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Excavations at Huqoq in Israel’s eastern Lower Galilee are bringing to light a Late Roman synagogue, a medieval public building, and the remains of ancient and modern (pre-1948) villages. In this interim report, we describe the major discoveries of the 2014–2017 seasons, including the extraordinary figural mosaics decorating the synagogue floor. Our discoveries provide evidence of a Galilean Jewish community that flourished through the 5th and 6th centuries c.e.—a picture contrasting with recent claims of a decline in Jewish settlement under Byzantine Christian rule. The possibility that the medieval public building might also be a synagogue has important implications for understanding Galilean Jewish settlement in the Middle Ages, about which almost nothing is known. The excavations also shed light on the last phase of the settlement’s long history: the development of the modern village of Yakuk in the 19th through 20th centuries., peer-reviewed

Introduction: The net clinical benefit of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) reflects the paradoxical effects of an increased risk of bleeding and a reduced risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE). A time-constrained approach to DAPT has been recently investigated in five multicenter trials including GLOBAL LEADERS, STOP-DAPT2, SMART-CHOICE, TWIGHLIGHT and TICO. Methods: We undertook a pooled analysis of these trials to assess the overall associations between time-constrained P2Y12 inhibitor monotherapy (“aspirin free regimen”) for bleeding events, MACE and all-cause mortality as compared to standard care with DAPT for at least 12 months post-PCI. We implemented a DerSimonian and Laird random effects meta-analysis using the metafor package in R. Results: 32,361 randomized trial participants, including 16,898 (52.2%) with a history of ACS, underwent PCI and had outcome data available. P2Y12 inhibitor monotherapy from 1 - 3 months was associated with a reduced risk for bleeding (hazard ratio (HR) (95% confidence interval (CI)) 0.60 (0.45, 0.81); p=0.024), including in the ACS group in which the magnitude of risk reduction was greatest (HR (95% CI) 0.50 (0.41, 0.61). The estimates of the effect of P2Y12 inhibitor monotherapy on the hazard were also favorable for MACE (0.88 (0.77, 1.02)) and all-cause mortality (95% CI 0.85 (0.71, 1.03)). Conclusions: Compared with DAPT for 12 months post-PCI, P2Y12 inhibitor monotherapy from 1-3 months substantially reduces the risk of major and fatal bleeding and, in addition, potentially protective effects, for MACE and all-cause mortality. Considering patient safety, the results support a strategy of DAPT for 1-3 months followed by ‘aspirin free’ P2Y12 inhibitor monotherapy.

Background The net clinical benefit of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) reflects the paradoxical effects of an increased risk of bleeding and a reduced risk of major adverse cardiovascular events. A time‐constrained approach to DAPT has been recently investigated in 5 multicenter trials including GLOBAL LEADERS, STOPDAPT2 (Short and Optimal Duration of Dual Antiplatelet Therapy After Everolimus‐Eluting Cobalt‐Chromium Stent‐2), SMART‐CHOICE, TWILIGHT (Ticagrelor With Aspirin or Alone in High‐Risk Patients After Coronary Intervention), and TICO (Ticagrelor Monotherapy After 3 Months in the Patients Treated With New Generation Sirolimus Stent for Acute Coronary Syndrome). Methods and Results We undertook a pooled analysis of these trials to assess the overall associations between time‐constrained P2Y12 inhibitor monotherapy (aspirin‐free regimen) for bleeding events, major adverse cardiovascular events, and all‐cause mortality as compared to standard care with DAPT for at least 12 months post‐percutaneous coronary intervention. We implemented a DerSimonian and Laird random effects meta‐analysis using the metafor package in R. 32 361 randomized trial participants, including 16 898 (52.2%) who had a history of acute coronary syndrome, underwent percutaneous coronary intervention, and had outcome data available. P2Y12 inhibitor monotherapy from 1 to 3 months was associated with a reduced risk for bleeding (hazard ratio [HR] 0.60; 95% CI, 0.45‐0.81), including in the acute coronary syndrome group in which the magnitude of risk reduction was greatest (HR 0.50; 95% CI, 0.41‐0.61). The estimates of the effect of P2Y12 inhibitor monotherapy on the HR were also favorable for major adverse cardiovascular events (0.88; 95% CI, 0.77‐1.02) and all‐cause mortality (0.85; 95% CI, 0.71‐1.03). Conclusions Compared with DAPT for 12 months post‐percutaneous coronary intervention, P2Y12 inhibitor monotherapy from 1 to 3 months substantially reduces the risk of major and fatal bleeding and, in addition, confers potentially protective effects, for major adverse cardiovascular events and all‐cause mortality. Considering patient safety, the results support a strategy of DAPT for 1 to 3 months followed by aspirin‐free P2Y12 inhibitor monotherapy.

