Article
Geography, Physical
Ben Greet
Summary: This paper re-examines the avian iconography of the Ghassulian culture and proposes a more abstract interpretation of these avian images as symbols of spiritual liminality. It emphasizes the significance of birds within the societies of the Late Chalcolithic.
QUATERNARY INTERNATIONAL
(2022)
Article
Humanities, Multidisciplinary
Thomas Rose, Shay Bar, Yotam Assher, Yuval Goren
Summary: Many lost wax cast metal fragments, crucible fragments, and heated sediment nodules were found at the Chalcolithic site Fazael 2 in the central Jordan Valley. Petrographic investigations on the nodules showed features characteristic of Chalcolithic Southern Levantine lost wax casting moulds. The heating temperatures were determined using infrared spectroscopy, indicating that the clay fraction in the moulds did not vitrify. This discovery confirms the presence of a metallurgical tradition with lost wax casting in the Jordan Valley, parallel to unalloyed copper metallurgy in the Northern Negev.
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Ron Lev, Yehuda Govrin, Zach Horowitz, Eugenia Mintz, Lior Regev, Elisabetta Boaretto
Summary: This study presents the first radiocarbon dating research of bone samples from shaft tombs in five Intermediate Bronze Age burial sites in Israel. The results indicate that shaft tombs are a fundamental tradition of the Intermediate Bronze Age culture.
Article
Anthropology
Ianir Milevski, Marcin Czarnowicz, Dmitry Yegorov, Jacek Karmowski, Marcin Gamrat, Eli Cohen-Sasson, Yuval Yekutieli
Summary: The discovery of fortification walls and buildings at Tel Erani sheds new light on the urbanization in the Southern Levant during the second half of the fourth millennium BC.
Article
Geography, Physical
Chiara Belli, Valentina Caracuta, Mina Weinstein-Evron, Reuven Yeshurun, Elisabetta Boaretto, Dani Nadel
Summary: Raqefet Cave in southeast Mount Carmel, Israel, has a long archaeological sequence from the early Upper Paleolithic to the Late Epipaleolithic. By analyzing dated almond charcoal, researchers reconstructed Late Pleistocene precipitation patterns, showing fluctuations within the range of modern east Mediterranean climate.
QUATERNARY SCIENCE REVIEWS
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Danny Rosenberg, Yael Elkayam, Yossi Garfinkel, Florian Klimscha, Vesna Vuckovic, Yaakov Weiss
Summary: This study presents a new aspect of interregional exchange during the Middle Chalcolithic period with the discovery of eight olivine beads at the Tel Tsaf site in the Jordan Valley, Israel. Chemical analysis suggests a northeastern African-western Arabian provenience with Ethiopia as a probable origin. The significance and possible mechanisms of the bead assemblage are also discussed.
Article
Archaeology
Rivka Chasan, Florian Klimscha, Cynthianne Spiteri, Danny Rosenberg
Summary: Tel Tsaf is a Middle Chalcolithic site in the central Jordan Valley, Israel. Organic residue analysis of pottery vessels and stone vessels suggests the use of various combinations of domestic and wild plant and animal products. The study also provides evidence for milk exploitation, offering insights into the dietary patterns and culinary traditions of the Middle Chalcolithic period in the southern Levant.
JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL SCIENCE-REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Anthropology
Maayan Shemer, Elisabetta Boaretto, Noam Greenbaum, Daniella E. Bar-Yosef Mayer, Jose-Miguel Tejero, Dafna Langgut, Dariya Lokshin Gnezdilov, Omry Barzilai, Ofer Marder, Nimrod Marom
Summary: This article examines cultural entities during the Levantine Early Upper Paleolithic, including the Early Ahmarian, Levantine Aurignacian, Atlitian, and Arkov-Divshon. The recently discovered Nahal Rahaf 2 Rockshelter in the Judean Desert provides important insights into the Arkov-Divshon culture.
JOURNAL OF HUMAN EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Geography, Physical
Rebecca Biton, Salvador Bailon
Summary: The study of Viperidae remains in Qafzeh Cave, Israel, sheds light on the dispersal of Afro-Arabian taxa to the Southern Levant during the early Late Pleistocene. The discovery of Bitis remains in Qafzeh Cave, the northernmost boundary recorded outside Africa, together with other archaeological evidence, highlights exceptional climatic conditions during the Mousterian Homo sapiens occupations. This reinforces the evidence of taxa expanding from sub-Saharan Africa to the Mediterranean biome of the Southern Levant.
