“…As a desert pavement develops in a stable arid environment, the OSL ages post-date the overlying lithics and provide a timeline for down-profile loess accumulation, perhaps during periods of relatively higher precipitation. The rate of deposition decreased in the Holocene when primary and secondary loess availability decreased (Avni et al, 2017) and the climate gradually aridified (Baruch and Goring-Morris, 1997; Robins et al, 2022; Vardi et al, 2023). Figure 6.OSL-dated section of the lower colluvial slope pedosediment (A and B soil horizons) at the Giv'at Barne'a site.…”
Open-air surface accumulations and scatters of material cultural remains often are perceived as less-reliable archaeological archives, where it is difficult to distinguish anthropogenic versus geogenic formation processes or to assess their specific effects on the integrity of archaeological records. Here we analyze the depositional histories of three Middle Paleolithic open-air sites in the Negev desert of Israel, combining archaeological and geomorphological methods to create a conceptual model of multi-scale effects on the archaeological remains. Relying on the long research history in archaeology and geomorphology in the Negev, we show that integration of archaeological and geomorphological methodologies provides nuanced insights to our understanding of the archaeological record. The links established between regional and local geomorphic processes and lithic taphonomy by applying such a multi-scale analysis further allow back-tracking environmental processes from flint taphonomic attributes. Placing each site within the range of regional and local processes of exposure and burial by using informed and critically evaluated data helps to create a robust regional archaeological data base. We suggest that our approach is useful in other arid zone contexts and may have implications for understanding Pleistocene population movements across such regions.
“…As a desert pavement develops in a stable arid environment, the OSL ages post-date the overlying lithics and provide a timeline for down-profile loess accumulation, perhaps during periods of relatively higher precipitation. The rate of deposition decreased in the Holocene when primary and secondary loess availability decreased (Avni et al, 2017) and the climate gradually aridified (Baruch and Goring-Morris, 1997; Robins et al, 2022; Vardi et al, 2023). Figure 6.OSL-dated section of the lower colluvial slope pedosediment (A and B soil horizons) at the Giv'at Barne'a site.…”
Open-air surface accumulations and scatters of material cultural remains often are perceived as less-reliable archaeological archives, where it is difficult to distinguish anthropogenic versus geogenic formation processes or to assess their specific effects on the integrity of archaeological records. Here we analyze the depositional histories of three Middle Paleolithic open-air sites in the Negev desert of Israel, combining archaeological and geomorphological methods to create a conceptual model of multi-scale effects on the archaeological remains. Relying on the long research history in archaeology and geomorphology in the Negev, we show that integration of archaeological and geomorphological methodologies provides nuanced insights to our understanding of the archaeological record. The links established between regional and local geomorphic processes and lithic taphonomy by applying such a multi-scale analysis further allow back-tracking environmental processes from flint taphonomic attributes. Placing each site within the range of regional and local processes of exposure and burial by using informed and critically evaluated data helps to create a robust regional archaeological data base. We suggest that our approach is useful in other arid zone contexts and may have implications for understanding Pleistocene population movements across such regions.
“…Until the Chalcolithic period, Junipers ( Juniperus phoenicea ) were also common in the Negev Highlands (late 6th and 5th millennia BCE; [ 45 ]). Archaeobotanical studies from the region indicate that during the late Pleistocene, a denser tree community existed in this area.…”
Section: The Negev Highlandsmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Archaeobotanical studies from the region indicate that during the late Pleistocene, a denser tree community existed in this area. The diminishing of the arboreal cover is attributed to human influence on the natural environment [ 45 , 46 ]. The same phenomenon has recently been observed in the Middle Paleolithic Judean Desert [ 47 ], and in the Iron Age southern Arabah [ 26 ].…”
The Negev Highlands arid region (southern Levant) shows evidence of sharp settlement fluctuations, with several periods of strong human activity separated by centuries with no evidence of sedentary life. In this study, we used the palynological method in order to shed light on the region’s demographic history in the Bronze and Iron Ages. Fifty-four samples of pollen were collected and analyzed from secure archaeological contexts in four Negev Highlands sites: Nahal Boqer 66, dated to the Early Bronze Age and Early Intermediate Bronze Age (ca. 3200–2200 BCE); Ein Ziq, dated to the Early Intermediate Bronze Age (ca. 2500–2200 BCE); Mashabe Sade, dated to the Intermediate Bronze Age (ca. 2500–2000 BCE); and Haroa, dated to the Iron Age IIA (ca. late 10th through 9th centuries BCE). Our study revealed no evidence of cereal cultivation, with some hints that the inhabitants’ diets may have included plants gathered from the wild. Only one of the sites, Nahal Boqer 66, showed micro-indicators of animal dung remains, suggesting that the inhabitants herded animals. The palynological evidence did, however, emphasize that the livestock there were not fed or supplemented with agricultural by-products but rather grazed freely on wild vegetation. The pollen data also suggest that all four sites were occupied only during late winter and spring. The activity in the Negev Highlands during the third millennium BCE was probably related to the copper industry in the Arabah and to copper transportation to settled neighboring lands, especially Egypt. A relatively humid climate supported the trade through the Negev Highlands. Deterioration in both climate conditions and settlement activity was documented in the second half of the Intermediate Bronze Age.
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