse of intact wall parts, either inwards or outwards. In addition, infill sediments within the house and outside it, in close proximity to its walls, form alternating sedimentary layers of various colors and textures. The degraded mud brick material lost its distinctive macroscopic structure, which makes it impossible to accurately identify this material by field observations alone. Mineralogical and elemental analyses established the sources of the house infill sediments, namely mud bricks and wind blown sediments. Alternating layers mostly originate from mixing between degraded mud brick material and wind blown sediments. Micromorphological observations revealed microscopic mechanisms of mud brick degradation and include processes of mud slurry gravity flows, sediment coatings and infillings, wind abrasion of walls, small-scale puddling, and bioturbation. This study provides a working scheme for site formation of abandoned mud brick structures in arid environments. It provides a set of criteria by which it is possible to differentiate floors from post-abandonment sedimentary features and thus improves the reliability of activity area research.
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(2011) Radiocarbon. 53, 1, p. 117-127 Abstract
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.
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(2011) Advanced Materials. 23, 4, p. 550-554 Abstract
Infrared spectral peak broadening due to atomic disorder and narrowing due to particle-size-related optical absorption effects can be decoupled experimentally and theoretically. Applied to different sources of polycrystalline calcite, the method provides a powerful diagnostic tool for archaeology, geology, and materials/biomaterials science.
2010
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(2010) Journal of Archaeological Science. 37, 12, p. 3000-3009 Abstract
Hydraulic plasters or mortars prior to the Roman period are rare. Here, we report the identification and characterization of 3000 year old (Iron Age) hydraulic plaster surfaces from the site of Tell es-Safi/Gath. This site, located in central Israel, was occupied almost continuously from prehistoric through modern times, and is identified as the Canaanite and Philistine city of Gath. A survey using an on-site Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR) identified the presence of amorphous silicates, in addition to calcite, in each of two superimposed plaster layers. This suite of minerals is characteristic of hydraulic plaster. An in-depth characterization of the plasters using FTIR, acid dissolution, X-ray fluorescence (XRF), X-ray powder diffractometry (pXRD), heating experiments and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), shows that special silicate-containing minerals were brought from some distance to the site in order to produce these plaster surfaces. We therefore conclude that the plasters were deliberately produced, and were not the result of a fortuitous addition of local silicate minerals. A layer of around 150μm thick enriched in carbonate hydroxylapatite was found in both plaster surfaces, and the same mineral was identified by infrared spectrometry in the surrounding sediments. This suggests that organic materials were used on these surfaces. These surfaces are among the oldest hydraulic plasters known.
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(2010) Journal of Archaeological Science. 37, 12, p. 3022-3029 Abstract
Infrared spectrometry is a well-established method for the identification of minerals. Due to its simplicity and the short time required to obtain a result, it can be practiced on-site during excavation using portable infrared spectrometers. However, the identification of a mineral may not be sufficient. For example, a lime plaster floor and a crushed chalk surface have a similar appearance and are composed of the same mineral - calcite. Here we exploit differences in the infrared spectra of geogenic, biogenic and pyrogenic calcites for the identification of each calcite type. The infrared calcite spectrum has three characteristic peaks in the region of 400-4000 cm-1, designated ν2, ν3, and ν4. When a calcite sample is ground, as part of the measurement preparation procedure, some grinding dependent changes will be revealed in the infrared spectrum. With additional grinding, the ν3 peak narrows and the heights of the ν2 and ν4 peaks decrease, when both are normalized to the ν3 height. By plotting the normalized heights of the ν2 versus the ν4 of several grindings of the same sample, a characteristic trend line is formed for each calcite type. The trend lines of geogenic calcites have the shallowest slopes and highest ν4 values when compared to pyrogenic calcites, which can be further divided to ash and plaster/mortar samples. This method can assist in distinguishing between the various calcites, and provide insights into homogeneity and preservation state of the calcitic materials in question.
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(2010) Antiquity. 84, 326, p. 976-992 Abstract
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...
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(2010) Earth and Planetary Science Letters. 296, 3-4, p. 451-458 Abstract
Dendropoma petraeum are fixed vermitids (mollusk) that colonize and construct abrasion platform rims along rocky shorelines. These endemic mollusks are considered good relative sea level indicators in the eastern and the southern Mediterranean, due to their narrow habitat below the sea surface (about ±10cm). The observed relative sea level values recorded (submerged, uplifted or at present mean sea level) reflect a superposition of eustatic, isostatic, tectonic and possibly local sedimentary instabilities. The present study examines fossil Dendropoma samples gathered along the Levant coast, from northern Israel to eastern Turkey. Conventional radiocarbon dates (from Turkey, Syria and partly in Lebanon) and 14C Accelerator Mass Spectrometer (AMS) from Lebanon and Israel yields Dendropoma ages ranging through Late Holocene. A numerical model is used for calculating the change in sea level through the Holocene as a function of glacio-hydrology and isostasy of the eastern Mediterranean. Space-time dependent subtractions of the model values are used to eliminate the eustatic component of the relative sea level, in order to obtain the tectonic component. Results show a general northward increase in tectonic uplift of the Levantine coast with different rates in different tectonic segments. This differential uplift corresponds well to the major tectonic segments comprising the Levantine continental margin since the Pleistocene, from the Carmel fault to the East Anatolian fault. Hence, these segments were still active during the last thousands years and even during the last hundreds years. The general trend of northward increase in vertical displacement is predominantly dictated by the convergence between the Sinai and Arabian plates with Anatolia and Eurasia, across the Cyprus arc and Zagros belt; and the secondarily dictated by the northward increase in convergence component across the sinistral Dead Sea Fault plate boundary.
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(2010) Radiocarbon. 52, 3, p. 1123-1140 Abstract
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 (δ13CDIC) is much lower. The chemical composition and carbon isotope mass balance suggest that the low δ13CDIC of the saline groundwater is a result of anaerobic organic matter oxidation by bacterial sulfate reduction (BSR) and methane oxidation. The radiocarbon content (14CDIC) 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 14CDIC 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 14CDIC values in some of the saline groundwater suggest the existence of ancient brine in the subaquifer.
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(2010) Journal of Archaeological Science. 37, 7, p. 1557-1563 Abstract
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.
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(2010) Science. 328, 5986, p. 1634-c Abstract
Bergfjord et al. express doubts regarding our identification of flax fibers on the basis of the morphology of their internal layers. The authors use microphotographs and descriptions of the outer layers of fibers as arguments for their claims. Morphology and structure of the outer and inner parts of fibers are radically different, however, rendering their reservations misplaced.
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(2010) Nuclear Instruments & Methods In Physics Research Section B-Beam Interactions With Materials And Atoms. 268, 7-8, p. 966-968 Abstract
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.
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(2010) Radiocarbon. 52, 1, p. 1-12 Abstract
In this article, we present a set of radiocarbon measurements from Atar Haroa, a site that belongs to the early Iron IIA Negev Highlands settlement system in southern Israel. The results place activity at the site in the 9th century BCE, with a possibility that it was founded in the 10th century BCE, probably in the second half. The Atar Haroa measurements seem to indicate that the early Iron IIA phase in the ceramic typology of Israel lasted until the mid-9th century BCE-some-what later than previously suggested. These new data shed light on several issues related to the history of southern Israel in the late 10th and 9th centuries BCE.