Deposits rich in bioarchaeological materials were unearthed in two dovecotes found near Sa‘adon, a Byzantine-period village (5th–6th century CE) in the semi-arid part of the Negev. One structure co...

A second season of excavation was conducted in 2015 at Gerace (Enna province, Sicily). In the small late Roman villa of ca. 370/375 ad identified by earlier work, the largest room, in the west wing, was found to have a floor of opus signinum , but the west corridor, in contrast to the mosaic-paved south corridor, had a floor of beaten earth throughout its life. The villa may never have been completely finished, even though occupation debris suggests it was frequented for much of the fifth century. Of the small freestanding bath-house at a higher level alongside it, only a single heated pool had survived later demolition. In its place two storerooms were inserted deep into the earth for efficient insulation. In the fire that destroyed the villa ca. 450/530 ad, a date supported by C14 analysis, the contents of these stores were carbonized: a huge cache of thousands of seeds, principally barley but also including wheat, grapes, and legumes, was uncovered there. The much larger, earlier store-building to the east, provisionally dated to ca. 325/350 and destroyed ca. 360, is now shown to have been a basilican structure. Three earlier phases of building have been detected below it; there is also a sherd of Attic Black Figure pottery, attesting activity at Gerace ca. 500 bc. A further 37 examples of stamps on roof tiles were discovered, including a single example from a hitherto unrecorded die; they were all part of the production, probably on site, of Philippianus, the likely owner of the Gerace estate in the late fourth century. After the fire of 450/530 ad, early Byzantine structures (seventh century?), much disturbed by the plough, occupied part of the site of the late Roman villa. Resume: Une deuxieme saison de fouilles a ete menee en 2015 a Gerace (dans la province d’Enna en Sicile). Dans la petite villa romaine tardive qui a ete precedemment identifiee et datee de 370/375 apres J. C., la plus grande piece, situee dans l’aile ouest, a revele un plancher d’ opus signinum , alors que le corridor ouest, contrairement au corridor sud pave en mosaique, a conserve un plancher de terre battue. La construction de villa pourrait ne jamais avoir ete completee, meme si les debris d’occupation suggerent qu’elle a ete en activite durant une grande partie du Ve siecle. Du petit complexe balneaire autonome jouxtant a un niveau plus eleve, seule une piscine chauffee a survecu a la demolition. A cet endroit, deux entrepots ont ete creuses profondement dans la terre pour une isolation efficace. Lors de l’incendie qui a detruit la villa en 450/530 apres J. C. – une date confirmee par l’analyse au carbone 14 –, le contenu de ces entrepots a ete carbonise : un important depot de milliers de graines, principalement de l’orge, mais aussi du ble, des raisins et des legumineuses, y a ete decouvert. Le magasin plus large et plus ancien a l’est, date provisoirement de 325/350 avant J. C. et detruit vers 360, s’est finalement revele etre une structure de type basilique. Trois phases anterieures de constructions ont ete reperees sous celle-ci; un tesson de ceramique attique a figure noire temoigne meme d’une activite a Gerace aux environs de 500 avant J. C. En outre, 37 autres echantillons d’etampes sur tuiles de toit ont ete decouverts, incluant un exemple unique d’une matrice jusqu’alors non enregistree; ils font tous partie de la production, probablement locale, de Philippianus, le probable proprietaire du domaine de Gerace a la fin du IVe siecle. Apres l’incendie de 450/530 apres J. C., une partie du site de la villa romaine tardive est occupee par des structures, tres endommagees par la charrue, datant de la periode byzantine ancienne (VIIe siecle ?).

