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Sedentary occupation of the southern Levantine coast spans from the Pre-Pottery Neolithic C to the Early Bronze Age Ib phase (c. 7000-3100 BC). Sites dating to the Early Pottery Neolithic (c. 6400-5500 BC) are scarce, however, potentially reflecting the effects of the 8.2ka climatic event. Here, the authors present the investigations at the submerged site of Habonim North off the Carmel Coast. Typological and radiocarbon dating indicate an Early Pottery Neolithic occupation and evidence for continuity of subsistence and economic strategies with both earlier and later Neolithic cultures. The results indicate the resilience of coastal communities in the face of significant climatic uncertainty and contribute to understanding human responses to environmental change. Keywords: Israel, Neolithic, climate change, sea-level rise, subsistence, resilience, Introduction The centuries leading up to the sixth millennium BC are perceived as a key period of development for Neolithic societies across southern Europe, the Aegean, Anatolia, Syria and Mesopotamia. [...]

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Combustion features are routinely studied using micro-geoarchaeology in prehistoric sites, providing information on human social life. In submerged prehistory such features have not been studied from the microscopic perspective, and here we present a study of three combustion features from two submerged Neolithic sites from the southeastern Mediterranean: Atlit-Yam (ninth-millennium cal BP) and Neve Yam (eighth-millennium cal BP). Mineralogical analyses were utilized to detect heated clay while quantification of phytoliths, ash pseudomorphs, and dung spherulites allowed determination of fuel sources. Micromorphology was deployed to determine whether or not the features represent in situ combustion activities and to understand formation processes. Two installations from Atlit-Yam contain evidence for short in situ fire events that were fueled by wood and reached 700–900 °C. One installation from Neve Yam contains reworked deposits that bear evidence for combustion at 500–700 °C, includes remains of wood ash and livestock dung. However, this feature cannot be identified with certainty as an in situ combustion feature. This research shows that pyrotechnological, functional, and social information can be gleaned from underwater combustion features using a micro-geoarchaeological approach and techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A newly excavated, well-built, Middle Bronze (MB) II–III coastal structure at Tel Dor provides a fresh glimpse into the turbulent settlement history of the Carmel Coast in the first half of the 2nd millennium b.c.e. The structure, incorporating a massive ashlar orthostat, was built in the MB I–II transition or MB II and existed for more than a century before its collapse during the MB III. A tight cluster of radiocarbon data indicates its destruction ca. 1600–1550 b.c.e. As the first Middle Bronze Age structure extensively excavated at Dor, it fills a lacuna in the site's history. Other Middle Bronze Age finds enable a reconstruction of Dor's anchorages and create a narrative of settlement patterns on the Carmel Coast, tightly connected with contemporary maritime activities, and reflecting a resilient settlement system devoid of urban centers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The southern Levantine coast was settled continuously for three millennia, from the Neolithic period until its abandonment in Early Bronze Age II, in sharp contrast to inland sites that developed into urbanized cities. This study examines this phenomenon by investigating the pottery production component of the economic systems of two contemporary EB I villages: a shoreline coastal site that was abandoned (Dor South) and an inland site that evolved into an urban center ('En Esur). This pilot ceramic petrography examination shows two distinct strategies, with 'En Esur producing pottery primarily from local raw materials and Dor South relying mainly on imported pottery, potentially weakening the once-resilient coastal system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent excavations in the historic centre of ancient Jerusalem have revealed evidence of an Abbasid (eighth- to tenth-century AD) marketplace. Refuse pits and cesspits have yielded an exceptionally well-preserved archaeobotanical [...]

Many famous archaeological sites have been subjected to destructive fires, whether hostile or accidental, including Near Eastern cities constructed largely of mud-brick. But how long did it take to burn down a city? The mud-bricks themselves provide a valuable record. By heating experimental bricks of different sizes, shapes and compositions to high temperatures, the minimum duration of an ancient conflagration can be calculated. The resulting equations were applied to bricks from the destruction of Tel Megiddo at the end of the Iron Age I, and indicate that the burning lasted a minimum of two to three hours: a much shorter period than expected. Keywords: Near East, Bronze Age, Iron Age, fire, conflagration, mud-brick, combustion, Introduction Archaeological destruction events are recognised globally and are characterised by the richness of in situ remains; they provide excellent opportunities to study social and historical processes with high resolution [...]