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The geographical evolution of Haifa Bay and Zevulun Plain, Israel, from the late Pleistocene to the Holocene, is based on detailed analysis of drilled cores. At the beginning of the Holocene the Bay area was still under terrestrial conditions. Only about 9500 to 9000 cal. yr BP, when sea level rose to about 35–30 m below present sea level (b.s.l.), did Nile-derived sand start to bypass the Carmel headland and Haifa Bay come into existence as a morphological feature. Between 8000 and 7150 cal. yr BP, when sea level was 14–10 m b.s.l., the invading sea crossed the present-day coastline. At about 6800 to 6600 cal. yr BP sea level rose to about 5 m b.s.l. and flooded the Zevulun Plain up to 2 km inland, and the River Qishon estuary up to 4 km inland. It is still unknown exactly when the sea reached its maximum penetration inland but later, about 4000 years ago, the coastline in the research area was still east of the present-day coast, up to 3 km in the Zevulun Plain and 4.8 km in the River Qishon estuary. When the coastline started to retreat westward, the reclamation was followed by intensive deposition of shallow marine sand and aeolian dunes, while to the east, different wetland conditions developed. The archaeological data indicate that during the Early Bronze Age I and Early Bronze Age II, dated to between 5600 and 4700 cal. yr BP, and even later, during the Middle Bronze Age II period, about 4600 to 3500 cal. yr BP, the coastline was still east of the present-day coast, but it never actually reached the bases of most of the tells, as has been suggested, except for Tel Akko and Tel Abu Hawam. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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 presents a study of the isotopic composition of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), stable and radioactive, in pore water of the unsaturated zone (USZ) above the coastal aquifer of Israel. The carbon content and its isotopic composition in the gas and solid phases of the USZ are also presented. In the soil gas, large quantities of CO2 with quite modern 14C activity were measured along the section (0.15 to 2.7% and 97 to 109pMC respectively). In the inorganic fraction of the sediments, the 14C activity between 2.5 and 13m was 33 to 1.5pMC. In the organic fraction the 14C activity between 7 and 9m was 40 to 33pMC. In the pore water, the high values of tritium and 14C at depths of ~15–18m have been attributed to the thermonuclear contamination of the 1960s. A significant decrease with depth in the DIC of pore water, from 23 to 4mmol C/L, along with a decrease with depth in dissolved inorganic 14C, from 100pMC near the surface to 72pMC at depth of 20m were observed. The δ13C values in the DIC are similar to the values in the inorganic sediment (~−10‰). A first order reaction was applied to estimate the yearly rates of DIC loss by net precipitation (3.2%/year) and of 14C activity (dpm/L) loss from the DIC by gross precipitation from the DIC on the sediment, (4.4%/year). From the gradient of dissolved inorganic 14C, the initial level at the bottom of the USZ, which is the groundwater table of the coastal aquifer of Israel, was estimated to be 0.54 of contemporaneous atmospheric value of 14C when the rain fell on the ground. This value can be used for improved dating of groundwater with 14C in the coastal aquifer of Israel. [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]

Galilean-type synagogues are monumental, basilical structures found in northern Israel that have long been dated, mainly on stylistic grounds, to the 2nd - 3rd centuries CE. This chronology is influenced by historical considerations - specifically, the notion that monumental synagogues must have been constructed before Jews came under Christian rule in the early 4th century. However, the stratigraphic contexts of the pottery and coins associated with the foundation of these buildings suggest they represent an architectural innovation dating to the 4th (especially the later 4th) to 6th centuries CE. The Huqoq Excavation Project was initiated in 2011 with the goal of determining the construction date of a Galilean-type synagogue through controlled stratigraphic excavation, including the systematic collection of samples for radiocarbon dating along with micromorphological analysis of the fill deposits. Here we present the initial results of these analyses, which indicate that the radiocarbon ages conform with the pottery data to place the construction of the Huqoq synagogue in the late 4th - early 5th centuries (late Roman period). However, the ages of dated samples from thick fills overlying the floor, which were deposited when the synagogue was rebuilt and expanded in the early 14th century (late medieval/Mamluk period) do not reflect the stratigraphic sequence., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2025 Mizzi et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Identification of the sex of modern, fossil and archaeological animal remains offers many insights into their demography, mortality profiles and domestication pathways. However, due to many-factors, sex determination of osteological remains is often problematic. To overcome this, we have developed an innovative protocol to determine an animal's sex from tooth enamel, by applying label-free quantification (LFQ) of two unique AmelY peptides 'LRYPYP' (AmelY;[M+2] 2 + 404.7212 m/z) and 'LRYPYPSY' (AmelY;[M+2] 2 + 529.7689 m/z) that are only present in the enamel of males. We applied this method to eight modern cattle (Bos taurus) of known sex, and correctly assigned them to sex. We then applied the same protocol to twelve archaeological Bos teeth from the Neolithic site of Beisamoun, Israel (8-th-7-th millennium BC) and determined the sex of the archaeological samples. Since teeth are usually better preserved than bones, this innovative protocol has potential to facilitate sex determination in ancient and modern bovine remains that currently cannot be sexed., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

