The onset of faba bean farming in the Southern Levant

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| Δ(13)C analysis

No direct evidence for the presence of Nubian Levallois technology and its association with Neanderthals at Shukbah Cave

Blinkhorn et al.present a reanalysis of fossil and lithic material from Garrod’s 1928 excavation at Shukbah Cave, identifying the presence of Nubian Levallois cores and points in direct association with a Neanderthal molar. Te authors argue that this demonstrates the Nubian reduction strategy forms a part of the wider Middle Palaeolithic lithic repertoire, therefore its role as a cultural marker for Homo sapiens population movements is invalid. We raise the following four major concerns: (1) we question the assumptions made by the authors about the integrity and homogeneity of the Layer D assemblage and (2) the implications of this for the association of the Neanderthal tooth with any specifc component of the assemblage, (3) we challenge the authors’ attribution of lithic material to Nubian Levallois technology according to its strict defnition, and (4) we argue that the comparative data presented derive from a biased sample of sites. Tese points critically undermine the article’s conclusion that Shukbah’s Neanderthals made Nubian cores and thus the argument that Neanderthals might have made Nubian technology elsewhere is unsubstantiated.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The first Neanderthal remains from an open-air Middle Palaeolithic site in the Levant

The late Middle Palaeolithic (MP) settlement patterns in the Levant included the repeated use of caves and open landscape sites. The fossil record shows that two types of hominins occupied the region during this period - Neandertals and Homo sapiens. Until recently, diagnostic fossil remains were found only at cave sites. Because the two populations in this region left similar material cultural remains, it was impossible to attribute any open-air site to either species. In this study, we present newly discovered fossil remains from intact archaeological layers of the open-air site 'Ein Qashish, in northern Israel. The hominin remains represent three individuals: EQH1, a nondiagnostic skull fragment; EQH2, an upper right third molar (RM3); and EQH3, lower limb bones of a young Neandertal male. EQH2 and EQH3 constitute the first diagnostic anatomical remains of Neandertals at an open-air site in the Levant. The optically stimulated luminescence ages suggest that Neandertals repeatedly visited 'Ein Qashish between 70 and 60 ka. The discovery of Neandertals at open-air sites during the late MP reinforces the view that Neandertals were a resilient population in the Levant shortly before Upper Palaeolithic Homo sapiens populated the region

Rethinking Emireh Cave: The lithic technology perspectives

The Emiran is the earliest technocomplex within the Levantine Upper Palaeolithic sequence. It was defined after biased lithic assemblages from el-Wad and Emireh caves by Dorothy Garrod. The term Emiran was further adopted and was incorporated into a broader definition known as the Initial Upper Palaeolithic (IUP) that is commonly used as a proxy for identifying human migrations during the Middle-Upper Palaeolithic interphase. More specifically it is conceived to represent the first arrival of modern humans to the Levant from Africa/Arabia, as well as being the forbearers for post-Mousterian entities in south and central Europe. In this study, we reanalyzed the same lithic assemblage from Emireh Cave that was published by Garrod in 1955 as the typical Emiran site. Our technological study shows the assemblage contains at least three distinctive knapping methods: Levallois, broad-base blades (non-Levallois), and narrow-base blade/lets. In addition, there is a substantial number of endscrapers that could not be technologically defined. We suggest the assemblage indeed contains an \u27Emiran\u27 component, including Emireh points, but it also bears Mousterian, Ahmarian and Aurignacian components. Thus, the Emireh cave lithic assemblage is assorted. We propose that the scenario at Emireh Cave in which Emiran and other industries are included in the same layer is likely to be the case in other southern Levantine sites where Emireh points were noted (i.e. el-Wad, Kebara, Qafzeh). It is suggested that the mixture is due to the ephemeral nature of the Emiran occupation at these sites

Bidirectional Blade Production at the PPNB Site of Kfar HaHoresh: The Techno-Typological Analysis of a Workshop Dump

