Archaeological Sites In Israel Research Articles

Olive pits as a high-resolution proxy archive of climate: Δ13C in modern and archaeological olive pits reflecting environmental conditions

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 (δ13C) 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 δ13C and aridity index. Specifically, we identify the threshold Δ13C for olive trees under severe drought stress as below 15.5 ± 0.5‰. Next, as olive pits are usually found charred in archaeological contexts, we evaluated the effect of charring on the δ13C signal of the modern olive pits. Finally, we present Δ13C values of more than 500 charred olive pits from 51 archaeological sites in Israel, spanning ∼6000 years. Based on these values we have identified periods of arid conditions and wet conditions in the past.

Quantitative analysis of self-potential anomalies in archaeological sites of Israel: an overview

Self-potential (SP) method is one of the most non-expensive and unsophisticated geophysical methods. However, its application limits absence of reliable interpreting methodology, first for the complex geological–environmental conditions. The typical disturbances appearing in the SP method and ways for their removing (elimination) are discussed. Some brief review of the available interpretation methods indicates their insufficient effectivity, especially for the complex environments. For the magnetic method of geophysical prospecting, special quantitative procedures applicable under non-trivial environments (oblique polarization, rugged relief and unknown level of the normal field) have been recently developed. Performed analysis allowed to revealing some essential common peculiarities between the magnetic and SP fields. These common aspects make it possible to apply the advanced procedures developed in magnetic prospecting to SP method. Besides the reliable determination of the depth of anomalous target, these methodologies enable to calculate the polarization effect and corrections for the non-horizontal SP observations. For classification of SP anomalies is supposed to employ a new parameter—‘self-potential moment’. These procedures (improved modifications of characteristic point and tangent techniques) have been successfully tested on SP models and employed in the real situations in various archaeological sites in Israel. The present paper generalizes the earlier performed studies. The obtained results indicate the practical importance of the developed methodology.

Holy Places or Historical Sites? Defining Sacred and Archaeological Sites in Israel, 1948–1967

Holy Places or Historical Sites? Defining Sacred and Archaeological Sites in Israel, 1948–1967

Iron Age Animal Husbandry at Tell eṣ-Ṣâfi/Gath: Notes on the Fauna from Area D

Faunal remains comprise a significant portion of finds recovered from most archaeological sites in Israel. Among other issues relating to factors such as animal evolution and ecology, their examination can elucidate past human diet, symbolic and cultural behavior, technology relating to animals and animal products, as well as the site's environment and even paleoclimate of a region (e.g., Reitz and Wing 2008; Russell 2011). These issues were considered when we examined the faunal assemblage recovered from the late Iron Age I (tenth century B.C.E.) through Iron Age IIA-B (post-830 B.C.E.) deposits excavated in Area D at Tell eṣ-Ṣâfi/Gath.

Wall painting pigments of Roman Empire age from Syria Palestina province (Israel)

This work is the first step of an extensive project aimed at chemical and mineralogical characterization of pigments of Roman Empire age throughout the provinces. Wall painting materials from two Roman archaeological sites in Israel (the ancient province of Iudaea , later known as Syria Palestina ) were studied: the Roman villa of Lod, dated to the fourth century CE and the synagogue of Migdal, dated between the first century BCE and the second century CE. A total of 165 samples were investigated, producing multi-analytical information from optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy supported by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, micro-Raman spectroscopy, X ray diffraction, infra-red spectroscopy, and portable energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy. This study shows that materials and techniques in the Roman province of Syria Palestina follow Empire tendencies, although advantage was taken also of the local availability of raw materials. Seven different pigments were identified, including Egyptian blue and cinnabar, and the predominant wall painting technique used was fresco occasionally supported by secco retouching.

Review of Environmental and Geological Microgravity Applications and Feasibility of Its Employment at Archaeological Sites in Israel

Microgravity investigations are widely applied at present for solving various environmental and geological problems. Unfortunately, microgravity survey is comparatively rarely used for searching for hidden ancient targets. It is caused mainly by small geometric size of the desired archaeological objects and various types of noise complicating the observed useful signal. At the same time, development of modern generation of field gravimetric equipment allows to register promptly and digitally microGal (10-8 m/s2) anomalies that offer a new challenge in this direction. An advanced methodology of gravity anomalies analysis and modern 3D modeling, intended for ancient targets delineation, is briefly presented. It is supposed to apply in archaeological microgravity the developed original methods for the surrounding terrain relief computing. Calculating second and third derivatives of gravity potential are useful for revealing some closed peculiarities of the different Physical-Archaeological Models (PAMs). It is underlined that physical measurement of vertical gravity derivatives in archaeological studying has a significant importance and cannot be replaced by any transformation methods. Archaeological targets in Israel have been ranged by their density/geometrical characteristics in several groups. The performed model computations indicate that microgravity investigations might be successfully applied at least in 20–25% of archaeological sites in Israel.

