Spatial Organization of Hominin Activities at Gesher Benot Ya’aqov, Israel

Alperson-Afil, Nira; Sharon, Gonen; Kislev, Mordechai E.; Melamed, Yoel; Zohar, Irit; Ashkenazi, Shosh; Rabinovich, Rivka; Biton, Rebecca; Werker, Ella; Hartman, Gideon; Feibel, Craig S.; Goren‐Inbar, Naama

doi:10.1126/science.1180695

Cited by 126 publications

(75 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…3). This remarkable difference is evident despite the extent of interarchaeological layer variability, which also characterizes other components of the archaeological horizons (expressed by extensive differences in the frequencies of lithic artifacts, fauna, and flora) (11,29,39).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Low palatability of USOs can, in certain taxa, be handled by roasting/grinding/leaching to deactivate toxins or extract starch from fibrous tissues. There is ample evidence for the important role of fire at GBY, with its control and repeated use shown by burned lithics and charred wood, bark, grains, and fruits (28,29). Fire was instrumental in enriching the value of the diet and adding resources that are unpalatable without heating (30).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Various multidisciplinary studies of the record of GBY have shown that the strata were sealed rapidly and hence, preserved the components (remains of hominin activity and others) and their original spatial organization. These studies include, among others, taphonomic studies of malacology (35), crustaceans (41), fish (29), and mammals (36). In addition, a wealth of taphonomic information originating from the analyses of stone artifacts provides additional insight into the integrity of the assemblages that form the content of the archaeological horizons.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The plant component of an Acheulian diet at Gesher Benot Ya‘aqov, Israel

Melamed

Kislev

Geffen

et al. 2016

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Diet is central for understanding hominin evolution, adaptation, and environmental exploitation, but Paleolithic plant remains are scarce. A unique macrobotanical assemblage of 55 food plant taxa from the Acheulian site of Gesher Benot Ya'aqov, Israel includes seeds, fruits, nuts, vegetables, and plants producing underground storage organs. The food plant remains were part of a diet that also included aquatic and terrestrial fauna. This diverse assemblage, 780,000 y old, reflects a varied plant diet, staple plant foods, environmental knowledge, seasonality, and the use of fire in food processing. It provides insight into the wide spectrum of the diet of mid-Pleistocene hominins, enhancing our understanding of their adaptation from the perspective of subsistence. Our results shed light on hominin abilities to adjust to new environments, facilitating population diffusion and colonization beyond Africa. We reconstruct the major vegetal foodstuffs, while considering the possibility of some detoxification by fire. The site, located in the Levantine Corridor through which several hominin waves dispersed out of Africa, provides a unique opportunity to study mid-Pleistocene vegetal diet and is crucial for understanding subsistence aspects of hominin dispersal and the transition from an African-based to a Eurasian diet.Acheulian | food plants | paleo diet | use of fire | seasonality

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The plant component of an Acheulian diet at Gesher Benot Ya‘aqov, Israel

Melamed

Kislev

Geffen

et al. 2016

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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“…The Early to Middle Pleistocene sediments of GBY are located at the shores of the pal eo-Lake Hula, in the Dead Sea Rift (Goren-Inbar et al. 2000;Alperson-Afil et al. 2009;Spir� et al.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Early–Middle Pleistocene environmental and climatic change and the human expansion in Western Europe: A case study with small vertebrates (Gran Dolina, Atapuerca, Spain)☆

Cuenca‐Bescós

Melero-Rubio

Rofes

et al. 2011

Journal of Human Evolution

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“…But GBY also offers other advantages to hominins (Stekelis et al, 1937(Stekelis et al, , 1938Alperson-Afil et al, 2009;van Zeist and Bottema, 2009). Unlike many potential migration-hunting sites, the migratory animals are not the only resource (Goren-Inbar et al, 1992Shoshani et al, 2001;Rosenfeld et al, 2004;.…”

Section: Gesher Benot Ya'aqov (Gby)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Hominin reactions to herbivore distribution in the Lower Palaeolithic of the Southern Levant

Dévès

Sturdy²,

Godet³

et al. 2014

Quaternary Science Reviews

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We explore the relationship between the edaphic potential of soils and the mineral properties of the underlying geology as a means of mapping the differential productivity of different areas of the Pleistocene landscape for large herbivores. These factors strongly control the health of grazing animals irrespective of the particular types of vegetation growing on them, but they have generally been neglected in palaeoanthropological studies in favour of a more general emphasis on water and vegetation, which provide an incomplete picture. Taking the Carmel-Galilee-Golan region as an example, we show how an understanding of edaphic potential provides insight into how animals might have exploited the environment. In order to simplify the analysis, we concentrate on the Lower Palaeolithic period and the very large animals that dominate the archaeofaunal assemblages of this period. Topography and the ability of soils to retain water also contribute to the differential productivity and accessibility of different regions and to patterns of seasonal movements of the animals, which are essential to ensure a supply of healthy fodder throughout the year, especially for large animals such as elephants, which require substantial regions of good grazing and browsing. Other animals migrating in groups have similar needs. The complex topography of the Southern Levant with frequent sudden and severe changes in gradient, and a wide variety of landforms including rocky outcrops, cliffs, gorges, and ridges, places major limits on these patterns of seasonal movements. We develop methods of mapping these variables, based on the geology and our substantial field experience, in order to create a framework of landscape variation that can be compared with the locations and contents of archaeological sites to suggest ways in which early hominins used the variable features of the landscape to target animal prey, and extend the analysis to the consideration of smaller mammals that were exploited more intensively after the disappearance of the elephants. We consider some of the ways in which this regional-scale approach can be further tested and refined, and advocate the development of such studies as an essential contribution to understanding the wider pattern of hominin dispersal.

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Spatial Organization of Hominin Activities at Gesher Benot Ya’aqov, Israel

Cited by 126 publications

References 15 publications

The plant component of an Acheulian diet at Gesher Benot Ya‘aqov, Israel

The plant component of an Acheulian diet at Gesher Benot Ya‘aqov, Israel

The Early–Middle Pleistocene environmental and climatic change and the human expansion in Western Europe: A case study with small vertebrates (Gran Dolina, Atapuerca, Spain)☆

Hominin reactions to herbivore distribution in the Lower Palaeolithic of the Southern Levant

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