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Ancient Mtdna Sequences And Radiocarbon Dating Of Human Bones From The Chalcolithic Caves Of Wadi El-Makkukh(2010) Mediterranean Archaeology & Archaeometry. 10, 2, p. 1-14 Abstract
DNA from fossil human bones can provide valuable information for understanding intra- and inter-population relationships. Using the DNA preserved inside crystal aggregates from human fossil bones containing relatively large amounts of collagen, we demonstrate the presence of reproducible mtDNA control region sequences. Radiocarbon dates from each bone show that the burial caves were used for up to 600 years during the Chalcolithic period (5th-4th millennium BP). A comparison of the ancient DNA sequences with modern mtDNA databases indicates that all samples can most likely be assigned to the R haplogroup sub-clades, which are common in West-Eurasia. In four cases more precise and confident haplogroup identifications could be achieved (H, U3a and H6). The H haplogroup is present in three out of the four assigned ancient samples. This haplogroup is prevalent today in West - Eurasia. The results reported here tend to genetically link this Chalcolithic group of individuals to the current West Eurasian populations.
2009
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(2009) Chemical Geology. 268, 4-Mar, p. 189-196 Abstract
This paper presents a study of the isotopic composition of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) stable and, radioactive, in pore water of the unsaturated zone (USZ) above the coastal aquifer of Israel The carbon. content and its isotopic composition in the gas and solid phases of the USZ are also presented. In the soil gas, large quantities of CO2 with quite modern C-14 activity were measured along the section (0.15 to 2.7% and 97 to 109 pMC respectively). In the inorganic fraction of the sediments, the C-14 activity between 2.5 and 13 m was 33 to 1.5 pMC. In the organic fraction the 14C activity between 7 and 9 m was 40 to 33 pMC. In the pore water, the high values of tritium and C-14 at depths of similar to 15-18 m have been attributed to the thermonuclear contamination of the 1960s. A significant decrease with depth in the DIC of pore water, from 23 to 4 mmol C/L, along with a decrease with depth in dissolved inorganic C-14, from 100 pMC near the surface to 72 pMC at depth of 20 m were observed. The delta C-13 values in the DIC are similar to the values in the inorganic sediment (similar to -10 parts per thousand). A first order reaction was applied to estimate the yearly rates of DIC loss by net precipitation (3.2%/year) and of C-14 activity (dpm/L) loss from the DIC by gross precipitation from the DIC on the sediment, (4.4%/year). From the gradient of dissolved inorganic C-14, the initial level at the bottom of the USZ, which is the groundwater table of the coastal aquifer of Israel, was estimated to be 0.54 of contemporaneous atmospheric value of C-14 when the rain fell on the ground. This value can be used for improved dating of groundwater with C-14 in the coastal aquifer of Israel. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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(2009) Journal of the Institute of Archaeology of Tel Aviv University. 36, 1, p. 82-94 Abstract
Short-lived samples from an iron Age IIA context at Tell el-Qudeirat in northeastern Sinai, identified by many with biblical Kadesh Barnea, were subjected to radiocarbon dating. The results indicate dates that are very higheven higher than those currently adhered to by proponents of the 'high' iron Age chronology. These dates were obtained after independent measuring in three radiocarbon laboratories. Repeated 14C intercomparisons, in this case and others, have demonstrated that apparent inconsistencies in the dates offered for archaeological facies cannot be attributed to measurement error or bias. Answers must be sought elsewhere.
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(2009) Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 106, 24, p. 9595-9600 Abstract
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.
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(2009) Radiocarbon. 51, 1, p. 275-281 Abstract
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.
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Specialized flint procurement strategies for hand axes, scrapers and blades in the late lower paleolithic: A 10Be study at Qesem Cave, Israel(2009) Human Evolution. 24, 1, p. 1-12 Abstract
The procurement and selection of raw materials for producing different stone tools in the past provide invaluable insights into hominid technological capabilities and behavior. Flint has been extensively studied to document its sources, tool production, use, and recycling. Less is known about the procurement strategies used for obtaining the raw materials. Our approach is based on the concentration of cosmogenic in situ produced 10Be within the flint. As this is depth dependent, flint material collected from the surface can be differentiated from fint collected at depths or from special environments which protected the flint from cosmic radiation. 10Be concentrations in different tool types from the Lower Paleolithic strata of Qesem cave showed that the raw materials for large scrapers and hand-axes were obtained from deep buried material or recently exposed material. The smaller blades showed a larger distribution of 10Be that resembles the concentrations of 10Be in flint nodules collected from the soil surface around the cave. This is consistent with the observation that the large scrapers and handaxes were re-sharpened. Therefore some 400,000 years ago the Qesem cave inhabitants possessed a detailed knowledge of the resources, and the capability to procure appropriate raw materials for specific tool types.
2008
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(2008) Journal of Human Evolution. 55, 5, p. 817-833 Abstract
This paper considers the recent radiometric dating (14C-AMS, TL, ESR) of 76 late Middle and early Upper Paleolithic samples from Ortvale Klde Rockshelter, located in the Republic of Georgia. We present a critical evaluation of each date based on its stratigraphic and archaeological context, its pretreatment and contamination history, and its resulting accuracy and precision, the goal being to establish a sound chronology for the site. Only by systematically identifying aberrant dates within a data set and isolating them from further analysis can we hope to understand cultural and biological phenomena on an accurate temporal scale. Based on the strict discard protocol outlined here, we omit 25% of the dated samples from the analysis. The remaining data speak to the lengthy tenure of Neandertals in the region, but also to their relatively rapid demise and the establishment of modern human populations ∼38-34 ka 14C BP (42-39 ka cal BPHulu). We compare these chronometric data with those from the neighboring sites of Bronze and Dzudzuana caves, as well as Mezmaiskaya Cave, located in the northern Caucasus. While the lack of key contextual information limit our ability to subject these other data sets to the same critical evaluation procedure, they provide the first interregional temporal assessment of the Middle to Upper Paleolithic "transition," the results of which suggest an initial expansion of modern humans into the southern Caucasus followed by expansion along the Black Sea coast and into the northern Caucasus.
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(2008) Journal of Archaeological Science. 35, 4, p. 905-911 Abstract
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.
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Determining the chronology of an archaeological site using radiocarbon: Minimizing uncertainty(2008) Israel Journal of Earth Sciences. 56, p. 207-216 Abstract
As the analytical precision of radiocarbon dating has improved to ±30 years, it is now possible to address chronological questions in the sub-century range. The uncertainty, however, depends upon other factors in addition to the analytical uncertainty. First and foremost it depends on the archeological macro- and micro-contexts: radiocarbon dat - ing therefore starts in the field. The accuracy and precision of a radiocarbon date also depend on the type of material and on being able to characterize the material quality of the sample before and after the chemical pre-treatment. Only by addressing all these aspects can radiocarbon dating become a powerful tool in archaeological research.
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(2008) Journal of Archaeological Science. 35, 1, p. 57-75 Abstract
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.