JOURNAL OF QUATERNARY SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Archaeology
Samuel R. Wolff
Summary: This brief communication introduces a previously unpublished ceramic fragment that is identified as a pot bellows. Found at Tel Megadim in Israel, the fragment's Middle Bronze Age IIC date establishes the transitional moment from stone pot bellows to ceramic pot bellows, which became popular in the Late Bronze Age and earlier than previously thought.
JOURNAL OF EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN ARCHAEOLOGY AND HERITAGE STUDIES
(2023)
Article
Anthropology
Danny Rosenberg, Li Liu, Maureece J. Levin, Florian Klimscha, Dina Shalem
Summary: The study reveals evidence of beer production and consumption in the Chalcolithic period based on microfossil analysis of ceramic strainers from Tel Tsaf and Peqi'in Cave sites. The presence of fermented beverages made from wheat/barley, Panicoideae, and Cyperus tubers suggests that beer production using strainers may have been a regular practice in different phases of the Chalcolithic period, playing an important role in various social settings for communication among social groups as well as between the living and the deceased.
JOURNAL OF ANTHROPOLOGICAL ARCHAEOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biology
Lutz Christian Maul, Rivka Rabinovich, Rebecca Biton
Summary: The (palaeo)biogeography of water voles remains a puzzle, with a study showing unique dental evolution trends in Israeli water voles that may indicate a new species.
HISTORICAL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Elizabeth Bunin, Chengjun Zhang, Gonen Sharon, Steffen Mischke
Summary: Sedimentary records from archeological sites provide valuable insights into the environmental conditions of ancient humans. This study focuses on the sediment sequences found in Jordan River Dureijat in Israel's Hula Valley, which reveal the changes in Paleolake Hula from the Last Glacial Maximum to the start of the Holocene.
JOURNAL OF PALEOLIMNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Anthropology
Tzilla Eshel, Ayelet Gilboa, Ofir Tirosh, Yigal Erel, Naama Yahalom-Mack
Summary: Based on the analysis of silver from sites in the Levant, researchers have found evidence that silver was used as a means of exchange and value as early as 1700/1650-1600/1550 BCE. The analysis of silver hoards from Tell el-'Ajjul also revealed a change in the ore sources of silver during 1600/1550-1400 BCE. Comparisons with silver from Royal Shaft Graves in Mycenae suggest that the silver in both regions may have originated from the same ores, possibly with Cypriot mediation.
JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL SCIENCE
(2023)
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
Ron Shimelmitz, Iris Groman-Yaroslavski, Mina Weinstein-Evron, Danny Rosenberg
Summary: The research reanalyzed findings from excavations at Tabun Cave in Israel, identifying a new mode of raw material manipulation known as abrading technology, which involves continuous horizontal motions to modify or reduce the surfaces of a targeted material. This technology differs significantly from earlier tool-use modes observed among early hominins or other primates and animals, indicating the evolving capabilities of early hominins in shaping their environment.
JOURNAL OF HUMAN EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Danny Rosenberg, Tatjana M. Gluhak, Daniel Kaufman, Reuven Yeshurun, Mina Weinstein-Evron
Summary: The study reveals that the Natufian basalt pestles from el-Wad Terrace were sourced from multiple locations surrounding the Sea of Galilee, around 60-120 km away from the site, possibly transported through exchange obtaining and direct procurement models. The research also suggests that a large area around the Sea of Galilee remained unclaimed in the Natufian period.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Karolina Hruby, Marzena Cendrowska, Rivka Chasan, Iris Groman-Yaroslavski, Danny Rosenberg
Summary: The appearance of large basalt vessels during the Late Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age periods in the southern Levant is characterized by their distinctive wear patterns, suggesting their use in craft industries for processing non-food materials. The vessels likely functioned through repetitive rotational activity using a combination of hard abrasive and semi-resilient materials, with water as a lubricant. This use continued from the Chalcolithic through the Early Bronze Age, indicating functional continuity between these two periods.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Dafna Langgut, Yosef Garfinkel
Summary: This study presents evidence of early fruit tree cultivation in the Central Jordan Valley, Israel, dating back to 7000 years ago. The discovery of charred olive wood and fig branches at the Tel Tsaf site suggests horticulture practices were established during that time. The cultivation of olive and fig trees may have contributed to the development of more sophisticated social contracts and institutions.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
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
Danny Rosenberg, Branden Cesare Rizzuto, Florian Klimscha, Tristan Carter
Summary: The use of beads for bodily adornment is recognized as a powerful means of creating and expressing social identities. Excavations in the Jordan Valley, Israel, have unearthed the richest obsidian bead assemblage in the southern Levant, indicating the Middle Chalcolithic community's participation in long-distance exchange networks.
ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND ANTHROPOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Archaeology
Rivka Chasan, Florian Klimscha, Cynthianne Spiteri, Danny Rosenberg
Summary: Tel Tsaf is a Middle Chalcolithic site in the central Jordan Valley, Israel. Organic residue analysis of pottery vessels and stone vessels suggests the use of various combinations of domestic and wild plant and animal products. The study also provides evidence for milk exploitation, offering insights into the dietary patterns and culinary traditions of the Middle Chalcolithic period in the southern Levant.
JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL SCIENCE-REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Archaeology
Hai Ashkenazi, Danny Rosenberg
Summary: A large number of intentionally curated and fragmented broken limestone maceheads found at Early Bronze Tel Bet Yerah indicated their limited efficiency and dependability as weapons. These maceheads were believed to symbolize the distribution of power in the community and resistance to centralized authority during Early Bronze II, and their accumulation and fragmentation possibly represented a reversal of decentralization and an attempt to assert centralized power at the beginning of Early Bronze III.
OXFORD JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Archaeology
Danny Rosenberg, Inbar Ktalav, Iris Groman-Yaroslvski, Florian Klimscha
Summary: This paper presents an assemblage of Theodoxus jordani shell beads found in the late sixth to early fifth millennium BC Tel Tsaf, Jordan Valley, Israel. It discusses their provenience, morphological characteristics, and the technology used for creating holes in the beads.
ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCH IN ASIA
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Danny Rosenberg, Yael Elkayam, Yossi Garfinkel, Florian Klimscha, Vesna Vuckovic, Yaakov Weiss
Summary: This study presents a new aspect of interregional exchange during the Middle Chalcolithic period with the discovery of eight olivine beads at the Tel Tsaf site in the Jordan Valley, Israel. Chemical analysis suggests a northeastern African-western Arabian provenience with Ethiopia as a probable origin. The significance and possible mechanisms of the bead assemblage are also discussed.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yoav Vaknin, Ron Shaar, Oded Lipschits, Amihai Mazar, Aren M. Maeir, Yosef Garfinkel, Liora Freud, Avraham Faust, Ron E. Tappy, Igor Kreimerman, Saar Ganor, Karen Covello-Paran, Omer Sergi, Zeev Herzog, Rami Arav, Zvi Lederman, Stefan Munger, Alexander Fantalkin, Seymour Gitin, Erez Ben-Yosef
Summary: This study synchronizes historically dated chronological anchors and destruction layers and artifacts using the ancient geomagnetic field, resolving chronological debates regarding the campaigns against the kingdoms of Israel and Judah, the relationship between the two kingdoms, and their administrations.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Li Liu, Maureece J. Levin, Florian Klimscha, Danny Rosenberg
Summary: Fiber technology has been important in human societies for thousands of years, but detecting fiber remains in prehistoric sites has been challenging. Through microbotanical analysis of sediments at the Tel Tsaf site in Israel, researchers discovered microremains of ancient fibers, including bast fibers and the earliest evidence of cotton in the Near East. These findings suggest possible connections between Tel Tsaf and the Indus Valley as early as 7,200 years ago.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Archaeology
Yosef Garfinkel, Sarah Krulwich
Summary: From the Upper Palaeolithic to the present, birds have been a marginal motif in human artistic expression, except for a significant exception during the Pre-Pottery Neolithic A period in the Near East. This period saw the occurrence of bird representations at multiple sites, including figurines, statues, depictions, and monumental depictions. It is suggested that this prevalence of bird imagery is linked to the transition from a mobile hunter-gatherer lifestyle to a sedentary agricultural economy, with birds symbolizing the relinquishment of mobility and the need for seasonal farming tasks.
Article
Archaeology
Noam Silverberg, Yosef Garfinkel, Michael G. G. Hasel, Naama Yahalom-Mack
Summary: Decorated bone inlays are significant artifacts from the Middle Bronze Age and early Late Bronze Age, mainly used to decorate wooden boxes. This paper examines the typology, technology, and function of these inlays, providing insights into their use in the social context of the late Middle Bronze Age.
BULLETIN OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF OVERSEAS RESEARCH
(2022)