Coastal Plain Of Israel Research Articles

Aphek in the Sharon and the Philistine Northern Frontier

Since Philistine finds were first discovered at sites such as Tel Qasile and Tel Gerisa along the Yarkon River, the central sector of Israel's coastal plain has been viewed as part of Philistine territory. Chronologically, it has been established that these sites were settled later than sites located in the heartland of Philistia (mainly Ashdod, Tel Miqne, and Ashkelon). Our knowledge of the Philistine settlement expansion is relatively limited, and we know very little about the people who settled in the Yarkon River Basin in the Iron I. Who were they? Where did they come from? What was their relationship with the main Philistine centers, with neighboring Canaanite cities such as Gezer, and with the population of the highlands to their east? This paper utilizes the homeland-frontier surplus exchange model presented by Paynter in order to reevaluate the social and economic interrelationship between settlements located in Israel's central coastal plain and the Philistines' homelands to the south. This new approach is based mainly on the finds from Iron I Aphek being prepared for final publication by the author.

Sustainable Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) in a Semi-Arid Area

AbstractThe paper refers to IWRM at the Coastal Plain of Israel. The study considers solutions to loss of groundwater resources because of water recycling, minerals and pollutants.

Leucocytozoonosis in the Israeli sparrow, Passer domesticus biblicus Hartert 1904

Among the 91 house sparrows (Passer domesticus biblicus Hartert, 1904) examined and caught in the Jordan valley, Israel, 79% were found to be infected with Leucocytozoon fringillinarum Woodcock 1910. In the coastal plain of Israel (South of Tel Aviv), Leucocytozoon infection was found in only 3 out of 43 examined sparrows. In the birds examined, Leucocytozoon gametocytes were present, often in large numbers, in the circulating blood of the visceral organs, whereas they were only sporadic or even absent in the peripheral blood. Gametocytes were seen in the brain capillaries in only a few birds. Only one of the heavily infected sparrows was anemic. Leucocytozoon merozoites were present in the liver and kidneys in only a few infected birds. Merogonic infections did not induce any severe pathological changes, while the gametocyte congestion caused dilation of the blood vessels and sinuses. Tissue damage by the gametocyte parasitemia was most evident in the liver and kidneys. Leucocyte infiltration developed alongside the affected vessels; diffuse necrosis developed in the infiltrated areas. In the kidneys, many tubules were degenerated. Leucocytozoon gametocyte infection in sparrows is unique in that it appears to be confined, for most of its duration, to the visceral circulation, resulting in clinical consequences. Geographically, it is confined to habitats presumably supporting vectors.

Post-Messinian evolution of the Southeastern Levant Basin based on two-dimensional stratigraphic simulation

The evolution of the southeastern Levant Basin following the Messinian salinity crisis was interpreted, using observations derived from seismic sections and well data, and from output of a two-dimensional forward stratigraphic simulation program (SEDPAK). The working assumption was that the thick evaporitic Messinian sequence was generated in a shallow-water, albeit a topographically deep basin. The sea-level dropped at least 800 m below its present level and may have been as low as 1300 m, the latter value representing the reconstructed depth of the top Messinian in the deep part of the basin. The top of the evaporitic sequence in that part of the basin was virtually horizontal at the end of the Messinian crisis and thus may be used as a regional datum. Subsidence rates measured for the shelf and coastal plain of Israel indicate a reduction of these rates for the Pleistocene when compared to the Pliocene. During the Pleistocene subsidence rates for the base slope increased and dictated the modern physiography of the margin. Earlier, in the Middle to Late Pliocene, small-scale salt movements occurred in the deep basin, producing the fragmented and irregular shape of the “M” horizon (the seismic event marking the top of the evaporitic sequence) and deforming the overlying Pliocene section. The simulated rate of sediment supply indicates a constant increase over time for the Pliocene and the Pleistocene, probably in response to an increased influx of Nile-derived, along-shelf sediment transport.