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(2008) Radiocarbon. 50, 2, p. 289-307 Abstract
Chemical and structural similarities between poorly preserved charcoal and its contaminants, as well as low radiocarbon concentrations in old samples, complicate 14C age determinations. Here, we characterize 4 fossil charcoal samples from the late Middle Paleolithic and early Upper Paleolithic strata of Kebara Cave, Israel, with respect to the structural and chemical changes that occur when they are subjected to the acid-base-acid (ABA) treatment. Differential thermal analysis and TEM show that acid treatment disrupts the structure, whereas alkali treatment results in the reformation of molecular aggregates. The major changes are ascribed to the formation of salt bridges at high pH and the disruption of the graphite-like crystallites at low pH. Weight losses during the treatments are consistently greater for older samples, implying that they are less well preserved. Based on the changes observed in vitro due to pH fluctuations, various methods for removing contamination, as well as a mechanism for preferential preservation of charcoal in nature, are proposed.
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Napoleon Bonaparte's adventure in Tantura Lagoon: Historical and archaeological evidence(2008) Israel Exploration Journal. 58, 2, p. 199-219 Abstract
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The Iron Age Chronology of the Levant: The State-of-Research at the 14C Dating Project, Spring 2006(2008) Israel in Transition. p. 177-192 Abstract
2007
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(2007) Radiocarbon. 49, 2, p. 1003-1015 Abstract
We investigated the feasibility of using Melanopsis shells as radiocarbon chronometers of paleolakes and springs in the Jordan Valley, Israel. For this purpose, we analyzed the 14C content of aragonite of living Melanopsis shells from different freshwater bodies of the northern Jordan Valley and Lake Kinneret (Sea of Galilee) and compared them to the contemporaneous water values. The Melanopsis shells are in 14C equilibrium with their habitat waters, allowing to specify a particular reservoir age for various water types. We measured ~750 yr for Lake Kinneret, ~2300 yr for northern Jordan, ~4600 yr for springs in the north Kinneret, and ~7200 yr for streams flowing directly from carbonate aquifers. These results were tested and corroborated by analyzing fossil Melanopsis shells of known age, measured on contemporaneous organic matter. We conclude that Melanopsis shells are reliable 14C chronometers and have the potential to be used as paleohydrological tracers.
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(2007) Radiocarbon. 49, 1, p. 83-94 Abstract
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.
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(2007) Journal of Archaeological Science. 34, 3, p. 358-373 Abstract
Many of the sediments analysed from Tel Dor (Israel) show structural alterations indicating that they were exposed to high temperatures. This observation is consistent with the abundant evidence for use of pyrotechnology from the earliest exposed Middle Bronze Age strata through the Roman period. Such structurally altered sediments may well represent one of the more widespread and durable records of pyrotechnology, and as such could be invaluable for reconstructing past human activities. The specific aims of this research are therefore to develop the means for identifying local sediments that were altered by different pyrotechnological activities and to elucidate the varying circumstances whereby sediments were exposed to high temperatures in a Late Bronze and Iron Age 1 section. We first characterize natural sediments sampled on and in the proximity of the tell and monitor their transformations due to exposure to high temperatures in an oven and in open fires, focusing in particular on the transformations of the clay mineral components of mud-brick materials. The analytical techniques used include micromorphology, Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR), X-ray powder diffractometry (XRD) and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometry. Using the temperature "calibrated" data, we confirm that large volumes of sediments at Tel Dor were exposed to high temperatures. In Area G, we identify three fundamentally different ways that heat-affected sediments were produced and accumulated: (1) In the Late Bronze Age (Phases 11-12) the sediments were heated to temperatures between 800 and 900 degrees C and were then deposited in the area under investigation. A plausible scenario is that these sediments were exposed to heat from ovens or kilns; (2) During the early Iron Age (Phase 10) the heat-affected sediments (heated above 1000 degrees C) formed in close association with casting pits for the working of copper-containing (bronze) objects. (3) During Phase 9 of the Iron Ag
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(2007) Radiocarbon. 49, 1, p. 1-46 Abstract
The traditional chronology of ancient Israel in the 11th-9th centuries BCE was constructed mainly by correlating archaeological phenomena with biblical narratives and with Bible-derived chronology. The chronology of Cyprus and Greece, and hence of points further west, are in turn based on that of the Levant. Thus, a newly proposed chronology, about 75-100 yr lower than the conventional one, bears crucial implications not only for biblical history and historiography but also for cultural processes around the Mediterranean. A comprehensive radiocarbon program was initiated to try and resolve this dilemma. It involves several hundreds of measurements from 21 sites in Israel. Creating the extensive databases necessary for the resolution of tight chronological problems typical of historical periods involves issues of quality control, statistical treatment, modeling, and robustness analysis. The results of the first phase of the dating program favor the new, lower chronology.
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Excavations at Motza in the Judean Hills and the Early pre-Pottery neolithic в in the Southern Levant(2007) Paléorient. 33, 2, p. 5-37 Abstract
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.
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Holoceno marino en la Península Potter, Isla 25 de Mayo, Antártida(2007) Revista de la Asociacion Geologica Argentina. 62, 1, p. 35-43 Abstract
The early Holocene sedimentary succession exposed at the 3.77 m-high marine terrace on the south coast of Potter Cove (King George Island/ Isla 25 de Mayo, South Shetland Islands, Antarctica) contains marine invertebrates, seaweed and bones of seals and penguins. Radiocarbon dating on penguin bones from this succession yielded 7,562 cal yr BP and 7,414 cal yr BF. These dates suggest that the bones are among the oldest remains of Holocene vertebrates found in South Shetland Islands, and may be considered as minimum ages of penguin occupation of coastal areas on the islands during the early Holocene. This indicates interglacial conditions in this time, with climate/sea ice situation similar to the present and seasonally open marine conditions.
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(2007) Paléorient. 33, 2, p. 47-58 Abstract
The excavations at Kotias Klde, a karstic cave in the western region of the Republic of Georgia , uncovered a sequence of Neolithic layer topped by some Bronze Age remains (Al and A2), a complex Mesolithic layer (B), and the top of layer С , tentatively recognized as late Upper Palaeolithic. The preliminary report describes the contents of the Mesolithic deposit with its particular industry , characterized by triangles of various shapes and afaunal assemblage of hunted brown bear, dated to 12,400-10,380 cal. BP.
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(2007) Israel Journal of Earth Sciences. 56, 2-4, p. 207-216 Abstract
As the analytical precision of radiocarbon dating has improved to ±30 years, it is now possible to address chronological questions in the sub-century range. The uncertainty, however, depends upon other factors in addition to the analytical uncertainty. First and foremost it depends on the archeological macro- and micro-contexts: radiocarbon dating therefore starts in the field. The accuracy and precision of a radiocarbon date also depend on the type of material and on being able to characterize the material quality of the sample before and after the chemical pre-treatment. Only by addressing all these aspects can radiocarbon dating become a powerful tool in archaeological research.
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(2007) Paléorient. 33, 2, p. 5-37 Abstract
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 fi gurines, and rich fl int 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 fl oors, 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. BC. The EPPNB fl int assemblage at Motza demonstrates a combination of the continuation of the earlier PPNA 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 PPNA Sultanian practices. Most of the human remains were primary burials, with no preference in the orientation of the bodies, although they were tightly fl exed. Graves illustrate various funerary practices although primary inhumations on tightly fl exed 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. In addition, the advanced naviform technology and Helwan points present at Motza appear to be chronological markers of this period and together with radiocarbon dates confi rm the existence of this stage of the PPNB in the southern Levant.
