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Over the last two decades, much of the recent efforts dedicated to the Levantine Middle Paleolithic has concentrated on the role of open-air sites in the settlement system in the region. Here focus on the site of ‘Ein Qashish as a cases study. Located in present-day northern Israel, the area of this site is estimated to have been >1300 m2, of which ca. 670 were excavated. The site is located at the confluence of the Qishon stream with a small tributary running off the eastern flanks of the Mt. Carmel. At the area of this confluence, water channels and alluvial deposits created a dynamic depositional environment. Four Archaeological Units were identified in a 4.5-m thick stratigraphic sequence were dated by Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) to between—71 and 54 ka, and probably shorter time span–~70-~60 ka. Here we present the diverse material culture remains from the site (lithics, including refitted sequences; modified limestone pieces; molluscs; faunal remains) against their changing paleogeographic backdrop. Skeletal evidence suggests that these remains were associated with Neanderthals. The large-scale repeated accumulation of late Middle Paleolithic remains in the same place on the landscape provides a unique opportunity to address questions of occupation duration and intensity in open-air sites. We find that each occupation was of ephemeral nature, yet presents a range of activities, suggesting that the locale has been used as a generalized residential site rather than specialized task-specific ones. This role of ‘Ein Qashish did not change through time, suggesting that during the late Middle Paleolithic settlement system in this part of the southern Levant were stable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Use-wear analysis of five glossed flint blades found at Ohalo II, a 23,000-years-old fisher-hunter-gatherers’ camp on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, Northern Israel, provides the earliest evidence for the use of composite cereal harvesting tools. The wear traces indicate that tools were used for harvesting near-ripe semi-green wild cereals, shortly before grains are ripe and disperse naturally. The studied tools were not used intensively, and they reflect two harvesting modes: flint knives held by hand and inserts hafted in a handle. The finds shed new light on cereal harvesting techniques some 8,000 years before the Natufian and 12,000 years before the establishment of sedentary farming communities in the Near East. Furthermore, the new finds accord well with evidence for the earliest ever cereal cultivation at the site and the use of stone-made grinding implements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study focuses on Kaizer Hill, a quarry site located in the vicinity of the city of Modiin where remains of a single prehistoric cultural entity assigned to the Pre-Pottery Neolithic A were discovered. A systematic survey revealed that large-scale quarrying activities have left damage markings on the bedrock of the Hilltop and its slopes. We aim to present here our findings from the Hilltop, which are concerned with the human impact on rock surfaces and the lithic artifacts retrieved during the survey. It is evident that the Pre-Pottery Neolithic A inhabitants of the area changed their landscape forever, “stripping” the caliche surface and penetrating it in search of flint bedded in the bedrock. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The faunal assemblage from the 9th-8th millennium BP site at Sha'ar Hagolan, Israel, is used to study human interaction with wild suids and cattle in a time period just before the appearance of domesticated animals of these species in the Jordan Valley. Our results, based on demographic and osteometric data, indicate that full domestication of both cattle and suids occurred at the site during the 8th millennium. Importantly, domestication was preceded in both taxa by demographic and metric population parameters indicating severe overhunting. The possible role of overhunting in shaping the characteristics of domesticated animals and the social infrastructure to ownership of herds is then explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Morphological and metrical study suggested that seven human teeth from Tabun Cave, Israel were part of the upper dentition of a single, probably Neanderthal, individual renumbered as Tabun BC7. An enamel fragment gave ESR age estimates of 82±14ka (early U-uptake) and 92±18ka (linear uptake) and an age estimate of 90+30 −16 ka using U-series disequilibrium. Although metrical analyses suggested Neanderthal affinities, definitive assessment was difficult as the values often fell into the ranges of both Neanderthal and Levantine early modern human samples. Therefore, two further classification analyses were conducted (neural networks using self-organizing maps and homogeneity analysis). Both identify Tabun BC7 as a Neanderthal. Neural networks are a promising tool for paleoanthropological studies as they can provide reliable classifications even with incomplete data. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article presents a response by the author to several comments on his report "The Excavations in Kebara Cave, Mt. Carmel," that appear in the December 1992 issue of the journal "Current Anthropology." He said that there is no doubt that the KMH 2 burial, found in the excavation of Kebara Cave in Israel, was in a pit, least 20-30 cm deep. According to him, the phylogenetic relationship among the various Near Eastern hominids is a hotly debated issue.