Adsorption of organic compounds pertinent to urban environments onto mineral dust particles

The interaction of mineral dust particles from the Sahara with semivolatile organic compounds over an urban region in Israel's coastal plain was studied. Dust samples were collected during numerous dust storm events in 2000 and 2001, under varying meteorological conditions. Organic compounds adsorbed on collected mineral dust particles were analyzed using an integrated, multitechnique study that employed a scanning electron microscope equipped with an energy dispersion system (SEM‐EDS) and bulk aerosol analysis by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and ion chromatography (IC). The SEM‐EDS analysis exemplifies the coexistence of inorganic and organic species on individual mineral dust particles. Using the GC/MS and IC analysis, specific tracers for urban air pollution and photodegradation products of agriculture emissions have been identified, and their size distributions have been obtained. Redistribution of semivolatile organics such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and pesticides from submicron to larger particle size fractions, governed by the mineral dust transport trajectory and size distributions, was observed. Nonvolatile species, such as anhydrous sugars and large PAH, do not redistribute between the phases because of their low vapor pressure. The concentrations of short chain carboxylic acids increased with higher ambient relative humidity, suggesting water‐assisted uptake onto the mineral particles.

Mode and timing of kurkar and hamra formation, central coastal plain, Israel

ABSTRACT Porat, N., Wintle, A.G., Ritte, M. 2003. Mode and timing of kurkar and hamraformation, central coastal plain, Israel. Isr. J. Earth Sci. 53: 13–25. Kurkar ridges along the coastal plain of Israel are composed of alternating calcareousaeolianite (kurkar) and paleosol (hamra) units. Precise infrared-stimulated lumin-escence dating on alkali feldspars from both types of sediment confirms that all theunits comprising the most westerly kurkar ridge in the central coastal plain weredeposited during the last 65 ka. Calculated rates of accumulation for the kurkar give1–7 m/1000 years, with thick beds being deposited over periods as short as 2000–3000 years. On the other hand, accumulation rates for the hamra are at least one orderof magnitude lower, about 0.1 m/1000 years, implying long periods of relativeenvironmental stability. When these results are combined with measurements of thecarbonate content of each unit, it appears that high carbonate content alone is notsufficient for kurkar formation, but a high accumulation rate is essential. Thus thegoverning factor that controls the fate of a deposited aeolianite, whether it will cementinto kurkar or undergo pedogenesis, is the rate of accumulation.

The Natufian economy at el-Wad Terrace with special reference to gazelle exploitation patterns

We carried out a detailed taphonomic and zooarchaeological analysis of the faunal remains from the new excavation of the Late Natufian layers of el-Wad Terrace. We focused on gazelle exploitation patterns and examined them within the context of the established Epipalaeolithic sequence from the coastal plain of Israel. Mountain gazelle ( Gazella gazella) is the most heavily exploited species. The taphonomic history of the assemblage suggests minor loss of bones caused by post-depositional processes and indicates that bone destruction occurred during occupation. Cut marks from all stages of activities, absence of selective transport, and body part representation suggest that gazelle were butchered at the site. Analysis of gazelle sex composition shows male overrepresentation during the Natufian. Size trends show an increase of gazelle body-size during the Natufian in comparison to previous periods. The patterns of body-size increase show the same tendency in proximal and distal limb-bones. The trends in gazelle body-size from the Epipalaeolithic of the coastal plain do not demonstrate any sign of morphological dwarfism, increased variation, or allometric changes in the morphology of Natufian gazelles and thus do not support the previously suggested hypothesis of “proto-domestication”.

A Group of Vessels from the Syrian Coast Found in the Coastal Plain of Israel

In excavations recently conducted along the coastal plain of Israel, a number of red polished and decorated pottery vessels were found. The vessels resemble Cypriot Base Ring I, Black Lustrous and Red Lustrous Wheel Made Wares. These Cypriot wares were imported into the south Levant in large quantities during the fifteenth and fourteenth centuries BCE. Most of the vessels discussed were petrographically analyzed. The results indicate that they were made on the Syrian–Lebanese coast between Akko in the south and Ugarit in the north and as a local imitations of Cypriot wares were exported to the south.

A Group of Vessels from the Syrian Coast Found in the Coastal Plain of Israel

In excavations recently conducted along the coastal plain of Israel, a number of red polished and decorated pottery vessels were found. The vessels resemble Cypriot Base Ring I, Black Lustrous and Red Lustrous Wheel Made Wares. These Cypriot wares were imported into the south Levant in large quantities during the fifteenth and fourteenth centuries BCE. Most of the vessels discussed were petrographically analyzed. The results indicate that they were made on the Syrian–Lebanese coast between Akko in the south and Ugarit in the north and as a local imitations of Cypriot wares were exported to the south.