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2006
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(2006) Journal of Archaeological Science. 33, 10, p. 1341-1355 Abstract
The Ramat Saharonim site, located in the central Negev desert, Israel, consists of four shrines in a shallow valley and 30 tumuli, aligned on two cuesta cliffs on the valley's sides. Previous assessments based on site surveys suggested a general chronological span from Late Neolithic period (ca. 5000-5500 BC) through the Early Bronze Age (third millennium BC). Excavations in one shrine and three tumuli revealed a well-constructed double wall at the shrine and seven primary adult burials in the three tumuli. Quartz from sediment samples post-dating the construction of the burials and shrine was dated by optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) using the single aliquot regenerative dose (SAR) protocol, and charcoal and leather samples were dated by 14C. The OSL results for a burial in one tumulus are 7500 ± 700 to 6000 ± 600 years. In a second tumulus, OSL ages of 2000 ± 200-1800 ± 170 years and a 14C age on leather of 390-200 BC (2340-2150 cal BP) imply that this burial is Nabatean and that the site was used also in the Hellenistic period. Two 14C ages on charcoal from the shrine give an age between 5280 and 4710 BC (7230-6660 cal BP). OSL single aliquot ages for sediment from the shrine are highly scattered and far too old (60,000 to 12,000 years). The unlikely old ages are due to insufficient resetting of the OSL signal of some of the quartz grains when sand was blown onto the site. Indeed, single grain measurements for six samples of sediment postdating the shrine show a very large range of grain ages, but with a distinct young population in all samples. Ages calculated from these young populations average 5400 ± 800, in better consistence with the 14C dates and confirming our supposition that only some of the transported grains were reset at the time of deposition. The combined OSL and 14C dating shows that the shrines and tumuli are contemporaneous and attributes the complex to the Late Neolithic. This has clear ramifications for our understanding of the period and the rise of desert pastoral societies.
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(2006) Holocene. 16, 6, p. 849-861 Abstract
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.
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(2006) Journal of Human Evolution. 50, 6, p. 644-662 Abstract
Eight wooden objects were found at Ohalo II, a submerged and well-preserved site in the Sea of Galilee, Israel. The fisher-hunter-gatherers' site has been radiometrically dated to 22,500-23,500 (cal BP) with 45 assays read by four laboratories. The wooden objects were found on brush-hut floors. They include a bark plank with polish and use signs, pencil-shaped specimens with longitudinal shavings, and other types that may have been decorative or symbolic. One incised wooden object is identical in size and incision pattern to a gazelle bone implement found in a grave, behind a human skull. The recovered wooden objects are not directly related to hunting, gathering, or fishing, and frustratingly, there are no remains of bows, arrows, spears, handles, or other such items. Nonetheless, the objects present a wide repertoire in terms of size, shape, and possible function. The new finds add to the growing body of evidence concerning the use of perishable materials during the Upper Paleolithic.
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(2006) Palaeogeography Palaeoclimatology Palaeoecology. 233, 1-2, p. 134-148 Abstract
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.
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(2006) Journal of Archaeological Science. 33, 3, p. 428-439 Abstract
The structures and compositions of modern and fossil charcoal samples were compared in order to evaluate charcoal degradation processes in archaeological sites. Modern charcoal samples produced in campfires contain two major phases: graphite-like microcrystallites and a non-organized phase. These phases create a mosaic-like structure with differing relative proportions depending on the taxonomic source of the wood used. Fossil charcoal samples (Tel Dor, Israel: 3000 years BP and Kebara Cave, Israel: 40,000 years BP) also contained the graphite-like microcrystallites and the non-organized phases, but were clearly altered compared to modern charcoal. The graphite-like phase of the fossil charcoal has much higher electrical resistivity, and its ESR properties show that it has markedly altered surface electronic states. Infrared spectra show the presence of additional carboxylate groups. Oxidation has therefore altered the structure. This appears to be a "self-humification" process that affects the graphitic component, and probably the non-organized phase as well.
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(2006) Journal of Archaeological Science. 33, 1, p. 77-88 Abstract
The olive tree (Olea europaea) was domesticated by vegetative propagation of selected wild individuals with superior fruit. Later, new cultivars were established repeatedly from feral trees or from crosses between wild, feral, and domesticated trees. Thus the genetic background of many contemporary domesticated lines is a mixture of ancient cultivars and local wild trees. Ancient DNA may illuminate the complicated process of olive domestication because such DNA sequences provide data about ancient genomes that existed closer to the domestication events. Well preserved DNA must be available for such studies, even though in the Mediterranean region, where olive cultivation took place, the climatic conditions are not favorable for DNA preservation. To select for well preserved pits we measured their proportions of lignin by IR spectroscopy, and correlated this with parameters of DNA quality such as template length in an olive-specific repeat array, and template quantity as determined by real-time PCR amplification. Archaeological pits that passed these tests did contain high quality ancient DNA. We present the first ancient olive DNA sequences and compare them to modern wild, feral and domesticated lines.
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Ohalo I-Shaldag Beach: A Final Report on an Epipalaeolithic-Neolithic Workshop Site in the Sea of Galilee(2006) Mitekufat Haeven: Journal of the Israel Prehistoric Society. 36, p. 39-97 Abstract
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.
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(2006) Radioactivity in the Environment. 8, C, p. 297-306 Abstract
The roof over the Soreq Cave in Israel was used to model the rate of transport in the vadose zone of the Mountain Aquifer of Israel. This aquifer is of great importance because it supplies 30% of the water consumption for the country. 14C was measured in drip water from stalactites and in pool water in the cave, under varying thickness of cave roof, which represent different depths in the vadose zone. The flow rate of water through the roof has been determined with tritium analysis to be ∼1 m yr-1. From this flow rate the corresponding atmospheric 14C activity at the time of deposition of rain on top of the vadose zone could be determined. The ratio of the measured 14C activity in drip and pool water to that of the atmosphere was then calculated. From this, the initial value of 14C activity of water at the entrance to the aquifer was found to be 0.63 ± 0.03 relative to the atmosphere. A model for the chemical interaction between the DIC and the host rock was developed. The average rate of the reaction was found to be 3.5 ± 0.3% yr-1.
2005
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(2005) Earth and Planetary Science Letters. 240, 3-4, p. 803-817 Abstract
In this study, we explored the spatial and temporal relations between boulders and their original in-situ locations on sandstone bedrock cliffs. This was accomplished by combining field observations with dating methods using cosmogenic isotopes (10Be and 14C) and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL). Our conclusions bear both on the landscape evolution and cliff retreat process in the hyperarid region of Timna and on the methodology of estimating exposure ages using cosmogenic isotopes. We recognize three discrete rock fall events, at 31 ka, 15 ka, and 4 ka. In this hyperarid region, the most plausible triggering mechanism for rock fall events is strong ground acceleration caused by earthquakes generated by the nearby Dead Sea fault (DSF). Our record, however, under represents the regional earthquake record implying that ongoing development of detachment cracks prior to the triggering event might be slower than the earthquake cycle. Cliff retreat rates calculated using the timing of rock fall events and estimated thickness of rock removed in each event range between 0.14 m ky-1 and 2 m ky-1. When only full cycles are considered, we derive a more realistic range of 0.4 m ky-1 to 0.7 m ky-1. These rates are an order of magnitude faster than the calculated rate of surface lowering in the area. We conclude that sandstone cliffs at Timna retreat through episodic rock fall events that preserve the sharp, imposing, landscape characteristic to this region and that ongoing weathering of the cliff faces is minor. A 10%-20% difference in the 10Be concentrations in samples from matching boulder and cliff faces that have identical exposure histories and are located only a few meters apart indicates that cosmogenic nuclide production rates are sensitive to shielding and vary spatially over short distances. However, uncertainties associated with age calculations yielded boulder and matching cliff face ages that are similar within 1 σ. The use of external constraints in the form of field relations and OSL dating helped to establish each pair's age. The agreement between calculated 14C and 10Be ages indicates that the accumulation of 10Be at depth by the capture of slow deep-penetrating muons was properly accounted for in the study.