The Levantine Early Upper Paleolithic (ca. 45-30 ka) has been a focus of research because of its unique position as a conduit of human, flora, and fauna species between Africa and Eurasia. Studies have mainly focused on the Early Ahmarian and Levantine Aurignacian, two entities, the former endemic and the latter foreign, which are considered to have coinhabited the region during that period. However, other cultural entities, such as the Atlitian in the Mediterranean region and the Arkov-Divshon in the arid regions of the southern Levant received less attention, and accordingly, suffer from broad definitions and chronological insecurity. These cultures hold potential insights regarding nuanced adaptations, reciprocal influences, and diachronic assimilation processes. The recently discovered site of Nahal Rahaf 2 Rockshelter in the Judean Desert provides integral information on one of these entities-the Arkov-Divshon. Two excavation seasons revealed a sequence of archaeological layers, with lithic assemblages in which laterally carinated items were prominent. Alongside rich faunal assemblages, other components of the material culture include perforated marine shells and bone tools, marking the first association of these elements with Arkov-Divshon and implying some degree of contact with the Mediterranean regions of the Levant. Good preservation of organic materials allowed radiocarbon dating of the human occupation at the site to ca. 37.5-34.0 ka cal BP, indicating chronological overlap with the Levantine Aurignacian, and possibly also with the latest phases of the Early Ahmarian. Thus, challenging the validity of the widely accepted 'Two Tradition' Model of the Levantine Upper Paleolithic. Lithic analyses suggest the use of one main reduction sequence and the primary production of bladelets from carinated items. Faunal remains suggest targeted hunting of ibex and gazelle. Botanical remains and sedimentary analyses suggest roughly similar environmental conditions, with a possible woodier environment in the surroundings of the site., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest There is no conflict of intrest., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Recent excavations of Late Antiquity settlements in the Negev Highlands of southern Israel uncovered a society that established commercial-scale viticulture in an arid environment [D. Fuks et al. , Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 117 , 19780-19791 (2020)]. We applied target-enriched genome-wide sequencing and radiocarbon dating to examine grapevine pips that were excavated at three of these sites. Our analyses revealed centuries long and continuous grape cultivation in the Southern Levant. The genetically diverse pips also provided clues to ancient cultivation strategies aimed at improving agricultural productivity and ensuring food security. Applying genomic prediction analysis, a pip dated to the eighth century CE was determined to likely be from a white grape, to date the oldest to be identified. In a kinship analysis, another pip was found to be descendant from a modern Greek cultivar and was thus linked with several popular historic wines that were once traded across the Byzantine Empire. These findings shed light on historical Byzantine trading networks and on the genetic contribution of Levantine varieties to the classic Aegean landscape.

