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One of the most interesting aspects of the Late Chalcolithic period in the southern Levant (c. 4500–3900 cal BC), a period marking notable societal transformations and developments in economy, craft and cult, was the appearance of ivory objects. Ivory, originating from the tusks of elephants and hippopotamuses, suddenly appeared in this period in low quantities and only at a few sites, restricted mainly to the northern Negev, Judean Desert and the central Mediterranean coastal plain. The current paper discusses the Late Chalcolithic ivory objects found in the southern Levant and suggests that we should not merely view these finds as artistic objects charged with symbolic value, but rather, we should acknowledge the role of the specific raw material from which they were made, for its social and economic values based on the likely non-local origin of the ivory and the inherent difficulty in its acquisition. These factors bestowed the ivory items with special significance and prestige value that differentiated them from other more common bone tools. Moreover, we suggest that although these findings reflect contacts, albeit limited between the southern Levant and Predynastic Egypt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The characteristics and settlement patterns of the Early–Middle Chalcolithic period (ca. 5,800– 4,700 cal bc) around the Sea of Galilee have hardly been studied so far. The regional diversity of Chalcolithic material culture and the fragmentary nature of the archaeological record hinder a broader understanding of socio-cultural processes in this area. Chalcolithic architecture and finds, excavated for the last 23 years under the Graeco-Roman city of Hippos on Mt. Sussita, provide a rare opportunity to delve into the characteristics of the Chalcolithic period east of the Sea of Galilee. The current paper presents these remains and discusses their typological traits, spatial distribution, and possible cultural attribution. The site represents one of the few non-Golan Chalcolithic occurrences in the region, and its finds suggest an Early–Middle Chalcolithic period dating. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Late Chalcolithic period in the southern Levant saw notable changes in almost every aspect of daily life. Some of the most significant shifts during this time seem to have been anchored in the subsistence economy and involved food and its cooking, processing, storage, serving, and handling with vessels and tools. The paper offers a comprehensive overview and analysis of one utensil that is likely to have been caught up in these developments—the Late Chalcolithic spoon. While spoons first appeared in the region during the Pottery Neolithic period, the Chalcolithic period witnessed a rise in their frequency and distribution. Nonetheless, they were few in number. While their functions remain unclear, we have presupposed their association with food and kitchenware and have explored them in this vein. This paper delves into their morphological characteristics and distribution and ponders their significance in light of other changes that occurred during the Late Chalcolithic period in the southern Levant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Late Chalcolithic period in the southern Levant saw notable changes in almost every aspect of daily life. Some of the most significant shifts during this time seem to have been anchored in the subsistence economy and involved food and its cooking, processing, storage, serving, and handling with vessels and tools. The paper offers a comprehensive overview and analysis of one utensil that is likely to have been caught up in these developments—the Late Chalcolithic spoon. While spoons first appeared in the region during the Pottery Neolithic period, the Chalcolithic period witnessed a rise in their frequency and distribution. Nonetheless, they were few in number. While their functions remain unclear, we have presupposed their association with food and kitchenware and have explored them in this vein. This paper delves into their morphological characteristics and distribution and ponders their significance in light of other changes that occurred during the Late Chalcolithic period in the southern Levant.

Abstract This study was aimed at introducing a new method for predicting the original metrics of fragmented standardized artifacts, specifically of flint blades from the Middle Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (10,200/100–9,500/400 cal B.P.) in the Southern Levant. The excessive re-use of these artifacts or poor preservation conditions often prevent a complete set of metric data from being obtained. Our suggested approach is based on readily accessible machine learning (artificial intelligence) and neural network analysis. These are performed in a multi-paradigm programming language and numeric computing environment, with parameters represented by a rapid measurement system based on the technological features shared by all lithic artifacts of the studied assemblages. This method can be applied to various chronologies and/or contexts. A full set of metric data, including potential typological and functional elements of the assemblages studied, may provide a better understanding of the lithic technology involved; highlight cultural aspects related to the chaîne opératoire of the studied lithic production; and address issues related to cultural sub-divisions in larger-scale applications. Herein, neural network analysis was performed on blade samples from Middle Pre-Pottery Neolithic B sites from the Southern Levant specifically Nahal Yarmuth 38, Motza, Yiftahel, and Nahal Reuel.

