Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Anita Di Chiara, Lisa Tauxe, Thomas E. Levy, Mohammad Najjar, Fabio Florindo, Erez Ben-Yosef
Summary: This study presents 11 robust archaeointensity results from the Pre-Pottery to Pottery Neolithic era in Jordan, with two of them being the oldest data for the Levant, ancient Egypt, Turkey, and Mesopotamia. Virtual Axial Dipole Moments suggest a weak Earth's magnetic field in the Southern Levant around 7600 BCE, strengthening to greater than present levels around 7000 BCE, and gradually weakening again around 5200 BCE. Successful results from burnt flint highlight its potential for archaeomagnetic research in prehistoric periods.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Physics, Multidisciplinary
Mohammadamin Emami, Oriol Vallcorba, Amir Sayid Hassan Rozatian, Manijeh Hadian Dehkordi, Hassan Talaee, Remy Chapoulie
Summary: The study on pottery from Tappeh Zaghe in northern Iran revealed signs of newly formed phases during the firing stage, possibly indicating technological advancements during the transitional period. Analysis methods included petrographic analysis, multi-image analysis, X-ray powder diffraction, ESEM-EDX, and synchrotron micro-XRD beamline. The mineralogical interaction and sintering process were key factors in the formation of new phases across the pottery's wall thickness.
EUROPEAN PHYSICAL JOURNAL PLUS
(2021)
Article
Anthropology
Rivka Chasan, Cynthianne Spiteri, Danny Rosenberg
Summary: This paper presents a comprehensive study of culinary practices in the southern Levant from the Pottery Neolithic to the Late Chalcolithic period. The results suggest that there was a fairly uniform diet during this time, with a preference for meat from domestic ruminants and cultivated vegetal resources. Some variation was noted in the use of dairy products. Overall, the research shows that social and economic developments did not significantly influence what people ate and how they used vessels for food preparation and consumption.
ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND ANTHROPOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Anthropology
Linoy Namdar, Jacob Vardi, Yitzhak Paz, Lidar Sapir-Hen
Summary: The research reveals that during the Early and Late Pottery Neolithic periods in the southern Levant, livestock were mainly utilized for meat rather than their secondary products. The animal economy in each site relied on a combination of livestock and wild species, with varying degrees of reliance between sites, especially in the Late Pottery Neolithic period.
ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND ANTHROPOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
David Kaniewski, Nick Marriner, Christophe Morhange, Carla Khater, Jean-Frederic Terral, Guillaume Besnard, Thierry Otto, Frederic Luce, Quentin Couillebault, Labrini Tsitsou, Majid Pourkerman, Rachid Cheddadi
Summary: The olive tree is well adapted to a Mediterranean-type climate, but the Mediterranean Basin is considered a climate change 'hotspot' due to future projections of warming and drying. This will pose new environmental challenges for olive-growing areas, leading to a loss of productivity and changes in fruit and oil quality. Research on olive tree dynamics in Lebanon shows that optimal fruiting is closely associated with temperature, and future temperature increases may have detrimental consequences on olive tree growth and oil production.
Article
Ecology
J. Vardi, D. Yegorov, D. Degen-Eisenberg, E. Boaretto, D. Langgut, Y. Avni, V. Caracuta
Summary: The archaeological and archaeobotanical data from the excavation site of Har Harif 45 sheds new light on the human impact on the Negev highland environment during the late 6th and 5th millennia BC. The disappearance of Phoenician juniper trees from the Negev desert is attributed to intensive and selective cutting due to increased demand for resources during the transition from hunter-gather societies to pastoralist societies.
JOURNAL OF ARID ENVIRONMENTS
(2023)
Article
Anthropology
Ergul Kodas, Sera Yelozer, Yunus Ciftci, Emma L. Baysal
Summary: This study examines the technological and regional characteristics, as well as the modes of use, of bone plaques unearthed from a Pre-Pottery Neolithic settlement in southeast Turkey. The research reveals significant overlaps in materials, iconography, and use of these portable symbolic artefacts, as well as continuity in regional identities and decorative techniques.