Direct luminescence chronology of the Epipaleolithic Kebaran site of Nahal Hadera V, Israel

AbstractWe report direct luminescence ages for the culture‐bearing sediments of the Kebaran site of Nahal Hadera V (NHV) in the coastal plain of Israel. Although the site contains, in addition to rich lithic deposits, plentiful mammalian bone, it has proved to be undatable using radiocarbon dating, in spite of the fact that the cultural context places the time of occupation well within the range of radiocarbon dating. In contrast, luminescence dating of the site sediments proved successful. Luminescence ages were determined using the single aliquot additive‐dose (SAA) method, applied to sand‐sized quartz extracts to determine past equivalent doses (De). Dose rates (R) were calculated using thick source alpha counting for the uranium (U) and thorium (Th) concentrations and x‐ray fluorescence analysis for the potassium (K20) concentration. Of the five samples collected at the site, four represent cultural and subcultural deposits and the fifth represents the geological substrate for the archaeological deposit, a quartz‐rich, carbonate‐cemented dune sand known as aeolianite or kurkar. The luminescence age of the kurkar is 42.7 ± 6.3 ka. Human occupation of the site occurred between 21.3 ka and 14.0 ka ago, during the Last Glacial Maximum. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

“After 20 Years”: A Taphonomic Re-evaluation of Nahal Hadera V, an Epipalaeolithic Site on the Israeli Coastal Plain

We carried out a detailed taphonomic study of the faunal remains from Nahal Hadera V (NHV), a large Kebaran open-air site on the northern coastal plain, Israel. Faunal remains were previously identified to bone element and species (Saxon, Martin & Bar-Yosef, 1978). However, NISP and MNI values were calculated based on teeth and epiphyses only. In this study we identified the maximum number of skeletal elements, including head fragments, vertebrae, ribs, carpals/tarsals, and shaft fragments. Further analyses included search for various bone surface modifications and the study of mode of bone fragmentation. We found minor loss of bones caused by various diagenetic processes, and no signs of carnivore activity. These results suggest that most of the bone destruction was caused during time of occupation, probably for marrow consumption, as indicated by mode of bone fragmentation. Absence of selective transport for gazelle (Gazella gazella) and fallow deer (Dama mesopotamica), the major prey species (with 70% and 20%, respectively), is supported by homogeneous representation of head-limb-toe elements. However, the carcasses may have been processed before transport to the site. Thus, a taphonomic analysis from NHV helps to illuminate the economy of NHV inhabitants and fine-tunes our understanding of the depositional history of the site. However, it does not overthrow results of earlier research using classical methods.

Dispersion of PCB in the environment following an atmospheric release caused by a fire.

During a fire at a power plant located in the coastal plain of Israel, PCBs were released to the atmosphere from a ruptured transformer. Since PCBs are probably carcinogenic to humans, this study was performed in order to assess the environmental contamination by PCBs via the atmospheric pathway and the need for remediation measures. The release conditions and the meteorological conditions which prevailed during the fire were analyzed. This provided the input to a Gaussian dispersion model used to estimate the downwind-contaminated sector as well as the location of the maximal concentration within this sector. A sampling plan was then devised and vegetation collected within this sector was analyzed for PCBs. A methodology was developed to convert PCB concentrations in vegetation to concentrations in the atmosphere. It allowed a reconstitution of the PCB source term to the atmosphere from the vegetation measurements. The PCB concentrations were found to be lower than the USEPA decontamination standards. Remediation measures were not needed beyond the plant fence.