Abstract This study explores changes in pastoral practices in the Jerusalem region (Iron Age II - Late Hellenistic) through a multi-isotope approach (strontium, carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen). Based on the analysis of 135 sheep, goat, and cattle teeth and bone samples from Givati Parking Lot we demonstrate the value of this method in reconstructing past animal husbandry, revealing adaptation and resilience of pastoral communities amidst environmental and socio-political changes. Isotopic analysis indicates local sourcing for most animals, with intriguing outliers from distant regions up to 150 km away, suggesting regional exchange networks. Notably, the Persian period (5th century BCE) exhibits a wider isotope range, implying increased flexibility and exploitation of diverse grazing lands, potentially driven by climate shifts and political upheavals. Conversely, Late Hellenistic (2nd century BCE) livestock display restricted movement, while showcasing a rise in desert caprines, indicative of increased import compared to the Persian era. These findings highlight the dynamism and adaptability of past pastoral communities, adjusting their strategies in response to various pressures. This study opens new avenues for understanding human-environment interactions in the Levant and underscores the power of multi-isotope approaches in unraveling intricate socio-economic and ecological dynamics of the past.

This study was aimed at introducing a new method for predicting the original metrics of fragmented standardized artifacts, specifically of flint blades from the Middle Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (10,200/100–9,500/400 cal B.P.) in the Southern Levant. The excessive re-use of these artifacts or poor preservation conditions often prevent a complete set of metric data from being obtained. Our suggested approach is based on readily accessible machine learning (artificial intelligence) and neural network analysis. These are performed in a multi-paradigm programming language and numeric computing environment, with parameters represented by a rapid measurement system based on the technological features shared by all lithic artifacts of the studied assemblages. This method can be applied to various chronologies and/or contexts. A full set of metric data, including potential typological and functional elements of the assemblages studied, may provide a better understanding of the lithic technology involved; highlight cultural aspects related to the chaîne opératoire of the studied lithic production; and address issues related to cultural sub-divisions in larger-scale applications. Herein, neural network analysis was performed on blade samples from Middle Pre-Pottery Neolithic B sites from the Southern Levant specifically Nahal Yarmuth 38, Motza, Yiftahel, and Nahal Reuel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A human figurine carved on a large limestone cobble was found in the excavations of Horbat Sasay, conducted on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority. It schematically portrays eyes and a mouth and, like other types of human head representations found in the region, it is suggested that it belongs to the southern Levantine Neolithic period. Together with the description of the figurine, comparisons are presented to other known figurines depicting the human face from the Levant and other nearby regions, as well as an interpretation of these human faces and their expressions in relation to the drastic changes that occurred in these regions during the so-called Neolithic revolution and the social organization of the late prehistoric communities of the Levant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Experimental replication of decorated bone tubes was carried out to determine possible methods of defleshing and to define the nature of linear cut-marks on the bones made by different cutting implements. These studies were carried out to interpret more precisely the production techniques for incised bone tubes recovered from Early Bronze Age (EB) contexts at the site of Tell el-Hesi dating to 2800–2700 bce (EBIIIA). Previous studies had assumed that the bones were incised using metal chisels found on-site, but the new experiments demonstrate that the incised lines were most likely made using denticulated metal (copper/bronze) saws. Modern cow metapodials were defleshed and then cut and sawn with different types of tools. Impressions were made of the experimental and archaeological incised lines and the impressions were studied using Scanning Electron Microscopy. The incised lines made using denticulated metal saws most closely match the incised lines of the ancient incised bone tubes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Animal domestication led to changes in the interaction between animals and humans, including new ways of exploitation, which could potentially leave lesions on the animals' bones. This study aims to examine changes in the prevalence of pathological manifestation following changes in human‐animal interactions as a result their domestication. For this purpose, we studied 19,565 animal remains recovered from archaeological excavations, dated from the Pre‐Pottery Neolithic period to historical periods and assigned the pathologies into