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(2005) Journal of Archaeological Science. 32, 2, p. 207-213 Abstract
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.
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(2005) Radiocarbon. 47, 2, p. 193-206 Abstract
Radiocarbon dating of early Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (PPNB) deposits at the site of Motza, Israel, was achieved by first prescreening many charcoal and bone samples in order to identify those that are in the most suitable state of preservation for dating. For assessing bone preservation, we determined the collagen contents, and by infrared spectroscopy the collagen purity. The collagen samples of the best preserved bones were then further characterized by their C/N ratios and amino acid compositions. Prescreening of the charcoal samples involved monitoring the changes in infrared and Raman spectra during the acid-alkali-acid treatments. In some samples, we noted that the clay content increased with additional alkali treatments. These samples were rejected, as this could result in erroneous dates. No differences were observed in the 14C dates between charcoal and bone collagen samples. The dates range from 10,600-10,100 cal BP, which is consistent with dates for the early PPNB from other sites. This is of much interest in terms of better understanding where and when domestication of animals began in this period, and how agriculture spread throughout the Levant.
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(2005) Radiocarbon. 47, 1, p. 39-55 Abstract
Nearly a decade ago, a different chronology than the conventional absolute chronology for the early Iron Age in Israel was suggested. The new, lower chronology "transfers" Iron Age I and Iron Age IIA contexts in Israel, traditionally dated to the 11th and 10th centuries BCE, to the 10th and 9th centuries, respectively. Thus, it places the Iron I|IIA transition at about 920-900 BCE. This alternative chronology carries important implications for Israelite history, historiography, and Bible research, as well as for the chronologies of other regions around the Mediterranean. Relevant radiocarbon data sets published to date, which were measured at different sites by different laboratories, were claimed to be incompatible. Therefore, the question of agreement between laboratories and dating methods needs to be addressed at the outset of any study attempting to resolve such a tight chronological dilemma. This paper addresses results pertaining to this issue as part of a comprehensive attempt to date the early Iron Age in Israel based on many sites, employing different measuring techniques in 2 laboratories. The intercomparison results demonstrate that: a) the agreement between the 2 laboratories is well within the standard in the 14C community and that no bias can be detected in either laboratory; and b) calculating the Iron I|IIa transition in 3 different ways (twice independently by the measurements obtained at the 2 labs and then by combining the dates of both) indicates that the lower chronology is the preferable one.
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(2005) The Bible and Radiocarbon Dating. p. 65-92 Abstract
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.
2004
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(2004) Nuclear Instruments & Methods In Physics Research Section B-Beam Interactions With Materials And Atoms. 223, p. 382-387 Abstract
C-14 measurement uses a number of standards and reference materials with different properties. Historically the absolute calibration of C-14 measurement was tied to 1890 wood, through the 'primary' standard of NBS-OxI (produced by the National Bureau of Standards, now NIST - National Institute of Standards and technology) subsequently replaced by NBS-OxII. These are both internationally calibrated and certified materials, whose C-14 activities are known absolutely. A second tier of materials, often called secondary standards or reference materials, and including internationally recognised materials such as ANU-sucrose (now also IAEA-C6), Chinese - sucrose and the IAEA C1-C6 series, augmented by additional oxalic acid samples are also used routinely. The activity of these materials has been estimated from large numbers of measurements made by many laboratories. Recently, further natural materials from the Third and Fourth International Radiocarbon Inter-comparisons (TIRI and FIRI) have been added to this list. The activities of these standards and reference materials span both the applied C-14 age range and the chemical composition range of typical samples, but this is not achieved uniformly and there is a continuing need for reference materials for laboratory quality control and measurement-traceability purposes. In this paper, we review the development of C-14 Standards and reference materials and consider the future requirements for such materials within the C-14 AMS community. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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(2004) Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 101, 21, p. 7880-7884 Abstract
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.
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(2004) Radiocarbon. 46, 2, p. 497-500 Abstract
Five radiocarbon analyses were performed on 5 different sources within Soreq Cave, which was used as a model for the Judea Group Aquifer of Israel (pMCq0). The transit time of rainwater through the roof of the cave to sources within it had been determined with tritium. From this information, the year of deposition of rain on the roof of the cave, which later appeared in one of the sources, was estimated and the atmospheric 14C concentration at that time was ascertained (pMCa0). The parameter Q = pMCq0/pMCa0 was found to be Q = 0.60 ± 0.04. This makes it possible to calculate the age of water in any well in the Judea Group Aquifer of Israel by measuring its 14C concentration (pMC qt) by use of the decay equation and applying Q.
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(2004) Radiocarbon. 46, 2, p. 633-642 Abstract
In this study, we aim to characterize the main processes controlling 14CDIC concentrations in porewater at the shallow shelf (water depth less than 120 m) off the Mediterranean coast of Israel. At these water depths, we expected to find evidence for seawater penetration toward the coast, since this area was flooded by seawater only some 18,000 yr ago (the end of the Last Glacial period). Measurements of the chemical composition ( 14CDIC) and stable carbon isotopic composition (δ13CDIC) were performed in several sediment cores (40-250 cm long) at water depths between 6 and 115 m. At water depths of 60 m, represented by a 2.5-m-long sediment core, the porewater 14C DIC levels (85-87 pMC) were lower than the corresponding sediment values in each layer (92-95 pMC), mainly due to the oxidation of relatively old organic matter (about 70 pMC) with no evidence to advection. In contrast, sediment cores from water depths shallower than 50 m showed only slight anaerobic oxidation and high 14CDIC values of approximately 100 pMC, indicating possible downward advection. These geochemical observations support the perception that the penetration of seawater into the coastal aquifer occurs at the shallow water zone (
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(2004) Israel Journal of Earth Sciences. 53, 3-4, p. 207-223 Abstract
The aim of this paper is to provide a high-resolution environmental reconstruction of the Sea of Galilee basin during a very short spell of time at the end of the Upper Pleistocene. We present a multidisciplinary study of sediments and archaeological remains exposed at the submerged and well-preserved Ohalo II prehistoric site. The Ohalo II camp includes in situ brush hut floors, hearths, and other installations, all radiometrically dated to 19,500 B.P. The remains include large quantities of charred material and animal bones. The reconstruction is based on a geoarchaeological study, accompanied by analyses of a wide variety of trees, grasses, mammals, birds, fish, and mollusc remains. The results show that the range of plant and animal species (ca. 240) is not different from that encountered today in the valley and the surrounding slopes. Water level fluctuations were the most dramatic environmental events, probably induced by climatic changes and tectonic activities at the inlet/outlet of the lake.
2003
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(2003) Antiquity. 77, 295, p. 146-154 Abstract
Radiocarbon laboratories undertake rigorous programmes of internal quality control (QC) and overall quality assurance (QA). In a laboratory "inter-comparison"1 samples of the same age are dated at different laboratories using a range of techniques and the results are then compared. The authors summarise the results of the fourth of these scientific audits.