This paper presents the detailed analysis of a bidirectional blade workshop dump from a pit (Locus 1007) dating to relatively late within the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (PPNB) occupation of Kfar HaHoresh in Northern Israel. The contents of the pit minimally derive from 117 reduction sequences and quite probably at least twice that number. The dump includes waste products from all stages of knapping. The assemblage is described in detail, with an emphasis on the diagnostic debitage types produced by each knapping stage, and hence reflects the local blade-knapping tradition. The results contribute to understanding the character of the local bidirectional operational sequence at Kfar HaHoresh. This included the import of high quality flint nodules from specific outcrops elsewhere in the lower Galilee. In many cases the nodules were subjected to meticulous core pre-formation followed by serial blade production, core maintenance and core abandonment. Following the end of intensive knapping the waste products were carefully collected and dumped in the pit at the edge of the site, while the designated products (blades and tools) were locally distributed or cached for various reasons. The recognized lithic organization, together with the high quality of the blades and tools elsewhere on-site, is indicative of a specialized Middle/ Late PPNB lithic workshop. The pattern recognized at Kfar HaHoresh, supplemented by recent discoveries of flint outcrops and nearby PPNB workshop sites at HaSollelim and Givat Rabi East, together with the evidence for a regional blade production center at the village of Yiftahel, demonstrates the importance of this technology within the lower Galilee PPNB.Cet article présente l’analyse détaillée d’un dépotoir d’atelier de débitage laminaire bipolaire, sur le site de Kfar HaHoresh, (Nord d’Israël), qui provient d’une fosse (locus 1007) datant d’une phase relativement tardive du PPNB. Le contenu de cette fosse correspond à au moins 117 séquences de débitage et voire probablement au double ; elle contient les déchets de la chaîne opératoire. L’assemblage est décrit en détail, en mettant l’accent sur les produits de débitage diagnostics de chaque étape de la taille et qui reflètent la tradition locale de débitage bipolaire. Ces résultats permettent de mieux comprendre la séquence opératoire bidirectionnelle mise en oeuvre à Kfar HaHoresh. Celle-ci comprenait l’importation de nodules de silex de bonne qualité, provenant d’affleurements de Basse Galilée. Dans de nombreux cas, les nucléus ont fait l’objet d’une mise en forme soignée, suivie par la production en série de lames et l’entretien du nucléus, avant son abandon. Une fois ce débitage intensif achevé, les déchets étaient collectés avec soin et rejetés dans une fosse en bordure du site, tandis que les produits recherchés (lames et outils) étaient redistribués ou cachés. La nature particulière de ces industries, ainsi que la qualité des lames et des outils découverts sur le site, montrent qu’il s’agit d’un atelier lithique spécialisé du PPNB moyen/ récent. Le modèle reconnu à Kfar HaHoresh atteste l’importance de cette technologie en Basse Galilée ; il vient s’ajouter aux découvertes récentes d’affleurements de silex et d’ateliers trouvés à leur proximité à HaSollelim et Givat Rabi East, ainsi qu’au centre régional de production de lames mis en évidence dans le village de Yiftahel.Barzilai Omry, Goring-Morris A. Nigel. Bidirectional Blade Production at the PPNB Site of Kfar HaHoresh: The Techno-Typological Analysis of a Workshop Dump. In: Paléorient, 2010, vol. 36, n°2. pp. 5-34

Pottery Function and Culinary Practices of Yarmukian Societies in the Late 7th Millennium Cal. BC : First Results

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Givat Rabi East. a New Middle Paleolithic Knapping Site in the Lower Galilee (Israel)

Givat Rabi East is a newly-discovered flint outcrops centrally located within the Galilee in relative proximity to several Middle Paleolithic sites. In this paper we present the site and discuss the function of a dense accumulation of Middle Paleolithic flint knapping wastes excavated on its eastern edge. Our results suggest that the knapping wastes are likely the remains of a Mousterian workshop site. In comparison to the workshop site at Sede Ilan, located 15 km to the east where flint was quarried, the Givat Rabi East flint knappers collected eroded flint blocks in situ. The Lithic evidence indicates that the knapping sequences were initiated at the site. Furthermore several Levallois knapping methods had been employed. Therefore we suggest that the lithic assemblage left at Givat Rabi East represent knapping activities of several groups who exploited this location during the Middle Paleolithic period. Subsequently some of the lithic material (e. g. unfinished cores, Levallois blanks) was taken to other locations (e. g., caves) in order to continue the knapping sequence. The site location combined with the characteristics of the debitage and cores found within it, suggests that Givat Rabi East could have been one of the flint source for Qafzeh Cave and perhaps to other Mousterian cave sites.Givat Rabi Est est un affleurement de silex récemment découvert dans le centre de la Galilée, à proximité de plusieurs sites du Paléolithique moyen. Cet article présente le site et traite de l’utilisation d’un amas de déchets de taille du Paléolithique moyen, fouillée sur son bord oriental. Les résultats suggèrent que les déchets de taille sont probablement les vestiges d’un atelier moustérien. En comparaison avec le site d’atelier de Sde Ilan, situé à 15 km à l’est, où le silex à été extrait, à Givat Rabi Est les tailleurs ont acquis le silex par ramassage de blocs de silex qui ont été érodés in situ. L’assemblage lithique indique que les séquences de taille étaient initiées sur le site et que plusieurs méthodes de Levallois ont été utilisées. Par conséquent, nous suggérons que les assemblages lithiques qui ont été laissés à Givat Rabi Est représentent des activités de taille de plusieurs groupes, qui ont utilisé cet emplacement pendant le Paléolithique moyen. Une partie du matériau lithique était emportée en d’autres lieux (par exemple des grottes) pour continuer la séquence de taille. L’emplacement du site, tout comme les caractéristiques du débitage, laissent supposer que le site de Givat Rabi Est a pu être utilisé comme une source de silex pour la grotte de Qafzeh et peut-être pour d’autres grottes moustériennes.Ekshtain Ravid, Barzilai Omry, Inbar Moshe, Milevski Ianir, Ullman Micka. Givat Rabi East. a New Middle Paleolithic Knapping Site in the Lower Galilee (Israel) . In: Paléorient, 2011, vol. 37, n°2. pp. 107-122