types. Of these, 60 animal remains presented pathological lesions. The suspected pathological cases were validated using a microscope, X‐ray, and/or micro‐CT scan. Lesions were divided into four categories: trauma, aging/musculoskeletal stress marks (MSM), periodontal diseases, and inflammatory processes. Then, our database was combined with previously published data to a total of 26,596 animal remains, out of which 128 demonstrated pathological lesions. We found that the prevalence of lesions in animals was higher in the historical periods compared with prehistoric periods. Moreover, based on a comparison between recent gazelles living in captivity and those living in the wild, we found that captivity resulted in the deterioration of the animals' health. We concluded that pathologies were more frequent in livestock in historic periods, in comparison with wild species and livestock from earlier periods. Such lesions were common not only in working livestock (cattle and donkeys) but also in non‐working domesticates (caprines and chickens) and companion animals (dogs and cats). Variations in the pathological frequencies between these three categories may be attributed to differences in exploitation, including the intensification of farming and herding. Finally, this study provides a unique reference dataset for zooarchaeologists when studying ancient animal assemblages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the results of a study of dental pathology (specifically dental wear, caries, dental calculus, and enamel hypoplasia) carried out on 1108 teeth and empty alveoli of Bronze Age human populations that inhabited the rural settlement of Nahal Refaim, on the outskirts of the city of Jerusalem. The remains derive from a tomb complex that spans three phases of the period; Intermediate Bronze Age and the Middle Bronze Age I and Middle Bronze Age II village that replaced them (ca. 2500–1550 BC). Dental pathology can reflect diet and therefore offers a unique insight into the lifeways of past populations. The aim of this study was to investigate the extent to which the dental health of this rural population was influenced by the far‐reaching socioeconomic changes associated with the regional shift to urbanism by the Middle Bronze Age II. Although constrained by small sample sizes, we found that the pattern of dental pathology varied in a nonlinear fashion over time and discuss the factors that may have attributed to this variation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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]

Unalloyed copper objects were produced in the Chalcolithic Southern Levant in a two‐step process. Copper ore was smelted in pit furnaces, and the mechanically extracted copper prills melt in crucibles and cast into objects. However, the air supply remained unknown, and practical considerations shed doubt on the validity of some of the reconstructed practices. To refine the reconstruction, the metallurgical material from Abu Matar was reassessed. Most importantly, several previously unreported fragments suggest the use of bellows and covering the furnace with large pottery fragments. Our results provide probably the earliest evidence for the use of bellows. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The production and distribution of ceramic building materials (CBM) in the Roman period have long attracted the attention of archaeologists, as they provide clues to aspects of trade, identity, and technological and architectural traditions. However, there has been a notable scarcity of studies focusing on plain CBM in the southern Levant, particularly in the Mediterranean coastal region. This study concentrates on CBM (bricks, tubuli, drainage pipes, and roof tiles) from a Roman-period wealthy farmstead (Khirbat Khaur el-Bak) near the city of Ashqelon/Ascalon, apparently owned by a serving member of the military or a veteran. The petrographic analyses indicate that apart from the locally produced drainage pipes, the CBM were imported from overseas, namely Cilicia and Beirut. The results shed light on CBM trade in the Eastern Mediterranean, and on the complex nature of the population and material life in and around Roman Ashqelon, which included local and foreign elements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although Gaza was among the largest and most important cities of the southern Levant, it has played a relatively minor role in recent reassessments of the reoccupation of the Palestinian coast and its administration in the Persian period. The widely-held scholarly view that Gaza fell outside of direct Achaemenid control, in a coastal zone conceded to a confederation of Arabian tribes ruled by the king of Qedar, is a primary factor in according it a separate status from the other cities of Philistia. This article argues that the sources do not support the notion that Gaza and its environs belonged to an Arabian district. Rather, Gaza, like the other coastal cities of Philistia, seems to have been redeveloped in the late sixth century BCE by Phoenician agents, likely from Tyre. While Gaza held a distinct position as the main outlet of Arabian and Egyptian trade, it was culturally and economically oriented around the wider Phoenician maritime network and integrated into a dense network of