2002
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(2002) Journal of Quaternary Science. 17, 7, p. 633-637 Abstract
Interlaboratory comparisons have been widely used in applied radiocarbon science. These are an important part of ongoing quality assurance (QA) programmes, which are vital to the appropriate interpretation of the evidence provided by the 14C record in Quaternary applications (including climate change and environmental reconstruction). International comparisons of laboratory performance are an essential component of the quality assurance process in radiocarbon dating. If the user community is to have confidence in radiocarbon results, it needs to be assured that laboratories world wide are producing measurements that are reliable and in accordance with 'good practice'. The findings from the most recent (completed in 2001) and extensive (more than 90 participating laboratories) radiocarbon intercomparison (FIRI) are reported here. This study was designed (i) to assess comparability, or otherwise, of the results from different laboratories and (ii) to quantify the extent and possible causes of any interlaboratory variation. The results demonstrate that there are no significant differences amongst the main measurement techniques (gas proportional counting, liquid scintillation counting and accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS)) but there is evidence of small laboratory offsets relative to known age samples for some laboratories. There is also evidence in some cases of underestimation of measurement precision. Approximately 10% of all results were classified as extreme (outliners) and these results were generated by 14% of the laboratories. Overall, the evidence supports the fact that radiocarbon laboratories are generally accurate and precise but that, notwithstanding internal QA procedures, some problems still occur, which can best be detected by participation in independent intercomparisons such as FIRI, where the results allow individual laboratories to assess their performance and to take remedial measures where necessary. The results from FIRI are significant in that they show a broad measure of agreement between measurements made in different laboratories on a wide range of materials and they also demonstrate no statistically significant difference between measurements made by radiometric or AMS techniques.
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(2002) Limnology and Oceanography. 47, 2, p. 565-570 Abstract
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.
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(2002) Radiocarbon. 44, 1, p. 1-11 Abstract
One of the largest sources of uncertainty in radiocarbon dating stems from the sample pretreatment procedures used to minimize contamination. A major source of carbon contamination in charcoal from archaeological sites is humic substances carried by groundwater. Here we present a method, independent of 14C dating itself, to evaluate the effectiveness of the cleaning procedure of charcoal. Raman spectra of mixtures of humic substances (HS) and laboratory prepared charcoal indicate that Raman spectroscopy can be used as a semi-quantitative measure of the amount of humic substances associated with archaeological charcoal. Raman spectral analysis of archaeological charcoal samples subjected to different cleaning regimes supports this contention. Such measurements can provide quality control for charcoal preparation procedures and may assist in the interpretation of carbon-dating results.
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A Note on 14 C Dates From the Epipaleolithic Site at Gesher Benot Ya'aqov(2002) Mitekufat Haeven: Journal of the Israel Prehistoric Society. 32, p. 5-15 Abstract
במהלך עבודות הניקוז והעמקת ערוץ הירדן שביצעה רשות הניקוז כנרת באזור שבין גשר הפקק וגשר בנות יעקב בסתיו 1999 נחשפו (ונפגעו קשה) אתרים פריהיסטוריים רבים, שחלקם לא היו ידועים לפני כן. מערימות השפוכת שנערמו על גדות נהר הירדן נאספו כלי צור ועצמות רבות מן התרבויות האשלית, המוסטרית, תקופת הפליאולית העליון והתקופה האפי-פליאולית. אנו מציגים כאן את הממצאים מהאתר שהוגדר כשייך לתקופה האפי-פלאוליתית ותאריכי פחמן 14 שהתקבלו עבור מכלול זה. הממצא המיוחס לתקופה האפי-פליאוליתית נלקט מערימות שפוכת על גדתו המזרחית של הירדן כחמש מאות מטרים מצפון לגשר בנות יעקב. הממצא כולל כלי צור רבים, עצמות ושרידים בוטניים (עצים וזרעים) במצב שימור מצויין. ארבע דגימות עץ נשלחו למכון ויצמן לתארוך בפחמן 14 והניבו תאריכים רדיומטרים קרובים זה לזה שערכם הממוצע 13540BP. תאריך זה ממקם את המכלול האפי-פליאוליתי מגשר בנות יעקב בתרבות הכבארית הגיאומטרית על פי הרצף הכרונולוגי המקובל היום בלבנט. לעומת זאת, מכלול כלי הצור מחזיק כלים שסווגו ברובם לאפי-פליאולית הקדום כלומר לתרבות הכבארית. סיווג זה מסתמך על ריבוי הגרעינים ללהבונים בעלי משטח נקישה צר, מקרצפים בעלי קצה עגול על נתזים מסיביים, מיקרוליטים צרים בעלי גב וכלים נוספים האופייניים לתרבות הכבארית. עם זאת, זוהו במכלול כלים בודדים היכולים להשתייך טיפולוגית לאפי-פליאולית המאוחר. אלו הם בעיקר טרפזים א-סימטריים האופייניים לכבארית הגיאומטרית B במישור החוף. את הסתירה שבין המכלול הקדום והתאריכים המאוחרים ניתן ליישב בטענה כי הקשר בין דגימות העץ שתוארכו לבין החומר הארכאולוגי אינו ודאי שכן המדובר במאסף משפכים ולא מחפירה. עם זאת, יתכן כי התאריכים המוצגים כאן, בצירוף תאריכים שהציגו בעיה כרונולוגית דומה מהאתר עורקן אל-ערוב בבקעת הירדן, מציגים שאלות לגבי תקפותה של הסכמה הכרונולוגית המקובלת עבור האפי-פליאולית בלבנט. בשלב הבראשיתי הנוכחי של המחקר באתר, אנו מציעים כי מכלול כלי הצור מייצג לפחות שתי שכבות תרבותיות: שכבה אחת מן האפי-פליאולית הקדום (כבארי) ממנה באים רוב הכלים המיוצגים במכלול ושכבה שניה מן האפי-פליאולית המאוחר (כבארית גיאומטרית) שהיא המקור לטרפזים הא-סימטריים ולדגימות העץ שהניבו את התאריכים הצעירים יחסית המוצגים כאן. התקופה האפי-פליאולית מיוצגת מאתרים מעטים בלבד בבקע הירדן הצפוני ומכאן חשיבותו הרבה של האתר האפי-פליאוליתי של גשר בנות יעקב כבעל פוטנציאל רב למחקר של תקופה זו בעמק החולה. באתר שילוב של ממצא ליתי ופאוניסטי עשיר עם שימור מצוין של חומר בוטאני. האתר יכול גם להניב מידע גיאולוגי עשיר, תאריכים רדיומטרים ומידע רב על חייו וסביבתו של האדם באפי-פליאולית הקדום והמאוחר.