Archaeological geophysics in Israel: past, present and future

Abstract. In Israel occur a giant number of archaeological objects of various age, origin and size. Different kinds of noise complicate geophysical methods employment at archaeological sites. Geodynamical active, multi-layered, and geologically variable surrounding media in many cases damages ancient objects and disturbs their physical properties. This calls to application of different geophysical methods armed by the modern interpretation technology. The main attention is focused on the geophysical methods most frequently applying in Israeli archaeological sites: GPR and high-precise magnetic survey. Other methods (paleomagnetic, resistivity, near-surface seismics, piezoelectric, etc.) are briefly described and reviewed. The number of employed geophysical methodologies is constantly increasing, and now Israeli territory may be considered as a peculiar polygon for various geophysical methods testing. Several examples illustrate effective application of geophysical methods over some typical archaeological remains. The geophysical investigations at archaeological sites in Israel could be tentatively divided on three stages: (1) past (1990), (2) present (1990–2009), and (3) future (2010). The past stage with several archaeoseismic reviews and very limited application of geophysical methods was replaced by the present stage with the violent employment of numerous geophysical techniques. It is supposed that the future stage will be characterized by extensive development of multidiscipline physical-archaeological databases, employment of all possible indicators for 4-D monitoring and ancient sites reconstruction, as well as application of combined geophysical multilevel surveys using remote operated vehicles at low altitudes.

Approaches to understanding formation of archaeological sites in Israel: Materials and processes

AbStRAct Shahack-Gross, R. 2007. Approaches to understanding formation of archaeologi-cal sites in Israel: Materials and processes. Isr. J. Earth Sci. 56: 73–86. The study of the mechanisms involved in the formation of archaeological sites is now recognized as a sub-discipline of archaeological research. It involves processes of anthropogenic and natural accumulation, abandonment, and degradation. In order for archaeologists to be able to reconstruct past human lifeways and activities, it is important to identify the processes that affected the formation of any excavated site. The study of site formation processes in Israel started in the late 1960s with a strong sedimentary geology and geomorphology approach, pioneered by Paul Goldberg, and followed by Arlene Rosen in the late 1980s. These early studies focused on decipher-ing the sediment sources in cave and open-air archaeological sites, and in identify-ing the relationship between sediments in archaeological sites and climatic factors. Goldberg introduced the technique of micromorphology during the 1970s, which had a local as well as international influence on the field. A greater emphasis on the microscopic record, combined with a materials science approach, was the focus of the many studies conducted in Israel by Steve Weiner, who introduced on-site techniques and developed quantitative methods to study the archaeological record. Systematic studies of a large variety of materials were conducted, with an emphasis on material degradation through experimentation with modern equivalents. A major contribution is the detailed understanding now available regarding dissolution and re-precipita-tion processes in cave sites. Insights from all the studies of site formation processes conducted to date in Israel bear many implications for archaeology in Israel as well as worldwide. Further research should focus on systematic studies of more materials (such as ceramics and mud bricks), widen the use of ethnoarchaeology, and focus on formation processes in urban tell sites.

Numerical analysis of block stone displacements in ancient masonry structures: A new method to estimate historic ground motions

AbstractAn innovative approach is presented, in which the discontinuous deformation analysis (DDA) method is used to estimate historic ground motions by back analysis of unique structural failures in archaeological sites. Two archaeological sites in Israel are investigated using this new approach and results are presented in terms of displacement evolution of selected structural elements in the studied masonry structure. The response of the structure is studied up to the point of incipient failure, in a mechanism similar to the one observed in the field. Structural response is found to be very sensitive to dynamic parameters of the loading function such as amplitude and frequency.Prior to back analysis of case studies, two validations are presented. Both compare the performance of DDA with analytical solutions and present strong agreement between the two.Using comprehensive sensitivity analyses, the most likely peak ground acceleration (PGA) and frequency that must have driven the observed block displacements are found for the two case studies—the Nabatean city of Mamshit and the medieval fortress of Nimrod in southern and northern Israel, respectively. It is found that horizontal peak ground accelerations (HPGA) of 0.5g and 1g were required to generate the observed deformations in Mamshit and Nimrod, respectively. Although these might seem too high, considering structural and topographic amplifications it is concluded that the analyses suggest ground motions of 0.2g at a frequency of 1.5 Hz for Mamshit and up to 0.4g at a frequency of 1 Hz for Nimrod. These values provide constraints on the seismic risk associated with these regions as appears in the local building code using a completely independent approach. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCH AT THE INSTITUTE OF NUCLEAR TECHNIQUES, BUDAPEST UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY AND ECONOMICS: SCHOLARLY ACHIEVEMENTS OF A PROSPEROUS LONG‐TERM COLLABORATION

The laboratory is part of a university institute with a nuclear reactor on the premises. NAA of archaeological materials started in the early 1980s, and has found continuous interest since then. Site‐specific characteristics of the NAA procedure are the long irradiation and counting times, due to the relatively low neutron flux, the single comparator method of standardization and the use of reference materials for quality control. The main research interest focuses on provenance studies of potteries; 90% of the analysed samples are ceramic materials. Most of the projects concentrate on the investigation of pottery finds from Roman Pannonia, and from different archaeological sites in Israel. The Qumran pottery project is presented as a typical example.