Early Ahmarian, Levantine Aurignacian and Post-Levantine Aurignacian archeological assemblages show that the karstic Manot Cave, located 5 km east of the Mediterranean coast in the Western Galilee region of Israel, was intensively occupied during the Early Upper Paleolithic. The coexistence of these rich archaeological layers with speleothems in Manot Cave provides a window of opportunity for determining the relationships between climatic conditions and the nature of human activity and mobility patterns in the Western Galilee region during the Early Upper Paleolithic period. This study, based on four stalagmites that grew almost continuously from ∼75 to 26.5 ka, covers most of the last glacial, and overlaps with the human occupation of the cave. The speleothems oxygen (δ 18 O) and carbon (δ 13 C) isotopic records indicate that climate and environmental conditions fluctuated during the last glacial, some of which correspond with Dansgaard-Oeschger (D-O) cycles 12, 10, 7 and Heinrich (H) events VI and V. Consistent with independent evidence from botanic and faunal remains, these climatic shifts brought about significant environmental changes in the region, ranging from dominant thick Mediterranean forest to more open landscape. A good correlation with less negative δ 13 C values is most pronounced during the Early Ahmarian time period, but there was also a change to less negative δ 13 C values during the Levantine Aurignacian and Post-Levantine Aurignacian industries in the Levant. These positive δ 13 C shifts suggest that environmental transformation towards a more open grassy landscape dominated by C4 vegetation might have played an important role in the development of these cultural entities (mainly the Early Ahmarian) in Manot Cave region., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The excavation of Manot Cave (Israel) reveals intensive occupation during the Early Upper Paleolithic and provides the first continuous set of anthracological data available for the Ahmarian, Levantine Aurignacian and post-Levantine Aurignacian periods. The paper aims to study the vegetal landscape around Manot Cave in the context of climate changes that characterized the last part of the Marine Isotope Stage 3 (MIS 3) and to address the issue of firewood and food procurement among Paleolithic hunter-gatherers. Charcoal samples recovered from the archaeological layers at Manot Cave shed light on the fuel and food procurement strategies while radiocarbon dating and stable carbon isotope analysis (Δ 13 C) of selected charcoals provide information about the ancient climate. The results show that five woody taxa were exploited at the site; Amygdalus sp. was the most common species, whereas Quercus ithaburensis, Tamarix sp., Pomoideae indet., and Pistacia atlantica were relatively rare. The representations of the recovered wooden species suggest that an open forest of almonds and oaks existed in the area during MIS 3. Radiocarbon dating of Amygdalus sp. charcoals, coupled with stable carbon isotope analysis (Δ 13 C) of modern and archaeological Amygdalus sp. clearly indicate variations in rainfall that could have decreased the density of tree cover. These analyses provide high-resolution data on the climate changes affecting the surroundings of Manot Cave between ∼46 and 28 ka cal BP and indicate two drier phases corresponding to the Ahmarian and post-Levantine Aurignacian cultures while a more humid period identified during the Levantine Aurignacian., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Manot Cave contains important human fossils and archaeological assemblages related to the origin and dispersal of anatomically modern humans and the Upper Paleolithic period. This record is divided between an elevated in situ occupation area and a connecting talus. We, thus, investigated the interplay between the accumulation of the sediments and their associated artifacts in the occupation areas and the translocation of part of these sediments and artifacts down the talus. We examined the lithostratigraphy of two excavation locations in the occupation area (areas E and I), and two in the talus (areas C and D). We also assessed the diagenetic processes that have affected all these areas. A linear array of stalagmites and stalactites separates the occupation area from the talus, demarcating a major topographic barrier between the two. We infer that during human occupation, sediment accumulation of soil, wood ash, and bone was rapid and that some sediments with their associated artifacts overflowed the barrier and translocated down the talus. During periods of nonoccupation, the ash in the occupation area partially dissolved owing to the release of acid from the degrading bat and bird guano, and the layer thicknesses decreased. The south side of the talus (area C) has a normally stratified archaeological record, with the older archaeological materials underlying the younger materials. This suggests that the barrier between the occupation area and area C was relatively shallow and allowed a fairly continuous sediment accumulation in the talus. In the central part of the talus (area D), the stratigraphy is complex and shows mixing, presumably owing to the steep underlying bedrock topography and the mixing that occurs when sediments move down a steep slope. Finally, the distribution of secondary phosphates is consistent with the location of a main cave entrance to the south of the Paleolithic occupation area., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Radiocarbon dating is rarely applied in Classical and Post-Classical periods in the Eastern Mediterranean, as it is not considered precise enough to solve specific chronological questions, often causing the attribution of historic monuments to be based on circumstantial evidence. This research, applied in Jerusalem, presents a novel approach to solve this problem. Integrating fieldwork, stratigraphy, and microarchaeology analyses with intense radiocarbon dating of charred remains in building materials beneath Wilson's Arch, we absolutely dated monumental structures to very narrow windows of time-even to specific rulers. Wilson's Arch was initiated by Herod the Great and enlarged during the Roman Procurators, such as Pontius Pilatus, in a range of 70 years, rather than 700 years, as previously discussed by scholars. The theater-like structure is dated to the days of Emperor Hadrian and left unfinished before 132-136 AD. Through this approach, it is possible to solve archaeological riddles in intensely urban environments in the historical periods., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Charred olive wood is abundant in the archaeological record, especially around the Mediterranean. As the outermost ring closest to the bark is assumed to represent the latest time that the tree was alive, the radiocarbon date obtained from the outermost rings of an olive branch buried during the Santorini volcanic eruption is regarded as crucial evidence for the date of this cataclysmic event. The date of this eruption has far reaching consequences in the archaeology of the Aegean, Egypt and the Levant, and the understanding of their interconnections. We analyzed the radiocarbon concentrations in cross-sections from a modern olive tree trunk as well as from a living branch, and obtained near-annual resolution dates using the radiocarbon "bomb peak". In both cases we show that radiocarbon dates of the last formed wood along the circumference are not chronologically homogenous, and can differ by up to a few decades. Thus the outermost wood layer does not necessarily represent the date of the last year of growth. These findings challenge the interpretation of the results obtained from dating the olive branch from the Santorini volcanic eruption, as it could predate the eruption by a few decades. In addition, our results are also significant for any future studies based on archaeologically preserved olive wood.