2001
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(2001) Journal of Geophysical Research-Atmospheres. 106, D7, p. 7415-7426 2000JD9006. Abstract
Formic and acetic acids are ubiquitous trace gases in ambient air, but their sources remain to be fully understood. They originate from photochemical oxidation of volatile organic compounds (VOC). Direct emissions of these carboxylic acids are supposedly negligible at North European conditions. Radiocarbon analysis of formic and acetic acids provides information on the origin of the precursor VOC, since biogenic VOC have the same 14C/12C ratio as atmospheric carbon dioxide, while VOC emitted from fossil fuels are devoid of 14C. The origin of atmospheric formic and acetic acids was studied by accelerator mass spectrometry of air and rainwater samples. Sampling sites were selected at different distances from centers of anthropogenic activities in Europe, ranging from urban via rural to remote sites. The procedure for preparation of samples was checked by several quality assurance samples, and no significant contamination from atmospheric carbon dioxide was observed. The results show very high (55-100%) biogenic contributions to both carboxylic acids in all samples. Only in semiurban and urban areas were the biogenic fractions less than 80%. The results indicate that biogenic VOC can have substantial influence on formation of photochemical oxidation products and thus photochemical oxidants.
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(2001) Radiocarbon. 43, 3, p. 1167-1178 Abstract
Unusual low water levels in the Sea of Galilee (Dead Sea Fault, Israel) have caused the recent exposure of submerged Late Pleistocene prehistoric sites and lacustrine sediments along the southern shores of the lake. The Ohalo II site is a large fisher-hunter-gatherers camp with in-situ brush hut floors, hearths, and a human grave. The site is radiometrically dated by 25 charcoal dates to 19,430 BP (average, uncalibrated). The archaeological remains include quantities of excellently preserved organic remains. These would not have been preserved without a rapid rise of lake level immediately after the occupation, covering the remains with silts and sand. Recently a concentration of eight tree trunks were found about 1.5 km south of Ohalo II, of which five trunks were identified as Salix species and dated as a single accumulation at about 16,100 BP. The trunks, too, had to be submerged quickly together to ensure excellent preservation. The camp and the trunks were found at -212/-213 m, almost 4 m below modem high water levels. We suggest that the finds represent two separate episodes of deposition during low lake levels, almost 3,000 radiocarbon years apart, each followed by an abrupt water rise. It is possible that climatic changes caused the observed fluctuations, though earthquakes (blocking or lowering the Jordan outlet, for example) cannot be ruled out.
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(2001) Progress in Particle and Nuclear Physics. 46, 1, p. 97-98 Abstract
The aim of this research is to determine the reaction cross-section for one of the most important fusion reactions in the sun that is directly connected to the solar neutrino problem: 3He(4He,γ)7Be. For this, we use the Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) technique at the Koffle accelerator of the Weizmann Institute. As a first step, we have tested our set-up by measuring the number of atoms of 7Be obtained from 7Li(p,n)7Be reaction. The sensitivity proved to be better than 10-14, allowing us to proceed towards an independent measurement with a different approach of this astrophysical important cross section. PACS: 26.65.+t, 29-27.-a, 07.75.+h.
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Radiometric Dating of the PPNB Mortuary Site of Kfar HaHoresh, Lower Galilee, Israel: Problems and Preliminary Results(2001) Mitekufat Haeven: Journal of the Israel Prehistoric Society. 31, p. 213-217 Abstract
2000
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(2000) Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research, Section B: Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms. 172, 1, p. 642-646 Abstract
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 10100 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.
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(2000) Nuclear Instruments & Methods In Physics Research Section B-Beam Interactions With Materials And Atoms. 172, 1-4, p. 767-771 Abstract
There is an important need to develop additional dating methods beyond the 14C limit and independent of thermoluminescence (TL) and electron spin resonance (ESR). We propose to apply the method of burial dating to prehistoric sites using the decay of in situ produced radioisotopes 10Be and 26Al. The Tabun Cave, Mt. Carmel (Israel) has a sedimentary sequence which represents the type section for about the last 800,000 years in the Levant. The sediments in the cave are mainly of aeolian origin and are rich in quartz. Flint tools are also found in the sediments. Sediment samples and flint tools were selected from the same layer. Physical and chemical procedures to extract 10Be and 26Al atoms from the quartz fraction of the sediments and from the flint samples were developed, while measuring the natural Al levels as a monitor of the atmospheric component of the cosmogenic nuclides. AMS measurements were performed at the 14UD Pelletron Koffler Accelerator Laboratory, Weizmann Institute, and sensitivities of the order of 1 × 10-14, in isotopic abundances for both 10Be and 26Al respectively (corresponding to ∼5×105 atoms) were obtained. First, measurements of a number of Tabun Cave sediment samples and flints show that 10Be and 26Al analyses have the potential for dating prehistoric cave sediments, provided problems relating to the presence of relatively large amounts of stable Al can be solved, as well as obtaining a better understanding of the burial history of the flints prior to being brought into the cave.
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(2000) Atmospheric Environment. 34, 15, p. 2471-2479 Abstract
The carbon isotopic composition of formic acid samples from a rural and a semi-remote area in Denmark has been investigated by collection of 5-6 day integrated samples during winter and spring. The results show that 80-100% of formic acid stems from biogenic VOC emitted from terrestrial sources. Even during winter there is a dominating biogenic contribution, which is surprising since biogenic emissions are very low at these latitudes in that period.Quality assurance samples have been used to check the reliability of the collection and pre-treatment procedures for atmospheric formic acid samples. The carbon isotopic investigation was supplemented by measurements of benzene, toluene, formaldehyde, acetone, acetaldehyde and nitrogen dioxide in order to characterise the air masses of one formic acid sample. The general air mass analysis showed that the sampling site, a semi-remote area, was without significant local air pollution sources. During the formic acid sampling period, the air masses were influenced by both direct anthropogenic emissions (benzene, toluene, nitrogen dioxide and acetone) and compounds formed during long-range transport of anthropogenic hydrocarbons (formaldehyde and acetaldehyde). Nevertheless, formic acid still had a predominantly (89±5%) biogenic origin. Copyright (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd.
1998
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(1998) Radiocarbon. 40, 2, p. 915-920 Abstract
The carbonate hydrochemistry of groundwater from the Hvinningdal aquifer (Denmark) was studied by radiocarbon (accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS)) and δ13C measurements as a preliminary step towards 14C groundwater dating. The 14C concentrations varied between 30 and 100 percent modern carbon (pMC) in apparent contradiction with tritium (3H) data, which in most cases indicate a post-bomb date. The dilution of 14C can be explained as being due to the combined effect of dissolution of old soil carbonate and oxidation of old organic carbon. The last effect proved to be essential. To calculate this correction the dissolved oxygen concentration was used together with the δ13C values. The combined corrections bring the 14C concentrations up to post-bomb levels in better agreement with the 3H data.
1995
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(1995) Physical review letters. 75, 3, p. 414-417 Abstract
We have observed a threshold in the electron photodetachment cross section of S88r- ions at a photon energy hν=1.820 eV and assign it to a p-wave transition from the 5s25p P2 ground state in Sr- to the 5s5p P3 state in neutral Sr. The measurement was made with a new technique combining the tunable laser photodetachment threshold method with accelerator mass spectrometry. We determine for the first time the electron affinity of Sr to be 48±6 meV, much smaller than predicted in recent calculations. The P1/22- P3/22 fine splitting of the Sr- ground state is estimated to be 26±8 meV.
1994
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(1994) Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research, Section B: Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms. 92, 1, p. 483-488 Abstract
We are investigating long- and short-term processes that involve the resorption of the bone calcium in the human body, using accelerator mass spectrometry of 41Ca (T12 = 104000 years). The evolution of an injected dose of 41Ca has been followed over 900 days by measurements in urine and serum. The 41 Ca/Ca isotopic ratio rapidly decreased after injection and after about 100 days, reached a quasi-steady state of 1.5 × 10−11. Variations in this level would signal a change in rates of calcium resorption from the bone.