Archaeological investigations carried out by the Roman Aqaba Project seek to reconstruct the economy of the ancient seaport of Aila and contribute new evidence concerning the nature of the imperial...

The Tupras Field project is located near the high mound of Kinet Hoyuk in the Hatay Province of Turkey. The site was founded in the 8th century and continually occupied until the 12th century CE. Contemporary Arabic writers described the region as rich in agriculture and known for its cultivation of date palms and for its valuable timber resources. This paper presents the analysis of archaeobotanical macro remains, which are rare from this period, to allow for a greater understanding of the floral diversity, in terms of cereals, weeds, trees and wild species that would have been present in the region during the Islamic through medieval periods. The data supports cereal agriculture but also documents the emergence of a cotton boom, which is attested to in ethnohistorical sources but has rarely been confirmed through archaeobotanical remains. Substantial quantities of C. album in single contexts, likely representing storage, were recovered and raise questions about its role as either an agricultural weed species or a more significant contributor to the diet and health of the ancient population. The agricultural economy is clearly more complex than previously believed and this study adds to discussions on the intersections of environmental and Islamic studies with crucial archaeological evidence, which can, for example, counter-balance and nuance certain well-worn debated ideas, such as the nature of the Islamic Green ‘Revolution’.

Archaeobotanical samples recovered during the 2004, 2005, 2009 and 2011 excavation seasons at the Petra Garden and Pool Complex (PGPC) in Jordan examined plants that were preserved during different phases of use of the site. The analysis of these remains attempts to determine what plants would have been grown in the garden in antiquity. Results indicated that the material recovered likely represented plants that had been preserved elsewhere in the area and then deposited in the garden to act as fertilizer. The remains were generally charred and were probably derived from fuel and/or waste deposits as it does not appear that the garden was catastrophically burned. Although it is difficult to ascertain garden variety plants under these preservation conditions, an analysis of the archaeobotanical data from the PGPC addresses the questions of what and how plants functioned in the local and regional economy, and how the role of the garden changed through time, in addition to providing insight into the general environmental or ecological conditions present in southern Jordan from the Late Hellenistic through Late Byzantine/Post-Classical periods. Although ornamental species represent a small fraction of materials collected, the presence of these taxa may indicate their occurrence in the garden. Even if garden plants are not readily identifiable, this study aids in addressing the larger issues of trade, economy and environment of this ancient city, as well as the feasibility of identifying garden plants in antiquity.

The urban site of Caesarea Maritima located on the Mediterranean coast of modern Israel was founded by King Herod and dedicated to emperor Caesar Augustus between 22 and 10 bce. The site subsequently went through many phases of occupation generally classified as Roman, Late Roman (Byzantine), Early Islamic, Crusader and Mamluk in which cultural and settlement size transitions occurred. This paper offers an analysis from this culturally significant site of the plant remains recovered from three specific areas of Caesarea (Arabic–Qaysariyya) during the Islamic period of occupation from 640 to 1101 ce under the Umayyad, Abbasid and Fatimid dynasties. The Combined Caesarea Expeditions, or CCE, devoted significant attention to archaeobotanical research and recovered samples from several excavation sectors across the site, specifically for the present study areas TP, the Temple Platform; and LL, a warehouse quarter. Although the goals of CCE’s project were to study monuments of the Roman and Late Roman (Byzantine) city, a dense Early Islamic domestic occupation was identified that had succeeded the ancient occupation. From these contexts 203 sediment samples were processed by water flotation, 106 of which contained plant remains. There were 9,972 specimens examined from 63 different taxa. The archaeobotanical and supplementary documentary evidence examined clearly demonstrates that the population of Islamic Caesarea put significant investments into local agriculture, carrying on a tradition of practices that likely pre-dated Islam by many centuries.

