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Abstract: Local sea level curves are obtained by using various methods, from land as well as from sea records and are based on different indicators. The most updated Holocene sea level curve for the coast of Israel, Eastern Mediterranean, from about 9500calyears ago up to about 700 hundred years ago (the end of the Crusaders period) is based mainly on coastal archaeological remains. For the last Millennia an attempt was made to use bio-constructions along the present-day abrasion platforms as a tool for reconstructing past sea levels. Here we present radiocarbon dating of pre-bomb mollusks from the intertidal zone in order to determine the reservoir age of the bio-construction. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The Middle to Upper Paleolithic transition (MP-UP transition) is considered a major technological and cultural threshold, at the time when modern humans spread “out of Africa”, expanded from the Levant into Europe and possibly into central and northern Asia. The dating of this techno-cultural transition has proved to be extremely difficult because it occurred sometime before 40,000 radiocarbon years before present (14C years BP), which is close to the end of the effective dating range of radiocarbon. Other dating methods such as Thermoluminescence (TL) or Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) are not sufficiently precise to date the recorded archaeological MP-UP transition in the Levant. Here we report a consistent set of stratified radiocarbon ages on freshly excavated charcoal from Kebara Cave, Mt. Carmel (Israel), that span the late Middle Paleolithic (MP) and Early Upper Paleolithic (EUP) This study applied novel strategies to improve sample preparation techniques and data analysis to obtain high-resolution radiocarbon models. From this study it is proposed that the MP-UP transition for this site can be placed immediately after 45,200 ± 700 14C years BP and before 43,600 ± 600 14C years BP or from 49/48 to 47/46 radiocarbon calibrated years before present (years Cal BP). [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper considers the recent radiometric dating (14C-AMS, TL, ESR) of 76 late Middle and early Upper Paleolithic samples from Ortvale Klde Rockshelter, located in the Republic of Georgia. We present a critical evaluation of each date based on its stratigraphic and archaeological context, its pretreatment and contamination history, and its resulting accuracy and precision, the goal being to establish a sound chronology for the site. Only by systematically identifying aberrant dates within a data set and isolating them from further analysis can we hope to understand cultural and biological phenomena on an accurate temporal scale. Based on the strict discard protocol outlined here, we omit 25% of the dated samples from the analysis. The remaining data speak to the lengthy tenure of Neandertals in the region, but also to their relatively rapid demise and the establishment of modern human populations ∼38–34ka 14C BP (42–39kacalBPHulu). We compare these chronometric data with those from the neighboring sites of Bronze and Dzudzuana caves, as well as Mezmaiskaya Cave, located in the northern Caucasus. While the lack of key contextual information limit our ability to subject these other data sets to the same critical evaluation procedure, they provide the first interregional temporal assessment of the Middle to Upper Paleolithic “transition,” the results of which suggest an initial expansion of modern humans into the southern Caucasus followed by expansion along the Black Sea coast and into the northern Caucasus. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: High concentrations of empty valves of the genus Glycymeris are found along the Israeli coast, both at the water line and in adjacent archeological sites. In contrast with the abundance of the empty shells, live specimens are rare. This discrepancy raises the questions of when and where did Glycymeris live on the Israeli shelf and why and when did they disappear. In this study, concentrations of empty shells from contemporary depositional environments were sampled at 13 sites along the waterline and 91 sites on the Israeli inner shelf between 3 and 30 m water depth. In addition, 12 coastal archeological sites were sampled so as to determine the distribution of bivalves in the last few thousands years, and a random sample was checked for taphonomic characteristics. Six valves of Glycymeris insubrica were radiocarbon dated. Glycymeris shells comprise 89% to 100% of the total dead mollusks shells found south of Haifa with G. insubrica comprising up to 100% of the entire Glycymeris assemblage. In archeological sites, G. insubrica is also abundant. G. insubrica, an opportunist species, appeared in large numbers 5000–5500 years ago and almost ceased to exist 1500–1000 years ago. Taphonomic studies based on the present-day state of preservation of Glycymeris support the observation that they ceased to exist sometime after 2000 years ago. The sharp increase in their numbers is attributed to a combination of several factors. The inner shelf became oligotrophic 5500 years ago. The Late Holocene sea level rise slowed down considerably and nearly reached its maximum. Sandy sediments predominated and new habitats were open. The near disappearance of G. insubrica 1500 to 2000 years ago was probably due to the ongoing impoverishment of nutrient flux and reduction in marine productivity of the Eastern Mediterranean. It may also have been part of the natural succession of populations that replace each other resulting in a distinct community change. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]