Deciphering human prehistory through the geoarcheological study of cave sediments

Abstract

Caves form within lithified (cemented) rocks, most characteristically a wide variety of carbonate rocks (dolomite and limestone in particular) or sandstones. Much less commonly, however, caves can be found in other rock types, such as extrusive igneous lava tubes, salt (for example, Mt. Sedom, Israel) or, as in the case of the Qumran Caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found, within soft marls or other unconsolidated sediments. 1 Here we emphasize karst or carbonate environments, as they represent the majority of archeological cave environments. [2][3][4][5][6][7][8] Humans explored deep caves, engaged in mineral mining, performed rituals, and produced art; however, they did not use cave interiors as longterm habitation areas. Within deep cave systems, surfaces typically remain stable for long periods of time, up to millions of years, so these characteristically sparse archeological records are usually on the same surface and rarely involve stratigraphy. 9 Most cave-related archeological studies focus on cave entrances, specifically areas at and within the entrance where light is limited but still present, which often are called twilight zones. Here, sediments from multiple sources accumulate, resulting in complex stratigraphic sequences that provide some of the best windows available into human prehistory. In this review we concentrate on these cave entrances, which are characterized by subterranean passages and larger chambers than those of rockshelters and shallow rock recesses, which exist completely within the reaches of natural light, ambient temperature, and moisture conditions. 10,11 Rockshelters and their sediments are more susceptible to the atmosphere. As a result, the depositional and postdepositional processes acting in rockshelter settings are somewhat different from those in caves, more akin to open-air sites. Sediments in rockshelter environments have been the focus on sevThroughout human history, caves and rockshelters have been favored habitation places. These unique environments preserve sediments derived from an assortment of geological and human processes that are typically absent or masked at open-air sites. Cave sediments are parts of larger stratigraphic frameworks that can reflect environmental changes, shifting microenvironments, and the nature of human activity within these confined and sheltered spaces. Stone tools and faunal material compose the artifact assemblages from caves that are typically studied. Cave sediments, on the other hand, which encase the archeological finds and which have both geological and human origins, have been understudied relative to traditional artifacts, in spite of their ubiquity and importance. Thus, anthropogenic sediments, the most striking of which are organic-rich deposits, and combustion features merit the same attention as any other artifacts that result from human activities and behaviors.The purpose of this paper is to highlight some of the most salient aspects of prehistoric cave sediments and the processes revealed by recent studies of these ac...

The origins and significance of coastal resource use in Africa and Western Eurasia

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“…Based on past experience with similar deposits at Zhoukoudian (Goldberg et al 2001) and at Kebara (Meignen et al 1989;in press) and Qesem Caves, Israel (Karkanas et al 2007), micromorphology was used for studying the evidence for burning and other activities related to the use of fire in Layer 8 (Goldberg and Sherwood 2006). This method is particularly suitable to evaluate the processes that produced the often indistinct boundaries observed between the layered ashy deposits and the darker sediments, as well as the locally cemented areas at the base of the layer.…”

Geoarchaeological Investigation of Site Formation and Depositional Environments at the Middle Palaeolithic Open-Air Site of ‘Ein Qashish, Israel

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