The use of dental criteria for estimating postnatal survival in skeletal remains of infants

Separate cemeteries and/or burial loci for infants have been variously interpreted as reflecting segregation by age, infanticide or even child sacrifice. Attempts to distinguish between these factors rely primarily on the age distribution found. Currently long bone length is the most commonly used method for fetuses and infants in the perinatal period, but its accuracy is affected by the inherent variation in size for age. We show here how to distinguish between death in the perinatal period and that occurring later in infancy through identification of the neonatal line in ground sections of deciduous teeth. The methodology is reviewed and applied to validate estimations of postnatal survival for infant remains recovered from two archaeological sites in Israel.

Reburial and protective covering of ancient mosaic pavements: The experience of the conservation department of the Israel Antiquities Authority

Four case studies are presented illustrating different attempts to protect excavated ancient mosaics by reburial or protective covering, with varying degrees of success, at three archaeological sites in Israel: Tel Itztaba, a site excavated between 1991 and 1994 where planning for reburial at the outset of the excavation could have prevented considerable losses; Khirbet Minya (Horvat Minim), a site excavated in the 1930s, reassessed after four years of reburial; the Promontory Palace at Caesarea Maritima, a site excavated in 1978, partially destroyed by the sea, reburied and regularly monitored since 1994; and an experimental test site at Caesarea Maritima. These examples demonstrate the importance of planning, monitoring and maintenance for successful reburial, and allow an assessment of which materials and methods performed better than others.

Gezer Revisited and Revised

Gezer is a relatively large mound, almost 10 hectares in size. The strategically located ancient city commanded the coastal plain, the Valley of Aijalon and the road that led to the highlands north of Jerusalem. The site is mentioned in quite a large number of Egyptian, Assyrian, biblical and Hellenistic sources spanning from the Late Bronze Age through to the Hellenistic period. According to the biblical text, it was located on the southwestern outskirts of the Northern Kingdom, facing Judah and the Philistine territories a location that undoubtedly influenced its demography and material culture. All this makes it one of the most important archaeological sites in Israel. Gezer was first excavated between 1902 and 1909 by R.A.S. Macalister on behalf of the Palestine Exploration Fund. Macalister exposed large parts of the mound in a series of parallel trenches and uncovered almost all of the famous Gezer monuments (Macalister I-III). A second dig, limited in scope, was conducted at the site by A. Rowe in 1934. The third expedition worked at Gezer from 1964 to 1974 on behalf of the Hue Biblical and Archaeological School in Jerusalem (Gezer I-V). It was led by G.E. Wright (1964-1965), W.G. Dever (1966-1971) and J.D. Seger (1972-1974). Dever returned to Gezer on a limited scale in 1984 and 1990 to tackle questions raised by critics of the Hue excavations. Though the HUe expedition was led by three directors, it was Dever who became the prominent figure. Dever directed eight of the 13 seasons carried out at the site, was involved in three of the five final reports and played a major role in most of the Gezer disputes. The ultimate goal of an excavation is to decipher the political and/or social history of a site. This is usually accomplished by one of two methods: excavation of large areas and exposure of major monuments the strategy undertaken by Macalister (see Aharoni 1973a) or excavation of smaller areas in meticulous, well-controlled sections the method chosen by the HUe excavators (Dever 1973a). Needless to say, a combination of the two is preferable (Ussishkin forthcoming). Gezer, as well as other sites in Israel such as Megiddo, Beth Shean and Lachish, presented the modem excavator with a golden opportunity the opportunity of reexamining these sites, which yielded an exceptional number of monuments from all periods at a time when archaeology was taking its first steps, using modem methods. In short, Gezer could have been expected to become a key site, both historically and archaeologically.