A key event in human evolution is the expansion of modern humans of African origin across Eurasia between 60 and 40 thousand years (kyr) before present (bp), replacing all other forms of hominins. Owing to the scarcity of human fossils from this period, these ancestors of all present-day non-African modern populations remain largely enigmatic. Here we describe a partial calvaria, recently discovered at Manot Cave (Western Galilee, Israel) and dated to 54.7 ± 5.5 kyr bp (arithmetic mean ± 2 standard deviations) by uranium-thorium dating, that sheds light on this crucial event. The overall shape and discrete morphological features of the Manot 1 calvaria demonstrate that this partial skull is unequivocally modern. It is similar in shape to recent African skulls as well as to European skulls from the Upper Palaeolithic period, but different from most other early anatomically modern humans in the Levant. This suggests that the Manot people could be closely related to the first modern humans who later successfully colonized Europe. Thus, the anatomical features used to support the 'assimilation model' in Europe might not have been inherited from European Neanderthals, but rather from earlier Levantine populations. Moreover, at present, Manot 1 is the only modern human specimen to provide evidence that during the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic interface, both modern humans and Neanderthals contemporaneously inhabited the southern Levant, close in time to the likely interbreeding event with Neanderthals.

Near Eastern wild boars possess a characteristic DNA signature. Unexpectedly, wild boars from Israel have the DNA sequences of European wild boars and domestic pigs. To understand how this anomaly evolved, we sequenced DNA from ancient and modern pigs from Israel. Pigs from Late Bronze Age (until ca. 1150 BCE) in Israel shared haplotypes of modern and ancient Near Eastern pigs. European haplotypes became dominant only during the Iron Age (ca. 900 BCE). This raises the possibility that European pigs were brought to the region by the Sea Peoples who migrated to the Levant at that time. Then, a complete genetic turnover took place, most likely because of repeated admixture between local and introduced European domestic pigs that went feral. Severe population bottlenecks likely accelerated this process. Introductions by humans have strongly affected the phylogeography of wild animals, and interpretations of phylogeography based on modern DNA alone should be taken with caution.

Flowering plants possess mechanisms that stimulate positive emotional and social responses in humans. It is difficult to establish when people started to use flowers in public and ceremonial events because of the scarcity of relevant evidence in the archaeological record. We report on uniquely preserved 13,700-11,700-y-old grave linings made of flowers, suggesting that such use began much earlier than previously thought. The only potentially older instance is the questionable use of flowers in the Shanidar IV Neanderthal grave. The earliest cemeteries (ca. 15,000-11,500 y ago) in the Levant are known from Natufian sites in northern Israel, where dozens of burials reflect a wide range of inhumation practices. The newly discovered flower linings were found in four Natufian graves at the burial site of Raqefet Cave, Mt. Carmel, Israel. Large identified plant impressions in the graves include stems of sage and other Lamiaceae (Labiatae; mint family) or Scrophulariaceae (figwort family) species; accompanied by a plethora of phytoliths, they provide the earliest direct evidence now known for such preparation and decoration of graves. Some of the plant species attest to spring burials with a strong emphasis on colorful and aromatic flowers. Cave floor chiseling to accommodate the desired grave location and depth is also evident at the site. Thus, grave preparation was a sophisticated planned process, embedded with social and spiritual meanings reflecting a complex preagricultural society undergoing profound changes at the end of the Pleistocene.

Eight wooden objects were found at Ohalo II, a submerged and well-preserved site in the Sea of Galilee, Israel. The fisher-hunter-gatherers' site has been radiometrically dated to 22,500-23,500 (cal BP) with 45 assays read by four laboratories. The wooden objects were found on brush-hut floors. They include a bark plank with polish and use signs, pencil-shaped specimens with longitudinal shavings, and other types that may have been decorative or symbolic. One incised wooden object is identical in size and incision pattern to a gazelle bone implement found in a grave, behind a human skull. The recovered wooden objects are not directly related to hunting, gathering, or fishing, and frustratingly, there are no remains of bows, arrows, spears, handles, or other such items. Nonetheless, the objects present a wide repertoire in terms of size, shape, and possible function. The new finds add to the growing body of evidence concerning the use of perishable materials during the Upper Paleolithic.