Achaemenid military and administrative infrastructure in the region. In the early fourth century BCE, however, the loss of Egypt and the eclipse of the Qedarites fundamentally transformed the nature of Achaemenid authority in the region. Gaza may have been lost during much or all of this period, and the Achaemenid response is visible across this border region. Nevertheless, Gaza retained its central commercial position across these disturbances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The employment of the maritime medium by Southern Levantine societies is examined here through its engagement with coastline facilitation and the building of artificial harbors where natural bays are insufficient or non-existent. The development and availability of technologies and methods are surveyed and analyzed vis-à-vis local choices made to adopt or to reject mediating tools such as jetties, quays, and breakwaters. The article discusses technological and conceptual innovations against the background of long-term practices, essentially in favor of natural features. Despite the early adoption of emerging technologies by such exemplars as Iron Age Atlit, Hellenistic Akko-Ptolemaïs, or Roman Caesarea, the rest of the Southern Levant did not join in, and Caesarea, Akko-Ptolemaïs, and Atlit fell short of maintaining their facilities in the long term. The solution for ships was found instead in natural anchorages and, much more dominantly, in the beaching of smaller vessels and offshore anchoring of larger ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review considers the state of historical studies of ancient Israel in light of the publication of two recent books on the subject. While this recent scholarship nuances and advances our understanding of the history of the southern Levant, it also reveals ongoing methodological tensions due to the field's long-running commitments to post-Enlightenment, European (especially German) approaches to the historical analysis of biblical texts. Simultaneously, these two histories point towards some productive ways in which we might move forward in the study of the history of ancient Israel. These productive potentials include reevaluating our historical methods across specialties and approaches and seeking alternative approaches to history writing that make space for fragmentation, multiplicity, and irresolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The calcaneal morphology changed considerably during human evolution to enable efficient bipedal locomotion. However, little information exists regarding its adaptation to changes in habitual activities following the transition to a sedentary lifestyle. We aimed to examine changes in calcaneal morphology during the Pleistocene-Holocene Levant in light of sexual dimorphism. We studied three archaic Homo sapiens calcanei dated to the Middle and Upper Paleolithic, 23 Natufian hunter-gatherers, 12 Pre-Pottery Neolithic early farmers, and 31 Chalcolithic farmers. The calcanei were scanned via a surface scanner and measured, and bone proportions were calculated. Measurements included the height, length, and width of various calcaneal elements. The sex of each individual was determined using methods based on calcaneal morphology. The validity of these methods was tested in those individuals who had the pelvis (92.3% agreement rate). Accordingly, the sample included 59.4% males and 40.6% females. Most calcaneal indices were sex-independent, except for the relative width, relative anterior length, and the cuboid index. Temporal trends between the Natufian and Chalcolithic periods were more pronounced among males than females. While in the proximal calcaneus, the temporal trend was similar between males and females, it differed in the distal part and articular facets. The calcanei of archaic H. sapiens exceeded the average of the Natufian hunter-gatherer for most variables, though the trend varied. To conclude, males and females were affected differently by the changing environment. The calcanei of archaic H. sapiens were better adapted for activity involving high mobility, independent of sex. During the transition to a sedentary way of life, different factors probably designed the male and female calcaneus. These could include factors related to the sexual division of labor, adaptation to lengthy standing, and changes in footwear. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper combines archaeology and written sources to examine the ways in which marble was used in the churches of the southern Levant in Late Antiquity. In particular, by analyzing the displays of these offerings within the church, and the types of texts engraved on them, it focuses on how, and to what extent, marble donations reflected social position, patronage, and identity. Most of the objects considered here bear inscriptions expressing devotion to saints, martyrs, and prophets, as well as a few quotations from Scripture, but overall, most reflect prayers and invocations by community members. The study therefore attempts to identify the genre of these texts and the objects they adorn to establish the relationship between donation and donor and to provide an analysis of the distribution of these objects within the church proper in the broader regional context of the Late Antique Levant.

