'Ain Ghazal: A Major Neolithic Settlement in Central Jordan

Simmons, Alan H.; Köhler‐Rollefson, Ilse; Rollefson, Gary O.; Mandel, Rolfe D.; Kafafi, Zeidan

doi:10.1126/science.240.4848.35

Cited by 42 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…[15]). The samples were not deposited in a single event so it seems that farmers had significant control over water availability, possibly mediated through use of the spring and floodplains in the immediate vicinity of the site [66–68]. …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Stable Carbon Isotope Evidence for Neolithic and Bronze Age Crop Water Management in the Eastern Mediterranean and Southwest Asia

et al. 2015

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In a large study on early crop water management, stable carbon isotope discrimination was determined for 275 charred grain samples from nine archaeological sites, dating primarily to the Neolithic and Bronze Age, from the Eastern Mediterranean and Western Asia. This has revealed that wheat (Triticum spp.) was regularly grown in wetter conditions than barley (Hordeum sp.), indicating systematic preferential treatment of wheat that may reflect a cultural preference for wheat over barley. Isotopic analysis of pulse crops (Lens culinaris, Pisum sativum and Vicia ervilia) indicates cultivation in highly varied water conditions at some sites, possibly as a result of opportunistic watering practices. The results have also provided evidence for local land-use and changing agricultural practices.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Stable Carbon Isotope Evidence for Neolithic and Bronze Age Crop Water Management in the Eastern Mediterranean and Southwest Asia

et al. 2015

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“…11c: in situ strata, TOC maxima, remnants of plastered floors, maxima in magnetic susceptibility), the cultural rise and decline at 'Ain Ghazal corresponds well to increasing and decreasing levels of humidity. In conclusion, although the genesis of Yarmoukian rubble layers cannot be directly attributed to climatic impacts, the transition to a PPNC pastoral economy (Simmons et al, 1988) and the subsequent complete depopulation of the site following the Yarmoukian is indeed likely to have been caused by increasing levels of aridity.…”

Section: Environmental Implications and Conclusionmentioning

confidence: 98%

The decline of the early Neolithic population center of 'Ain Ghazal and corresponding earth-surface processes, Jordan Rift Valley

et al. 2012

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Ain Ghazal is among the earliest large population centers known in the Middle East. A total of four major stratigraphic cultural units have been identified: 1) The oldest Middle Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (MPPNB) unit (10.2 to 9.5 cal ka BP) clearly corresponds with the early Holocene maximum Dead Sea levels. 2) The second unit consists of Late Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (LPPNB) in situ walls and hearths. 3) In the subsequent PPNC (8.9 to 8.6 cal ka BP) the population density at the settlement drops dramatically, which corresponds with a significant drop in the Dead Sea level. 4) The 4th stratigraphic unit is characterized by the "Yarmoukian rubble layer". Additionally, there is evidence for a previously unrecognized use of the site by Chalcolithic pastoralists. Sedimentological analyses reveal a constant increase in dust from a remote source during the entire human occupation period, which correlates well with the detectable drops in climatic humidity from the Dead Sea. As the major focus of this study, we can now rule out previous notions that the "Yarmoukian" rubble layer could have been produced by (catastrophic) slope-scale gravitational movements. To this point, it appears that the Neolithic mega-site was abandoned due to a climatic aridification.

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“…The remarkably preserved, decorated skulls and masks from Nahal Hemar, a cave in the Judean Desert, are another example of the detail and skill exhibited by Neolithic artisans in revering their dead (Bar-Yosef and Alon 1988). In 1988, another example of this rarelyencountered mortuary practice was uncovered at 'Ain Ghazal, a major Neolithic center in central Jordan (FIG. 1).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%