Page 54 - TINA Dergi Sayi 10

TINA

Denizcilik Arkeolojisi Dergisi

Initial processing of archaeological material 9200 BP). Pre-Pottery Neolithic A and B (PPNA,
on land. The recovered archaeological material and PPNB) sites are missing in the submerged archae-
finds were treated on shore according to their state ological record in Israel. No sites associated with
of preservation and material composition: 1) wa- these periods have been identified so far. The ab-
terlogged plant material was preserved in freshwater sence of such sites may be due a settlement hiatus on
and alcohol solution in sealed plastic jars to prevent the coast, with the first wave of Neolithic habitation
algae growth, contamination and decay. Samples in this region taking place only during the later
intended for analyses such as radiocarbon dating or Pre-Pottery Neolithic C period (see below).
wood identification were kept in sea water and low 3. Permanent Late Pre-Pottery Neolithic (PPNC)
temperature conditions, 2) animal and human bones, settlement (ca. 9200 - 8400 BP) is represented by
flint, wood and bone artefacts were soaked several Atlit -Yam with deposits embedded in a palaeosol
times in basins of freshwater to eradicate salts, between kurkar ridges. The preceding PPNB wit-
3) excavated sediments underwent a series of wet nessed an increase in population size, intensified ex-
sorting using different mesh, and the hovering wa- ploitation of the environment and accelerated human
terlogged plant remains were collected and kept in intervention in natural ecosystems . Some research-
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water /alcohol solution or sea water. The remaining ers have suggested that at the very end of the PPNB,
sorted materials were divided into different catego- intensive exploitation of natural resources around
ries and sizes. Lithic artefacts, debitage, stones and permanent agricultural mega-settlements disturbed
bones >2cm, were removed by hand and dried on the human/environmental equilibrium, damaging the
trays. The finer sediment residue was dried on trays socioeconomic system . At that time, new economic
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and then picked for small finds (bone, flint, wood, strategies suited to a range of different environmen-
plant materials etc.) . tal conditions, evolved in the Near East, aiming
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D. tYPOLOGY OF tHe SubmerGeD SIteS at coping with the situation. As noted above, this
The sites identified using the Israeli model are in- marked the beginning of permanent coastal habita-
corporated into an overall chronological typology: tion in the PPNC with a mixed mode of subsistence
1. Scattered Middle to Epi-Palaeolithic artifacts that included: 1) dry farming, primarily of wheat
buried in palaeosol deposits. and barley which supplied carbohydrate-based cal-
Middle-Palaeolithic flint implements (ca. 250,000- ories; legumes that supplied vegetable proteins as
22,000 BP), mostly Mousterian Levallois, were well as carbohydrate-based calories; flax (linen?)
recovered in Kfar Samir central sector. Upper Pa- that supplied fibers to produce ropes and nets, 2) ani-
laeolithic artifacts (ca. 22,000-11,500 BP), mainly mal husbandry, primarily of domestic sheep and goat
microlithic in nature, were located in Caesarea but also of cattle and pigs, who supplied meat as
southern anchorage. These types of sites are un- well as leather and perhaps with some exploitation
der-represented in the submerged prehistoric record, of secondary products (wool, milk),
probably due to factors outlined in Section A. 3) harvesting of wild plants and vegetables, hunting
2. Early Pre-Pottery Neolithic sites (ca. 11,500- and fishing were also practiced.

Fig. 14: Kfar Samir’de Çanak Çömlekli Neolitik su kuyusu belge-
lenirken, 2014. (I. Grinberg)
Fig. 14: Documenting a PN water well from Kfar Samir, 2014. (I.
Grinberg)

50 GALILI et al. 1993, 2005b, 2017d.
51 e.g. BAR-YOSEF-MEADOW 1995, BAR-YOSEF 2001; SIMMONS 2007.
52 BAR-YOSEF 2001; ROLLEFSON -KÖHLER-ROLLEFSON 1993; GALILI et al. 2002.
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