Faunal remains recovered during excavations beneath Wilson’s Arch in Jerusalem reveal the dietary and ritual uses of animals in the Late Roman colony of Aelia Capitolina. This colony was erected on the ruins of Jerusalem following the First Jewish War and occupied by the Legio X Fretensis. We show that over the course of the third and fourth centuries CE, pigs turn into a dominant source of food at the site, an assessment supported by excavations elsewhere in Late Roman Jerusalem. Significant variations of the domestic pigs from Jerusalem indicate that the animals may have been provisioned from multiple rural sites of primary production, and possibly represent different local breeds. More surprisingly, the pig remains from Wilson’s Arch are dominated by prime-aged (12–24 months) male jaws from two stratified deposits. The focus on mature males, particularly in Stratum V, is atypical of pig husbandry systems in general, and in Roman-period contexts in particular. Due to the rapidity with which the bones were deposited and the unusual demographic, alongside the disproportionate representation of mandibles, we interpret the remains as the end-product of rituals involving pigs. We suggest that the significance of pigs as an anti-Jewish cultural element provided soldiers and colonists a means of asserting their identity within an imperial context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Excavations at Ashdod‐Yam exposed a fortification system that features a massive mudbrick wall with large earthen ramparts laid on either side. This fortified horseshoe‐shaped enclosure once surrounded what was likely a human‐made harbor and an adjacent acropolis with complex earthen architecture, constructed and active during Iron Age IIB–C (eighth–seventh centuries B.C.E.). These Iron Age public structures are at the center of the current research. In this paper, we present the geoarchaeological analyses of Ashdod‐Yam's earthen architecture. We applied a multidisciplinary methodology to new evidence for mudbrick manufacture with the goal of understanding the relationship between governing bodies and craftsmen. The analyses combine X‐ray fluorescence, loss on ignition, environmental scanning electron microscopy, and thin‐section petrography to investigate raw material procurement, manufacturing choices, and labor organization at Ashdod‐Yam during Iron IIB–C. Construction techniques and the standardization of the mudbrick recipe point to a local enterprise regarding the site's public earthen architecture. Furthermore, the degree of labor organization must have been closely observed and supervised by a central political power. Thus, it is argued here that construction and maintenance of the site was carried out by the kingdom of Ashdod, either as a part of its own local initiative or on behalf of the Neo‐Assyrian empire. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wine was a primary commodity in antiquity and prevalent in the Southern Levant Mediterranean-basin regions and Mesopotamia. Therefore, its identification in archaeological artifacts by chemical analysis is of great importance. Many studies of wine residues were conducted on pottery from Mediterranean and Near Eastern sites, using a wide range of approaches to extract and detect organic compounds. This article will evaluate and compare these methods and raise consequent considerations for the interpretation of results to arrive at a historic picture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sometimes, all that remains from the history of a place is its name. Thus, toponyms may provide valuable information. Moving backward in time, we trace the ancient history of the Arab/Crusader village Bēt ˁAṭab in western Judea, with remains from Middle-Bronze II (MB II), Iron III and Hellenistic periods. In Roman times it was Eusebius' Ēnadab, 'Spring of ˁaṭab', identified near the spring of this name mentioned in the Survey of Western Palestine. While missing from Masoretic Biblical town lists, Tatami of the Septuagint derives by dropping the b- from reconstructed batˁaṭami, traced to Northwest Semitic languages exhibiting the ay>ā diphthong contraction. The MB II final -i is analysed as an enclitic -mi, found also in the Execration Text (ET) Shechem, and as enclitic -ma in personal names from Alalaḫ VII. The 'prince' of nearby ET 'Ashnah (=Beth Shemesh) had an identical name as later Niqmi-epuh, King of Yamḫad, suggesting settlers from Yamḫad/Alalaḫ during the early 2nd millennium bce. In Bronze Age Bēt-X toponyms X was a deity. Thus, batˁaṭami = 'place of the vulture-goddess shrine'. This, and additional evidence, suggest that Egyptian king Senwosret III could have set a shrine to goddess Nekhbet on Bēt ˁAṭab's summit during his Shechem campaign. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fish are a prominent source of nutrients, yet in the southern Levant, clear evidence for fishing was scarce before the historic periods. In the current paper, we present the evidence for Natufian (ca. 15,000-11,700 cal BP) fishing with an emphasis on fishhooks, representing one of the best examples of an artefact that reached its morphological optimum thousands of years ago and continued to be widely used today. While fishing using various techniques and implements was probably in use well before the Natufian, this innovation seems to represent a new technique, more restricted and controlled, for obtaining this food source. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The calcaneal morphology changed considerably during human evolution to enable efficient bipedal locomotion. However, little information exists regarding its adaptation to changes in habitual activities following the transition to a sedentary lifestyle. We aimed to examine changes in calcaneal morphology during the Pleistocene-Holocene Levant in light of sexual dimorphism. We studied three archaic Homo sapiens calcanei dated to the Middle and Upper Paleolithic, 23 Natufian hunter-gatherers, 12 Pre-Pottery Neolithic early farmers, and 31 Chalcolithic farmers. The calcanei were scanned via a surface scanner and measured, and bone proportions were calculated. Measurements included the height, length, and width of various calcaneal elements. The sex of each individual was determined using methods based on calcaneal morphology. The validity of these methods was tested in those individuals who had the pelvis (92.3% agreement rate). Accordingly, the sample included 59.4% males and 40.6% females. Most calcaneal indices were sex-independent, except for the relative width, relative anterior length, and the cuboid index. Temporal trends between the Natufian and Chalcolithic periods were more pronounced among males than females. While in the proximal calcaneus, the temporal trend was similar between males and females, it differed in the distal part and articular facets. The calcanei of archaic H. sapiens exceeded the average of the Natufian hunter-gatherer for most variables, though the trend varied. To conclude, males and females were affected differently by the changing environment. The calcanei of archaic H. sapiens were better adapted for activity involving high mobility, independent of sex. During the transition to a sedentary way of life, different factors probably designed the male and female calcaneus. These could include factors related to the sexual division of labor, adaptation to lengthy standing, and changes in footwear.

The Hebrew Bible is not only an ancient religious text, but also imbues information about the lives of people. Beyond controversial matters in the text, links can be found to common humanity with ancient roots. This renders the text not only relevant for adherents to the religions based on this text, but to all people. The exemplar followed in this article is standing stones. Biblical authors frequently refer to standing stones. These references are sharply contrasting, with some condoning and others condemning, causing contention. Archaeologically, standing stones are a ubiquitous phenomenon all over the world throughout time. They abound in the southern Levant, the region for which the Hebrew Bible is a sacred text. The meaning of standing stones is multifarious, but ultimately relates to the numinous. Among other meanings, like other vertical elements, such as mountains and trees, they play a role in shamanism, an ancient and extensive worldview. Exploration of common human traits, ascribed to inborn neurophysiological and psychological factors, divulges explanations for universal phenomena such as shamanic worldviews and the physical manifestations of such worldviews, of which the standing stone is one. Multidisciplinary evidence from archaeological, ethnographic, and textual analysis reveals that both standing stones of the southern Levant and those in the Hebrew Bible exhibit meanings related to this cosmology which flows from unconscious properties common to all people. Going beyond controversial topics allows access to common human traits linking all people, in this case adding relevance to the biblical text. This approach could elucidate the human commonality hidden behind other dissonant subjects in the Hebrew Bible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pyrotechnological activities leave many traces in the archaeological record, most notably ash, which is the powdery residue of the combustion of organics such as wood. These traces have provided important insights into the biological and cultural evolution of humans. Given the common occurrence of ash layers at archaeological sites, the charred remains embedded within these features have been regularly targeted for radiocarbon dating. However, often charcoal does not preserve in sediments, and only the mineral fraction of ash is left. The latter is composed of calcium carbonate derived from the thermal decomposition of calcium oxalates produced by the plants used as fuel, and in principle can be dated using radiocarbon. Past attempts have shown that pyrogenic calcium carbonate in the form of calcite does not always preserve the radiocarbon content of the original plant, and that it is prone to recrystallization. Recently, pyrogenic aragonite (a metastable polymorph of calcium carbonate) in archaeological ash has produced accurate radiocarbon age determinations because its crystals did not recrystallize over time. In this paper, we report on the radiocarbon dating of an ash layer rich in aragonite identified at Tell es-Safi/Gath (Israel). Using a combination of infrared spectroscopy and micro-spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, phytolith analysis, micromorphology, and radiocarbon dating, we reconstructed the formation processes