The distribution and treatment of fire remains across Unit V of the Middle Paleolithic open-air site of Nesher Ramla, Israel

Alyssa Victoria Pietraszek, Yossi Zaidner, Ruth Shahack-Gross

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3 Scopus citations

Abstract

While abundant evidence for the use of fire has been identified for the Paleolithic period in the Levant, little evidence has come from open-air sites. This scarcity has brought into question the preservation potential of fragile fire remains at this type of site, which is normally exposed to wind deflation and fluvial erosion, and whether or not fire was used at all. A recently discovered site inside a karstic sinkhole at Nesher Ramla, Israel shows promise of filling this knowledge gap. With abundant evidence for well-preserved human activities, including the preservation of combustion features, this Middle Paleolithic site provides a glimpse into the use of fire at open-air sites. This study aims to provide a clearer picture of the spatial distribution of fire residues across the richest unit at Nesher Ramla, Unit V, and to identify possible behaviors associated with the use of fire. The presence of burned bones and ash pseudomorphs across this unit shows that fire activities were indeed prevalent at the site. However, the relatively low concentrations of ash pseudomorphs require an explanation. Two options are discussed: a short-term occupation (hours to a few days) or the partial preservation of the ash pseudomorphs. The presence of these fire remains in nearly every sample, with slightly higher concentrations coming from the eastern part of the unit, suggests more intensive occupation and their reworking across the site, potentially unintentionally by trampling or intentionally by sweeping and depositing the ash in a specified dump area. In addition to supporting previous research suggesting intensive occupation (e.g. via artifact densities) associated with combustion remains at Unit V of Nesher Ramla, the results of this study further shed light on behaviors associated with the treatment of fire remains and partitioned use of space at open-air sites.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)107-116
Number of pages10
JournalQuaternary International
Volume624
DOIs
StatePublished - 30 Jun 2022
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 Elsevier Ltd and INQUA

Funding

This research was funded by an Israel Science Foundation grant (No. 1936/18 ) to Y.Z. for post-excavation analyses including the geoarchaeological analyses reported here. The excavations at Nesher Ramla were conducted by Y.Z. on behalf of the Zinman Institute of Archaeology, University of Haifa. Don H. Butler helped with analyses at the Laboratory for Sedimentary Archaeology, University of Haifa. Sergey Alon helped with preparation of figures. We also thank Laura Centi, Roey Nickelsberg, and Marion Prévost for helping to retrieve sediment samples from storage, and the two anonymous reviewers for their thoughtful and constructive comments. A.V. Pietraszek is supported by a Ph.D. scholarship from the Graduate Studies Authority at the University of Haifa , the Sir Maurice Hatter and Lady Irene Hatter Research Grant from the Leon Recanati Institute for Maritime Studies , as well as by funds from the Laboratory for Sedimentary Archaeology at the University of Haifa and Israel Science Foundation grant No. 1936/18 . This research was funded by an Israel Science Foundation grant (No. 1936/18) to Y.Z. for post-excavation analyses including the geoarchaeological analyses reported here. The excavations at Nesher Ramla were conducted by Y.Z. on behalf of the Zinman Institute of Archaeology, University of Haifa. Don H. Butler helped with analyses at the Laboratory for Sedimentary Archaeology, University of Haifa. Sergey Alon helped with preparation of figures. We also thank Laura Centi, Roey Nickelsberg, and Marion Pr?vost for helping to retrieve sediment samples from storage, and the two anonymous reviewers for their thoughtful and constructive comments. A.V. Pietraszek is supported by a Ph.D. scholarship from the Graduate Studies Authority at the University of Haifa, the Sir Maurice Hatter and Lady Irene Hatter Research Grant from the Leon Recanati Institute for Maritime Studies, as well as by funds from the Laboratory for Sedimentary Archaeology at the University of Haifa and Israel Science Foundation grant No. 1936/18.

FundersFunder number
University of Haifa and Israel Science Foundation
Zinman Institute of Archaeology
Israel Science Foundation1936/18
University of Haifa

    Keywords

    • Ash
    • Hominin behavior
    • Middle Paleolithic
    • Spatial distribution
    • Use of fire

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