This study presents archaeobotanical data that allow for a better understanding of the scale and timing of agricultural production during the Late Roman/Byzantine period (A.D. 284–500) at the site of Bir Madhkur, which lies in the hinterland of the ancient Nabataean capital of Petra, Jordan. The desert of the Wadi Araba region that encompasses Bir Madhkur has not changed significantly since antiquity and is surrounded by ancient agricultural fields and associated farmhouses. Analysis of the archaeobotanical remains recovered from 62 soil samples address questions related to how and when plants were grown and what role they played in the local and regional economy. Two varieties of wheat ( Triticum aestivum ssp. aestivum L. and T. aestivum ssp. compactum ((Host) Mackey), several legumes and fruits have been identified. There is also evidence of crop by-products and weeds specific to crop fields, which support local agriculture. In addition to the archaeobotanical remains, evidence of dung fuel has been recovered and is likely the source of the charred chaff and weed species. The archaeobotanical data provide direct evidence of increase in agricultural production.

This paper presents a preliminary examination of archaeobotanical material from pigeon dung samples obtained from Byzantine period destruction levels of a dovecote near the site of Shivta, Israel. Such pigeon dung was a valuable fertilizer in antiquity and would not have been abandoned without a reason. The plant remains from the dung provide direct evidence of pigeon diet and the local environment during the Byzantine period. Eleven plant taxa, represented by either seeds and/or plant parts (cereal chaff material), including five wild taxa, one legume, four fruit/nut taxa and several unidentified seed fragments were recovered. The most common seeds found were from weeds of the genus Thymelaea sp., and Ficus (fig). The finds indicate that the birds in the dovecote consumed a mixed diet of wild seeds including Thymelaea sp. and Fumaria sp. (fumitory), and small fruits of Vitis (grape), Ficus (fig), Olea (olive) and Phoenix (date). The sample analyzed also included Rumex (dock), Carex (sedge) and Androsace which may not have come from the feed. Apparently the pigeons were free to forage in the desert, the fallowed fields and refuse piles or/and were intentionally fed agricultural by-products including wild plants.

Two microlens arrays that are separated by the sum of their focal lengths form arrays of micro-telescopes. Parallel light rays that pass through corresponding lenses remain parallel, but the direction of the transmitted light rays is different. This remains true if corresponding lenses do not share an optical axis (i.e. if the two microlens arrays are shifted with respect to each other). The arrays described above are examples of generalized confocal lenslet arrays, and the light-ray-direction change in these devices is well understood [Oxburgh et al., Opt. Commun. 313, 119 (2014)]. Here we show that such micro-telescope arrays change light-ray direction like the interface between spaces with different metrics. To physicists, the concept of metrics is perhaps most familiar from General Relativity (where it is applied to spacetime, not only space, like it is here) and Transformation Optics [Pendry et al., Science 312, 1780 (2006)], where different materials are treated like spaces with different optical metrics. We illustrate the similarities between micro-telescope arrays and metric interfaces with raytracing simulations. Our results suggest the possibility of realising transformation-optics devices with micro-telescope arrays, which we investigate elsewhere.

A rich collection of waterlogged plant-remains was recovered from the harbour at Caesarea Maritima, Israel. These remains were identified and represent several varieties of fruit, nut, cereal crop, crop by-product and weed species. The two areas where remains were recovered provided assemblages that were different in composition. Trade or trash are the two interpretations discussed. In either case, however, the information derived from the assemblage is of archaeological importance, as the species present can aid in economic, dietary and trade reconstructions. © 2010 The Author