of the combustion feature and showed that most of the pyrogenic aragonite crystals in the ash layer exchanged carbon with the environment, and thus cannot be considered a closed system suitable for dating. Therefore, we proposed an improved extraction method to isolate the smallest crystals of pyrogenic aragonite and calcite, which are more likely to keep their original isotopic composition based on independent age controls from the same depositional context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Petrographic analysis of ceramics from the Naḥal Tsafit (ca. 4000 b.c.e.) campsite located in the Rotem Plain of the eastern Negev reflects pottery origins both in the Hebron Hills and environs, and most notably in the Faynan region. Attributed to the Chalcolithic Middle Timnian pastoral culture, mostly in deserts and contemporary with the Ghassulian culture, the analysis indicates connections to the copper source region in Faynan. Given the nomadic nature of the site, the absence of Ghassulian remains in Faynan, and the location of Naḥal Tsafit between Faynan and the Mediterranean subhumid climatic zone, the role of nomads as prime players in the Chalcolithic copper trade is suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article addresses the relationship between metalworking and cultic space in the Bronze Age Southern Levant, tracing the earliest evidence of metallurgical activities within Southern Levantine temples to the beginning of the Middle Bronze Age. This coincides with the appearance of a series of new cultic traditions in the region, including the large-scale dedication of votive offerings in temple settings. It is demonstrated that the local production within cultic venues was not intended primarily for the production of objects to be circulated outside the temple but mainly for the manufacture of goods to be used and offered during ritual activities conducted in the cultic spaces themselves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The production and maritime trade of salted-fish products are well documented in the western Mediterranean during the Classical and Roman periods. Ichthyological remains found within amphorae in shipwrecks and other archaeological contexts provide evidence for long-distance exchange based on the biogeographical distributions of fish species. The Ma'agan Mikhael B shipwreck (mid-seventh to mid-eighth century ad) found on the Carmel coast of Israel held three Late Roman amphorae which contained the remains of small fish. The identified species suggest a previously unknown fish-salting operation at the Sea of Galilee during the early Islamic period. The evidence also points to a distribution or trade centre for salted fish at Caesarea-Maritima after the transition to Islamic rule in the eastern Mediterranean. The results of this study demonstrate the value of archaeozoological methods applied to maritime archaeological contexts, attesting to production and trade activities that left few traces in the archaeological record of antiquity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The contemporary debate on the recognition that sophisticated art and architecture was produced in the Ancient Near East has reached a level of investigative maturity, using the tools of archaeology, but also of aesthetics, semiotics, history, and others. Thus, scholars have concluded that Mesopotamian art possesses the same grandeur as Egyptian and Greek art. Despite this, part of the region that makes up the Ancient Near East was considered peripheral in comparison to the Mesopotamian world. The Southern Levant, the place where most of the biblical narrative took place is in this situation and is considered peripheral, not only in art, but also in architecture. To adhere to this thesis without questioning it is to disregard that the same tools used to classify Mesopotamian art can be instruments for a critical reading of Levantine art, considering its peculiar characteristics, even if in a smaller numerical and qualitative proportion. One cannot relegate any artistic production to a peripheral minority. The second part of this article deals with the classification of Levantine art as peripheral and the possibilities that open up when we apply other critical tools for a re-reading. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The employment of the maritime medium by Southern Levantine societies is examined here through its engagement with coastline facilitation and the building of artificial harbors where natural bays are insufficient or non-existent. The development and availability of technologies and methods are surveyed and analyzed vis-à-vis local choices made to adopt or to reject mediating tools such as jetties, quays, and breakwaters. The article discusses technological and conceptual innovations against the background of long-term practices, essentially in favor of natural features. Despite the early adoption of emerging technologies by such exemplars as Iron Age Atlit, Hellenistic Akko-Ptolemaïs, or Roman Caesarea, the rest of the Southern Levant did not join in, and Caesarea, Akko-Ptolemaïs, and Atlit fell short of maintaining their facilities in the long term. The solution for ships was found instead in natural anchorages and, much more dominantly, in the beaching of smaller vessels and offshore anchoring of larger ones.