Handaxes and Cleavers on Flakes of Silicified Limestone at Nahal Barak, Southern Negev and Possible Connections to the Arabian Peninsula Acheulian

Abstract. The current study reports the discovery of a new production site of handaxes and cleavers on flakes at Nahal Barak in the southern Negev Desert, Israel. The Nahal Barak site complex is located immediately below and around a conglomerate outcrop of Pliocene-Early Pleistocene age. The outcrop consists of large boulders of coarse-grained silicified limestone, originally of Middle Eocene age, that were used as giant cores for producing large flakes which in turn were modified into handaxes and cleavers. Handaxes and cleavers on large flakes made from coarse-grained raw materials are quite rare in the Levant and are currently confined to the Middle Acheulian site of Gesher Benot Ya’aqov in the Hula Valley. Recent extensive fieldwork in western and central Arabia has revealed production sites for handaxes and cleavers on large flakes from coarse-grained materials such as andesite and rhyolite. These bifacial tools were made on large flakes, produced from giant cores by a distinctive knapping method. The technological characteristics of the Nahal Barak sites show similarities with Acheulian sites in western and central Arabia, especially with the Saffaqah sites near Dwadma where production of coarse-grained handaxes and cleavers from giant andesite cores was documented. This observation implies on cultural connections between the southern Negev region and the Arabian Peninsula during the Lower Palaeolithic period.Résumé. La présente étude fait état de la découverte d'un nouveau de production de bifaces et de hachereaux sur éclats à Nahal Barak, dans le sud du désert du Néguev, en Israël. Le site de Nahal Barak est situé immédiatement en contrebas et aux alentours d'un affleurement de conglomérat datant du Pliocène-Pléistocène ancien. L'affleurement site se compose de gros blocs de calcaire silicifié à grain grossier d’âge Eocène moyen. Ces blocs ont été utilisés comme nucleus « géants » (« giant cores ») pour la production de grands éclats ultérieurement transformés en bifaces et hachereaux. De tels outils sur matériau à grain grossier sont rares au Levant ; ils ne sont connus actuellement que dans le site Acheuléen moyen de Gesher Benot Ya'aqov, dans la vallée de la Hula. Des recherches de terrain extensives menées récemment dans l'ouest et le centre de l'Arabie ont révélé des sites de production de bifaces et hachereaux sur grands éclats provenant de matériaux à grain grossier tels que l'andésite et la rhyolite. Ces outils bifaciaux ont été fabriqués sur de larges éclats, produits à partir de nucléus « géants » selon une méthode de taille particulière. Les caractéristiques technologiques des assemblages provenant de Nahal Barak présentent des similitudes avec ceux provenant des sites acheuléens d'Arabie occidentale et centrale, en particulier avec les sites de Saffaqah près de Dwadma, dans lesquels la production de bifaces et hachereaux à partir de nucleus « géants » en andésite à grain grossier a été identifiée. Des connexions culturelles entre le sud du Néguev et la péninsule arabique au cours du Paléolithique inférieur peuvent alors être envisagées

Middle to late Pleistocene shift in eolian silts contribution into Mediterranean soils at the fringe of the Negev loess, Israel

A common spatial feature within loess deposits worldwide is a downwind decrease in thickness and grain size, trends that are powerful tools for reconstructing paleowinds and past atmospheric circulation. Although such trends have been identified, there is limited knowledge of similar trends farther downwind from the loess region, where eolian influx can influence soil formation and hydrological processes. To examine these impacts we studied Quaternary sequences in prehistoric sites in Jerusalem, located only ∼50 km downwind from the edge of the Negev loess. All sequences are composed of two units separated by an unconformity. The lower unit is of middle Pleistocene age, it is composed of unimodal clay to silty clay dust deposits with chert clasts and Lower-Middle Paleolithic artifacts. A non-deposition interval characterized the middle to late Pleistocene transition, when dust accumulation rates were low. The upper unit age is late Pleistocene to Holocene; it is composed of bimodal silty clay to silty clay loam. Quartz, K-feldspars, and plagioclase contents together with the location and amplitude of grain-size coarse mode increase up-sequence. The addition of coarse silts to the upper unit of the sequences was coeval with episodes of loess accretion in the Negev. These silts were generated most likely by eolian abrasion of sand grains in the upwind dunes. Similar to the Negev, the addition of silts resulted in burial of the drainage network and reduced runoff and soil erosion rates. We stress the importance of desert loess in determining soil composition and surficial hydrology in wetter areas located in adjacent downwind regions