Climate of the last 53,000 Years in the eastern Mediterranean, based on soil-sequence Stratigraphy in the coastal plain of Israel

In this paper we present a detailed record of proxy-climatic events in the coastal belt of the eastern Mediterranean during the past 53,000 years. A sequence of alternating palaeosols, aeolianites, and dune sands, which have been dated by luminescence and by 14C, was studied by the magnetic susceptibility, particle-size distribution, clay mineralogy and soil micromorphology. Thirteen proxy-climatic events, demonstrating fluctuations of relatively dry and wet episodes, were recognized. The soil parent materials, as well as the different soil types, were rated in a semi-quantitative “dry” to “wet” scale. The palaeosol sequence is compared to a proxy-climatic record of oxygen and carbon isotopes in speleothems from a karstic cave in central Israel and to a record of lake levels of Lake Lisan and its successor, which is known as the Dead Sea. A genuine red Mediterranean Soil (Rhodoxeralfs), localy designated as “Hamra Soil” developed during the Last Glacial Stage, from 40 to 12.5 thousand calendar years BP. Climatic fluctuations that were recorded in speleothems and in changing lake levels were not preserved in this soil. During the cold and dry Younger Dryas, ca 12.5 to 11.5 calendar ka BP, a thick bed of loess material, deriving from atmospheric dust of the Sahara and Arabian deserts, covered the entire coastal belt. During this phase Lake Lisan was desiccated and turned into the modern, smaller Dead Sea. During the early Holocene, some 10–7.5 calendar ka BP, a second Red Hamra soil developed in warm and wet environments, associated with a relatively high stand of the Dead Sea level. A depletion of δ 18O and a significant enrichment of δ 13C in the speleothems were recorded during this episode. This event was in phase with the widespread distribution of freshwater lakes in the Sahara Desert and the accumulation of the S1 Sapropel in the eastern Mediterranean. Several small-scale dry and somewhat wet fluctuations of the Late Holocene, from 7.5 calendar ka BP to the present, were recorded in the coastal belt. Changes in human history, as reflected in archaeological records, are associated with proxy-climatic fluctuations. Periods of desertification and deterioration are coupled with dry episodes; periods of relative human prosperity are coupled with wetter episodes.

Chronostratigraphy of aeolianites from the Sharon Coastal Plain of Israel

The Sharon Coastal Plain in Israel is composed mainly of sand dune fields and aeolianite ridges. Three major sand accumulation periods are documented in the terrestrial record along the cliffs of the Sharon Coastal Plain, between 65 to 50 ka, from 7 to 5 ka and from 5 to 0.2 ka. These seem to correlate with the periods of sapropel formation in the Mediterranean Sea and so with periods of strongly increased African monsoon activity. The accumulation of the stratigraphically oldest aeolianite (Kurkar, Unit 5) appears to correlate with sapropel S2, formed about 55 ka BP. The uppermost aeolianite (calcareous sandstone, Unit 2) seems to correlate with sapropel S1, formed at about 7.8±4.0 ka BP. Major soil formations occurred between 35 and 25 ka resulting in a Rhodoxeralf soil/Grumusolic Dark Brown soil, and between 15 and 12 ka resulting in a Rhodoxeralf (hamra) soil. At least seven weak weathering horizons (regosol-type soils) are intercalated in the aeolianite of Unit V and two regosols are present in the Holocene aeolian sand of Unit I.

Water-Sensitive Urban Planning: Modeling On-Site Infiltration

A hydrological micromodel was developed and applied to a neighborhood typical of urban development on Israel's coastal plain, over the phreatic coastal aquifer. The model was used for analyzing the effects of urban development on infiltration and runoff, and for evaluating a number of practices designed to enhance on-site infiltration. The effect of spatial resolution in the model on computed results was investigated. It was shown that for the range of data examined, simulation at the micro- (residential lot) level can be extrapolated to the neighborhood scale, by adding the responses of the individual microunits. Simulations by the hydrological micromodel showed that connecting roof drains to a yard/garden, and allowing the runoff from the roof to infiltrate through an “infiltration strip” or infiltration trench of an appropriate size, can increase infiltration over a residential lot as much as 18% of the annual rainfall (depending on the soil conductivity and annual rainfall). The dependence of annual infiltration on physical and planning parameters was generalized in functional relations that can be used to assess the effectiveness of measures for increasing infiltration and reducing runoff. This work was part of an effort to develop, test, and recommend policies and practices for water-sensitive urban planning for protecting water resources.