Even though pivotal for understanding many aspects of human behaviour, preservation and storage of animal resources has not received great attention from archaeologists. One could argue that the main problem lies in the difficulties of demonstrating meat storage archaeologically due to the lack of direct evidence. This paper represents an attempt to refine zooarchaeological methods for the recognition of meat preservation and storage at prehistoric sites. Drawing on the faunal assemblage from Kharaneh IV, an Early/Middle Epipalaeolithic aggregation site in eastern Jordan, this study demonstrates that a combination of taphonomic and contextual analyses alongside ethnographic information may indeed lead archaeologists to insights not directly available from the archaeological record. The empirical evidence presented here contributes to the archaeological visibility of meat preservation and storage, providing a clearer concept of the nature of these practices in pre-agricultural societies.

Even though pivotal for understanding many aspects of human behaviour, preservation and storage of animal resources has not received great attention from archaeologists. One could argue that the main problem lies in the difficulties of demonstrating meat storage archaeologically due to the lack of direct evidence. This paper represents an attempt to refine zooarchaeological methods for the recognition of meat preservation and storage at prehistoric sites. Drawing on the faunal assemblage from Kharaneh IV, an Early/Middle Epipalaeolithic aggregation site in eastern Jordan, this study demonstrates that a combination of taphonomic and contextual analyses alongside ethnographic information may indeed lead archaeologists to insights not directly available from the archaeological record. The empirical evidence presented here contributes to the archaeological visibility of meat preservation and storage, providing a clearer concept of the nature of these practices in pre-agricultural societies.

The function of the enigmatic Middle Bronze Age Courtyard Complexes at Shechem has remained at the forefront of debate concerning the courtyard palace form. Shechem's excavators have been unable to agree on the function of the Courtyard Complexes, with some viewing them as palaces and others as temples. Since the only detailed analysis of the Shechem Courtyard Complexes occurred almost four decades ago (Toombs 1985), a reassessment of the material is overdue. An analysis of the Phase 902 Courtyard Complex, the best preserved of the five sequential complexes, supports its architectural association with the courtyard palace form (Oren 1992), while also highlighting a commemorative function, centered around housing and honoring the deceased elite and administering the ancestral funerary cult. Moreover, a functional link with the later Migdol temple and standing stones suggests at least a partial transference of function to this new, and possibly introduced, temple form in the later Middle Bronze Age. Therefore, the Shechem Courtyard Complexes are to be associated with the courtyard palace form, along with a primarily funerary/commemorative function and are perhaps better viewed as elite funerary complexes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the slingstone assemblages recovered from two large-scale excavations at the Late Pottery Neolithic/Early Chalcolithic (c. 5800-4500 cal BCE) sites of 'En ippori and 'En Esur. Based on contextual, morphometric and other archaeological data, we suggest that during this time, the slings and slingstones were used as weapons. The high number of slingstones found within the settlements, and the traits of systematic production they reflect (formalization, standardization and time-consuming manufacturing), point to an organized production of weapons, interpreted as an escalation in the preparations for war, alluding to the possible existence of local power centers in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]