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(1994) Nuclear Instruments & Methods In Physics Research Section B-Beam Interactions With Materials And Atoms. 92, 1-4, p. 254-257 Abstract
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.
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(1994) Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research, Section B: Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms. 92, 1, p. 350-356 Abstract
Measurements of anthropogenic 129I and 41Ca in two Greenland firn cores spanning the years 1935 to 1989 have been performed by accelerator mass spectrometry. The two sets of data points measured for 129I show a discrepancy and prevent definitive conclusions. One of the sets indicates no large increase of 129I concentrations in contrast to precipitation at lower latitudes. Data on the 41Ca profile are preliminary and show a few points markedly above background. The feasibility of detection of 90Sr in the environment by accelerator mass spectrometry is studied and first results are reported.
1992
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(1992) Applied Radiation and Isotopes. 43, 11, p. 1420-1424 Abstract
The method of accelerator mass spectrometry is applied to measurements of concentrations of the long-lived volatile fission product 129I (t12 = 1.6 × 107 a) in the primary heat transport (PHT) system and irradiated fuel bay (IFB) of a commercial nuclear power reactor. Concentrations of (8.1 ± 1.1) × 1012129I atoms per gram and between 1011 and 1013129I atoms/L were measured in an ion-exchange resin and in the heavy water (PHT) system, respectively. The corresponding value for the IFB system water samples was 56 × 1012129I atoms/L. These measurements, based on very small size samples (of the order of 0.5 mL) emphasize the advantage of the present method where a simple chemical process for the iodine extraction enables a direct measurement of the 129I atom content of the samples. In view of the physical and chemical properties of iodine and their important implications in the environment, the method is likely to find even wider applications for the monitoring of 129I and the study of long-range nuclear waste storage.
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(1992) Earth and Planetary Science Letters. 109, 1, p. 179-183 Abstract
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.
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(1992) Review of Scientific Instruments. 63, 4, p. 2825-2827 Abstract
An experimental system composed of a standard negative ion source and an Nd:YAG laser is used to study the formation of negative ions by laser impact and the interaction of the laser with the negative ion beam. Using a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser (about 107 W/cm2) impinging on the solid FeS sample of a Cs-sputter source, pulses of negative ions of sulphur with a peak intensity of 3 mA and a width of 150 ns were observed. The time structure of the pulses is measured and shows a complex behavior, not yet fully understood. The same experimental system is used to analyze the production of rare negative ions in the lanthanide and actinide regions and to study their interaction with a laser beam. Cross sections for photodetachment in La- and Th - are measured.
1991
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(1991) Nuclear Instruments & Methods In Physics Research Section A-Accelerators Spectrometers Detectors And Associated Equipment. 302, 2, p. 379-381 Abstract
We report on the observation of intense pulses of sulphur negative ions extracted from a Cs-beam sputter source and produced by the impact of 532 nm photon pulses from a Nd-YAG laser on a FeS cathode. Peak currents of about 3 mA are obtained after extraction and preacceleration of the negative ions, which are subsequently analyzed by accelerator mass spectrometry. The time structure of the 32S- negative ion current is measured and shows a complex behavior not yet fully understood.
1990
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(1990) Nuclear Instruments & Methods In Physics Research Section B-Beam Interactions With Materials And Atoms. 52, 3-4, p. 421-423 Abstract
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.
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(1990) Nuclear Instruments & Methods In Physics Research Section B-Beam Interactions With Materials And Atoms. 52, 3-4, p. 378-383 Abstract
Negative ions can be neutralized by detaching their additional electron through interaction with a laser beam. By properly choosing the laser wavelength, the process is highly selective; it can in principle enhance the discrimination power of an accelerator mass spectrometry system for ions of different elements (e.g. isobaric background) by allowing their separation prior to their injection into a tandem accelerator. We demonstrate this process in the case of the 59Ni- 59Co pair with the AMS system based on the Rehovot 14UD Pelletron accelerator and a pulsed Nd-YAG laser at the fundamental wavelength (1064 nm). A photodetachment cross section of (0.6 ± 0.3) × 10-17 cm2 was measured for 59Co- and a suppression factor of 125 for the 59Co isobaric background was achieved in a 59Ni AMS measurement. The duty factor due to the pulsed laser was about 10-4. The laser-AMS system was also applied to the study of rare negative ions in the actinide region. Preliminary results on the laser interaction with uranium negative ions are reported.
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(1990) Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta. 54, 10, p. 2827-2833 Abstract
The depression in the East African Rift which includes both Lake Magadi and Lake Natron forms a closed basin within which almost all the dissolved chloride originates in precipitation, since there is no important source of very ancient sedimentary chloride. This provides an ideal setting for the evaluation of the 36Cl methodology as a geochemical and hydrological tracer. The main source of recent water, as represented by the most dilute samples measured, is characterized by a 36C1/C1 ratio of 2.5 × 10−14, in agreement with the calculated value expected in precipitation. Surface evaporation increases the chlorinity of the local freshwater inflow by about a factor of 110 without changing the isotopic ratio, indicating that little chloride enters the system in the form of sediment leachate. A second type of brine found in the basin occurs in a hot deep groundwater reservoir and is characterized by lower 36C1/C1 ratios (
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(1990) Water Resources Research. 26, 8, p. 1759-1762 Abstract
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 4090%. 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.
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(1990) Nuclear Instruments & Methods In Physics Research Section B-Beam Interactions With Materials And Atoms. 50, 1-4, p. 280-285 Abstract
An accelerator mass spectrometry system is described and utilized for measurements of 129I concentrations in natural and environmental samples. We report here on measurements of 129I isotopic abundances in iodine reagents and in iodine of mineral origin and of 129I concentrations in uranium ores of different origins. The 129I isotopic abundances for two measured contemporary iodine reagents and for iodine from a deep underground brine are 1.3 × 10-13 and about 4 × 10-14, respectively. 129I U ratios in the range 10-13-10-12 are measured and compared to a simple model of 129I production by spontaneous and induced fission of uranium. No clear correlation with the uranium concentrations or residence times is observed.
1989
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(1989) Nuclear Instruments & Methods In Physics Research Section A-Accelerators Spectrometers Detectors And Associated Equipment. 281, 3, p. 663-666 Abstract
A method of selective suppression of negative ions by electron photodetachment with a laser beam is investigated. The interaction of 532 nm photons from a Nd:YAG laser with negative ions of 32S, 37Cl and 40Ca16O was studied. A strong depletion of 32S- and 40Ca16O- beam intensities, but no effect on 37Cl- ions, was observed. Photodetachment cross sections of (1.0±0.2)×10-17 cm2 and (7±3)×10-17 cm2 were measured for 32S- and 40Ca16O-, respectively. Implications for accelerator mass spectrometry measurements are discussed.
1987
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(1987) Nuclear Instruments & Methods In Physics Research Section B-Beam Interactions With Materials And Atoms. 29, 1-2, p. 133-137 Abstract
The accelerator mass spectrometry system based on the 16 MV tandem accelerator at the Laboratori Nazionali di Legnaro is described. A high-resolution electrostatic deflector rejects isotopic background and other unwanted beams transmitted with the same magnetic rigidity as the rare isotope. Use of this system for 10Be and 36Cl measurements in enriched and natural samples is presented.