Rumex rothschildianus, an endemic-to-Israel species, on the verge of global extinction

Rumex rothschildianus is a small dioecious annual, a sole member of a unique section in the genus Rumex. This very rare species is restricted to the light soils of the Sharon coastal plain in Israel. Here, this endemic sorrel was recorded from only 12sites. Until thirty years ago, it still existed in nine of these 12 localities. Several visits to each of these sites between 1995 and 1999 revealed that it is surviving today only in three of them. Only in one of these three sites a considerable population of several hundred individuals was found. The other two populations contain a few dozen plants each. Hence, there is a great danger that under the heavy urbanization of the coastal plain in Israel this sorrel will soon be extinct. If so, it will be the first endemic-to-Israel plant species which will be lost, and thus will be globally extinct. Immediate conservation measures should be taken to protect this very rare sorrel.

A Middle Bronze Age II Type of Pottery Kiln from the Coastal Plain of Israel

A Middle Bronze Age II Type of Pottery Kiln from the Coastal Plain of Israel

A Middle Bronze Age II Type of Pottery Kiln from the Coastal Plain of Israel

Five MB II pottery kilns have recently been excavated in the Tel Aviv area. These kilns, together with kilns found previously, some of which are barely mentioned in the literature, form a large series of 14 MB II kilns known so far from this area. They are dated to the Middle Bronze IIB-C Period according to pottery wasters found in the kilns and related stratigraphic evidence. Almost all the kilns belong to one type – an elongated, vertical kiln with radial supports of earth. This type of kiln appears in the southern coastal plain in the same period, but is replaced by other types of kilns in the Late Bronze and Iron Ages. The new data raises questions such as why do we find a large concentration of kilns in this area; and concerning the mechanisms and technical development of pottery production.

Luminescence chronology of aeolianites from the section at Givat Olga — Coastal Plain of Israel

The Eastern Mediterranean Coastal Plain of Israel is composed mainly of loam, sand and gravel of Pleistocene to Holocene age, indicating an alternation of marine, coastal and continental environments. Owing to the complexity of the numerous exposures of aeolianites (“kurkar”) and soils (“hamra”) in the elongated ridges along the coastal plain, it is difficult to set up a reliable stratigraphy. A systematic luminescence dating study was carried out on loose sand, kurkar and hamra deposits in the coastal plain between Netanya and Haifa. Sixteen samples were taken and investigated from the section at Givat Olga. The chronological results show excellent agreement between the infrared optically stimulated luminescence (IRSL) and thermoluminescence (TL) techniques, indicating that the former sand dunes were well-bleached prior to deposition. The IRSL and TL age estimates range from about 75–3 ka for the aeolianites indicating that this kurkar ridge formed during an older period of the last glaciation, likely before 50 ka.

Effect of temperature regime on pollen and the effective pollination of ‘Kent’ mango in Israel

‘Kent’ mango ( Mangifera indica L.) flowers were sampled in an orchard in the coastal plain of Israel during the 1997 flowering season. Effective pollination rate was determined at two stages of the fertilization process: (a) pollen germination on the stigma; (b) pollen-tube penetration into the ovule. Pollination rates were negligible during the first part of the flowering season (31 March to 18 April), reaching a high value only at the end of the season (21 May). The same phenomenon also occurred, albeit with consistently higher rates of effective pollination, when detached flowers, taken from the orchard during the flowering season, were pollinated and incubated for 24 h at the presumed optimal temperature of 30°C, indicating that the reproductive organs were not fully functionally viable. At the start of the flowering season, all the pollen was deformed, and later (16 April 1997), when pollen grain shape was normal, only 23% of it was found to be viable by Alexander’s staining. The functional viability of the pollen and pistils of orchard- and phytotron-grown (22/27°C, night/day) flowers was determined in detached flowers. At the beginning of the flowering season, both orchard pollen and pistils tended to be defective. Orchard pollen germinated poorly, even on phytotron adapted stigmas. Ovule penetration was hampered in orchard pistils, even when phytotron pollen was used for pollination. Chilling injury appeared to be responsible for the damage to the reproductive organs of the orchard flowers. The negligible rate of effective pollination found in mango orchards in Israel during a significant part of the flowering season therefore appears to be due to the detrimental effect of cold weather on the pollination and fertilization processes as well as on the functional viability of the male and female reproductive organs.