Fishing for Answers: the rarity of fish and fishhooks in the Late Chalcolithic of the southern Levant and the significance of copper fishhooks

Rosenberg, Danny; Chasan, Rivka

doi:10.1111/1095-9270.12420

Cited by 6 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…The barbed hooks appear only in Layer 3b, the second of three Natufian layers at the site, after fish hooks had already been in use at the site for at least 1000 years [ 4 ], thus evidencing the evolution of hook fishing technology over the site’s use. Interestingly, barbs are also absent from hooks in later levels at JRD and at other Natufian and Neolithic sites in the southern Levant [ 66 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Early line and hook fishing at the Epipaleolithic site of Jordan River Dureijat (Northern Israel)

et al. 2021

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Nineteen broken and complete bone fish hooks and six grooved stones recovered from the Epipaleolithic site of Jordan River Dureijat in the Hula Valley of Israel represent the largest collection of fishing technology from the Epipaleolithic and Paleolithic periods. Although Jordan River Dureijat was occupied throughout the Epipaleolithic (~20–10 kya the fish hooks appear only at the later stage of this period (15,000–12,000 cal BP). This paper presents a multidimensional study of the hooks, grooved stones, site context, and the fish assemblage from macro and micro perspectives following technological, use wear, residue and zooarchaeological approaches. The study of the fish hooks reveals significant variability in hook size, shape and feature type and provides the first evidence that several landmark innovations in fishing technology were already in use at this early date. These include inner and outer barbs, a variety of line attachment techniques including knobs, grooves and adhesives and some of the earliest evidence for artificial lures. Wear on the grooved stones is consistent with their use as sinkers while plant fibers recovered from the grooves of one hook shank and one stone suggest the use of fishing line. This together with associations between the grooved stones and hooks in the same archaeological layers, suggests the emergence of a sophisticated line and hook technology. The complexity of this technology is highlighted by the multiple steps required to manufacture each component and combine them into an integrated system. The appearance of such technology in the Levantine Epipaleolithic record reflects a deep knowledge of fish behavior and ecology. This coincides with significant larger-scale patterns in subsistence evolution, namely broad spectrum foraging, which is an important first signal of the beginning of the transition to agriculture in this region.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…They are especially common at the water-logged site of Atlit Yam [ 63 – 65 ]. The switch to metal as the primary raw material for fishing hooks production took place as early as the Chalcolithic period in the Levant [ 66 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Early line and hook fishing at the Epipaleolithic site of Jordan River Dureijat (Northern Israel)

et al. 2021

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“…A potential hypothesis to explain this low use is that beeswax exploitation contrasted with the Chalcolithic socio-economic system. The Chalcolithic period is characterized by agro-pastoralism [ 105 ], with minimal evidence for hunting, gathering or fishing, even when wild resources were readily accessible [ 106 , 107 ]. Following the same trend, people likely exploited wild bee products in low amounts.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bee products in the prehistoric southern levant: evidence from the lipid organic record

et al. 2021

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Beehive products have a rich global history. In the wider Levantine region, bees had a significant role in Egypt and Mesopotamia, and intensive beekeeping was noted in Israel during the Biblical period when apiaries were first identified. This study investigates the origins of this extensive beekeeping through organic residue analysis of pottery from prehistoric sites in the southern Levant. The results suggest that beehive products from likely wild bees were used during the Chalcolithic period as a vessel surface treatment and/or as part of the diet. These functions are reinforced by comparison to the wider archaeological record. While the true frequency of beeswax use may be debated, alternatives to beehive products were seemingly preferred as wild resources contrasted with the socio-economic system centred on domesticated resources, controlled production and standardization. Bee products only became an important part of the economic canon in the southern Levant several millennia later.

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Dietary continuation in the southern Levant: a Neolithic-Chalcolithic perspective through organic residue analysis

Chasan

Spiteri

Rosenberg

2022

Archaeol Anthropol Sci

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Fishing for Answers: the rarity of fish and fishhooks in the Late Chalcolithic of the southern Levant and the significance of copper fishhooks

Cited by 6 publications

References 40 publications

Early line and hook fishing at the Epipaleolithic site of Jordan River Dureijat (Northern Israel)

Early line and hook fishing at the Epipaleolithic site of Jordan River Dureijat (Northern Israel)

Bee products in the prehistoric southern levant: evidence from the lipid organic record

Dietary continuation in the southern Levant: a Neolithic-Chalcolithic perspective through organic residue analysis

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