Continuity and climate change: the Neolithic coastal settlement of Habonim North, Israel

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. [...]