Intercusp differences in enamel prism patterns in early and late stages of human tooth development

Enamel prism-packing patterns reflect the past history of ameloblasts, providing information about growth patterns in tooth development. Here, the area and density of enamel prisms on the cuspal surface of molar teeth were measured to examine if the onset and rate of enamel apposition differ according to stage of development and/or cusp type. Scanning electron-microscopic images were taken from the mesiobuccal and distal cusp tips of 30 mandibular first permanent molars at different stages of development recovered from archaeological sites in Israel dating to the past 10 000 years. Selected enamel microstructural characters were measured for each cusp. The mean area of prisms on the mesiobuccal (MB) cusp was significantly larger than that of the distal (D) cusp at all stages of development and the differences in prism area between cusps were significant for each stage of development. Prism density was significantly smaller on the MB cusp than the D cusp at all stages of development but no significant differences were found between early and later stages in each cusp. This was interpreted as indicating that enamel formation in the MB cusp was almost complete, even in the earliest tooth germs studied, whereas in the D cusp it was less advanced. The differences between MB and D cusps are proposed to result from asynchrony of enamel formation between the different cusps of molar teeth in recent populations. The method provides a non-destructive approach to the study of growth patterns in teeth and provides baseline data for comparison with fossil teeth.

Anomalous archaeomagnetic directions and site formation processes at archaeological sites in Israel

As part of a program to investigate archaeomagnetic secular variation in Israel and implications for archaeomagnetic dating, we have identified “anomalous” results that have yielded information about site formation processes. Stereonets, vector demagnetization diagrams, and sample location maps are most useful in examining stability of magnetization and consistency of archaeomagnetic directions with each other and with what would be expected from normal secular variation. A collection of examples is presented, including: strong and hard remanence due to vitrification, unstable magnetization due to lightning strikes, superimposed thermal magnetizations, chemical remagnetization, magnetization of a hearth fragment before falling, magnetization of a hot brick after falling, and mechanical deformation of an archaeomagnetic feature. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Anomalous archaeomagnetic directions and site formation processes at archaeological sites in Israel

As part of a program to investigate archaeomagnetic secular variation in Israel and implications for archaeomagnetic dating, we have identified “anomalous” results that have yielded information about site formation processes. Stereonets, vector demagnetization diagrams, and sample location maps are most useful in examining stability of magnetization and consistency of archaeomagnetic directions with each other and with what would be expected from normal secular variation. A collection of examples is presented, including: strong and hard remanence due to vitrification, unstable magnetization due to lightning strikes, superimposed thermal magnetizations, chemical remagnetization, magnetization of a hearth fragment before falling, magnetization of a hot brick after falling, and mechanical deformation of an archaeomagnetic feature. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

From Canaanites to Crusaders: The presentation of archaeological sites in Israel

The antiquities of Israel have been the focus of interest for many centuries to both local and foreign populations and governments. This paper reviews trends in archaeological site interpretation to the public during the last fifty years, since the establishment of the State of Israel. A brief description of the different bodies involved in site management and development is presented and the types of sites selected for presentation to the public during this period are examined. Six case studies of archaeological sites in Israel that have been interpreted to the public illustrate the various issues that have had to be addressed in light of the changing approaches and goals, over time, of governments, local authorities, and private organizations involved in conveying the message of the past.

A study of Pleistocene and Holocene hyaena coprolites

Abstract Hyaena coprolites from a diachronic series of archaeological sites in Israel were examined and compared with recent faecal material from striped hyaena dens and zoos. Three methods were applied in the analysis of all samples: gross morphometrical attributes, X-ray diffraction and petrological thin sections. This last method is an innovation in the field of coprolite studies and facilitates the long-term preservation of the original textural characteristics and fabric of sections of the coprolite. The combination of these three approaches facilitated, among other things, the assessment of hyaena diet in the past as well as in the present, and determination of local environmental factors affecting the composition of the coprolite; we also obtained some indication of changes related to ageing of the material.

Radiographic evidence for changing patterns of animal exploitation in the Southern levant

Radiographs were taken of sheep (Ovis aries) and goat (Capra hircus) metacarpals from archaeological sites in Israel dating from the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (PPNB) to recent times. From these radiographs the combined cortical thickness (CCT) of the bones was measured, and used to estimate sample variation in bone mass. The samples were compared by species and period, and further compared with CCT values obtained for a recent sample of ibex (Capra ibex nubiana) from the same region. For all periods studied, CCT values in goats were comparable with those of recent ibex. A significant reduction in CCT values of both sheep and goats was found in the Early Bronze to recent samples as compared with the Chalcolithic and PPNB samples. It is proposed that this reduction in CCT values is associated with the presence of older, female animals in the later samples studied, and may be indicative of an emphasis on milk herds.

Late Pleistocene and Holocene equid remains from Israel

Equid remains–mostly isolated teeth–from archaeological sites in Israel are described. Particular attention is paid to dental enamel fold morphology and criteria are established tor separating several Old World Quaternary equid species. Eauus hydruntinus, which is here considered a zebra rather than an ass, was present until 12,000 bp in northern Israel, while at the same time E-asinus/hemionus inhabited the arid regions in the south. Inirequent remains of E. caballus are also described. By 4000 years ago ass, probably the domestic form, was present in northern Israel.