JOURNAL OF ANTHROPOLOGICAL ARCHAEOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Geography, Physical
Sepideh Maziar
Summary: The article discusses an archaeological project in the southern part of the Araxes river basin, focusing on the Neolithic and Chalcolithic periods in the region. The research reveals similarities in material culture between the study area and the southern Caucasus region, as well as the expansion of the Kura-Araxes cultural tradition in the late 4th millennium BC.
QUATERNARY INTERNATIONAL
(2021)
Article
Anthropology
Donna Groene, Robin Bendrey, Roger Matthews
Summary: The study investigated the size, age, and diet of suids at the Pre-Pottery Neolithic sites of Bestansur and Shimshara in the Eastern Fertile Crescent to enhance understanding of suid management origins. The research indicates that the relationship between wild boar and humans was more complex than previously thought. The study demonstrates that the Neolithic adaptation and exploitation of different animals in the Zagros region was not uniform.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OSTEOARCHAEOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Archaeology
Uftade Muskara, Aysin Konak, Z. Beyza Agirsoy
Summary: This study conducted a geochemical characterization of obsidian artifacts from Kendale Hecala in the Upper Tigris region during the Pottery Neolithic and Ubaid 4-3/Early Chalcolithic periods. The results indicate different production patterns and preferential utilization of obsidian sources. These findings suggest alternative acquisition models and possible routes for obsidian transportation.
JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL SCIENCE-REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Anthropology
M. Frances-Negro, E. Iriarte, M. A. Galindo-Pellicena, P. Gerbault, A. Carrancho, A. Perez-Romero, J. L. Arsuaga, J. M. Carretero, M. Roffet-Salque
Summary: El Portalon de Cueva Mayor in Atapuerca is a unique Late Prehistory archaeological site in the Iberian Peninsula, covering some 7 kyr of Holocene occupations. Lipid residue analyses and faunal kill-off patterns show evidence for the use of carcass and dairy products at the site, with both bovines and ovicaprids being exploited for milk. The study reveals no major variations in livestock husbandry or diet due to cultural or environmental change, suggesting that changing activities at the cave over time may have caused subtle differences in results.
JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Archaeology
Lara Gonzalez Carretero, Leilani Lucas, Chris Stevens, Dorian Q. Fuller
Summary: This study presents the analysis of archaeobotanical remains from the Jarmo site in Iraqi Kurdistan, which provides valuable information about early agriculture and plant use. The high-resolution microscopy study of archaeological food sheds light on culinary traditions and dietary choices during the Neolithic in the Central Zagros Area.
JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL SCIENCE-REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Archaeology
Yorke M. Rowan, Morag M. Kersel, Austin Chad Hill, Thomas M. Urban
Summary: The Galilee Prehistory Project aims to study the Chalcolithic period in the southern Levant by conducting survey and excavation in the Galilee region, with a comprehensive investigation approach at Wadi el-Ashert leading to a more nuanced understanding of the prehistoric landscape.
BULLETIN OF THE AMERICAN SCHOOLS OF ORIENTAL RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Ceren Kabukcu
Summary: Using carbon isotope determinations and palaeoclimatic modelling, this paper investigates the variability and change in lentil growth habitats at Gusir Hoyuk, a Pre-Pottery Neolithic habitation site. The findings suggest that greater water availability may have led to the cultivation of lentils during the Early Pre-Pottery Neolithic B period. The study also highlights the importance of wild lentil populations in higher-rainfall areas and explores the potential of isotopic approaches for detecting early cultivation.
VEGETATION HISTORY AND ARCHAEOBOTANY
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
L. Nigro
Summary: This paper presents the archaeological site of Pre-Pottery Neolithic Jericho in Palestine, which offers the earliest archaeobotanical evidence of plant domestication. It highlights the biunivocal relationship between humans and plants at their earliest stage, as plants became indispensable sources of food for humans and domesticated plants could not have existed without human intervention.
ANNALI DI BOTANICA
(2023)