The article presents the author's comment on the report "The Excavations in Kebara Cave, Mt. Carmel," that appear in the December 1992 issue of the journal "Current Anthropology." According to him, the report is a collection of preliminary reports on excavations at Kebara Cave in Israel. He said that the stratification of KMH 2, a partial skeleton found in Middle Paleolithic deposits, is difficult to interpret because only the bottom of the burial pit was discovered.

The article presents the author's opinion on the report "The Excavations in Kebara Cave, Mt. Carmel," that appear in the December 1992 issue of the journal "Current Anthropology." The report identified hominid remains at Kebara Cave in Israel as Neanderthal, particularly the adult burial KMH 2. According to the author, however, the isolated infant or juvenile teeth found at Kebara belonged in fact to modem sapiens, not to Neanderthal.

The article presents the author's opinion on the report "The Excavations in Kebara Cave, Mt. Carmel," that appear in the December 1992 issue of the journal "Current Anthropology." According to him, the report on the excavation in Kebara Cave in Israel has become a model for the investigation of Middle and Late Pleistocene human occupation sites. He said that Kebara 2 provides the first opportunity to study a reconstructable Neanderthal pelvic inlet.

The article presents the author's opinion on the report "The Excavations in Kebara Cave, Mt. Carmel," that appear in the December 1992 issue of the journal "Current Anthropology." According to the author, the report is a through summary of the work done by the researchers in Kebara Cave in Israel, and is a valuable contribution to the current research into the origin of modem humans in Southwest Asia.

The article presents the author's opinion on the report "The Excavations in Kebara Cave, Mt. Carmel," that appear in the December 1992 issue of the journal "Current Anthropology." According to her, the strategic placement, in space and time, of the site at Kebara Cave in Israel makes it uniquely valuable for one's understanding of both the behavioral capacities of Neanderthals and the origin of modem humans.

The article presents the author's comment on the report "The Excavations in Kebara Cave, Mt. Carmel," that appear in the December 1992 issue of the journal "Current Anthropology." According to him, the excavations at Kebara Cave in Israel furnish an excellent model for a long-term paleoanthropological research program. He said that the studies at Kebara, in many ways, reflect the emphasis upon the technological aspects of lithic artifact assemblages.

The article presents the author's comment on the report "The Excavations in Kebara Cave, Mt. Carmel," that appear in the December 1992 issue of the journal "Current Anthropology." According to him, the treatment of site formation processes in the report is very informative. The excavations of Kebara Cave in Israel provides little evidence to support differences in adaptation between the Middle and Upper Paleolithic occupations there.

The article presents the author's opinion on the report "The Excavations in Kebara Cave, Mt. Carmel," that appear in the December 1992 issue of the journal "Current Anthropology." According to her, the identification of the differential distribution of bone concentrations throughout Kebara Cave in Israel is an excellent example of the interaction of geology and archaeology. She said that the report is an excellent contribution to one's understanding of Mousterian behavior.

The article presents the author's opinion on the report "The Excavations in Kebara Cave, Mt. Carmel," that appear in the December 1992 issue of the journal "Current Anthropology." According to the author, the identification of factors like diagenesis, carnivore damage, and hominid activity involved in the formation of the deposits in Kebara Cave in Israel stresses on the use of all conceivable lines of evidence in paleoanthropological research.

The article presents the author's opinion on the report "The Excavations in Kebara Cave, Mt. Carmel," that appear in the December 1992 issue of the journal "Current Anthropology." According to him, the report, on the excavations at Kebara Cave in Israel, shows that the Kebara Middle Palaeolithic levels are full of relevant evidence that there is a long period of overlap between Neanderthals and Homo sapiens in the Near East.