Abstract
Many different chronologies have been suggested for the thousands of dolmens scattered in the Southern Levant. Almost 200 years after the first report of Southern Levant dolmens, the debate places their chronology from as early as the Neolithic to the Iron Age and even later. Not a single radiometric date has been available for these megalithic burials and the wide chronological range is typically based upon finds from excavated dolmen chambers, primarily pottery typology. We present here the application of Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) to date the sediments from inside dolmen chambers in two dolmen fields in Northern Israel – Shamir and Kela. The results demonstrate the applicability of OSL in achieving reliable dates for chamber sediments and set the chronology of the northern Israel dolmens to the Intermediate Bronze (IB). Furthermore, OSL is demonstrated to detect complex stratigraphic history of chamber infill, identifying the last phase of sediment accumulation, and even identifying different accumulation histories between dolmen fields.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 104019 |
| Journal | Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports |
| Volume | 49 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jun 2023 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2023 Elsevier Ltd
Funding
Excavation of Shamir Dolmen 3 was done under IAA license number G73 and supported by a Tel-Hai College grant to GS. The Kela field excavations were performed under licensee A8718 and A9003 by the Israeli Antiquity Authority with H. E. Bron as co-manager, and the Kela field was surveyed by R. Assis and H. Mamalya. KR is grateful to the Bar-Ilan University President’s Scholarship for funding her Ph.D. We thank Y. Jacobi for sample preparation, R. Bar Nur for his tremendous assistance surveying the Shamir dolmen field, and the members of Kibbutz Shamir for their support. We would also like to acknowledge M. Oron, who assisted with measurement and recording; A. Shapiro, who drew the maps; R. Liran, who drew the plans and sections; A. Kleiner, who did the aeriel photography; and the many excavation volunteers. Excavation of Shamir Dolmen 3 was done under IAA license number G73 and supported by a Tel-Hai College grant to GS. The Kela field excavations were performed under licensee A8718 and A9003 by the Israeli Antiquity Authority with H. E. Bron as co-manager, and the Kela field was surveyed by R. Assis and H. Mamalya. KR is grateful to the Bar-Ilan University President's Scholarship for funding her Ph.D. We thank Y. Jacobi for sample preparation, R. Bar Nur for his tremendous assistance surveying the Shamir dolmen field, and the members of Kibbutz Shamir for their support. We would also like to acknowledge M. Oron, who assisted with measurement and recording; A. Shapiro, who drew the maps; R. Liran, who drew the plans and sections; A. Kleiner, who did the aeriel photography; and the many excavation volunteers.
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| Israeli Antiquity Authority | |
| Tel-Hai College | A9003, A8718 |
Keywords
- Dolmen chronology
- Intermediate Bronze Age
- Megalithic Burials
- Optically stimulated luminescence
- Southern Levant