The early Pre-Pottery Neolithic B site at Nesher-Ramla Quarry, Israel

Micka Ullman; Lena Brailovsky; Heeli C. Schechter; Lior Weissbrod; Roni Zuckerman-Cooper; Michael B. Toffolo; Valentina Caracuta; Elisabetta Boaretto; Steve Weiner; Julia Abramov; Daniella E. Bar-Yosef Mayer; Vladimir Wolff Avrutis; Shlomo Kol-Ya'kov; Amos Frumkin

doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2021.04.019

The early Pre-Pottery Neolithic B site at Nesher-Ramla Quarry, Israel

Micka Ullman, Lena Brailovsky, Heeli C. Schechter, Lior Weissbrod, Roni Zuckerman-Cooper, Michael B. Toffolo, Valentina Caracuta, Elisabetta Boaretto, Steve Weiner, Julia Abramov, Daniella E. Bar-Yosef Mayer, Vladimir Wolff Avrutis, Shlomo Kol-Ya'kov, Amos Frumkin

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

4 Scopus citations

Abstract

Routine quarrying activity at the Nesher-Ramla Quarry, in the Judean Lowlands, Israel, has recently exposed a new Early Holocene archaeological site located in a small natural sinkhole, one of many dolines scattered in the area, dated to the Early Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (EPPNB). It is the first site of this period to be uncovered in the narrow strip of land between the Judean Mts. and the coastal plain. This site, dubbed NRQN, contains lithic artifacts, groundstone tools, shells and beads as well as botanical and faunal remains. Here we combine data from a series of studies on the site's stratigraphy and radiometric dating, paleoenvironment, sediments and material culture, with the aim of understanding the role of the site in the EPPNB sphere. Various human activities took place in or immediately adjacent to the sinkhole, predominantly domestic in nature, including stone-tool making and food consumption. However, some of the sediments deep within the sinkhole underwent intense in situ combustion, possibly associated with episodes of lime-plaster production. The filling of the sinkhole appears to have occurred rapidly, not exceeding a few hundred years (ca. 10,500–10,300 cal. BP) and was driven by both geogenic and anthropogenic sedimentation processes. Good preservation of microvertebrate, macrovertebrae, short-lived plants and wood remains at the site, provides a unique opportunity to study the environmental characteristics of this geographical area during the Early Holocene, which appears to have been of an open grassy landscape with patchy Mediterranean forest, resembling the current environmental conditions. Studying the characteristics of Early Holocene human activity at the site, its paleoenvironment, and the site formation mechanisms, also provides useful comparisons with the nearby NRQ Middle Paleolithic site (this issue).

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	148-167
Number of pages	20
Journal	Quaternary International
Volume	624
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2021.04.019
State	Published - 30 Jun 2022
Externally published	Yes

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 Elsevier Ltd and INQUA

Funding

Thanks are due to Bouky Boaz, the logistic manager and administrator of the project. We are grateful to the Zinman Institute of Archaeology at the University of Haifa for the academic patronage. Thanks are due to the Nesher Israel Cement Enterprises Ltd for funding this long-term project and providing plenty of technical assistance in the field. We thank in particular Yoram Golan, the Nesher-Ramla quarry planning and development manager. Many thanks are due to the excavation team – Salim, Wahid, Said, Mustafa, Abu Ali, Mumtaz, Mhamad and Asaph who worked tirelessly under harsh winter conditions and made fieldwork possible. We also thank Viatcheslav Pirsky and Sergey Alon for producing field measurements, 3D documentation, location maps, plans and sections of the site; Sergey Alon for stone tools drawings and illustrations layout; Tomer Appelbaum for field photography; Anya Hayat for studio photography and layout of the shells illustration; Yuli Gekht for designing, programing and maintaining the excavation's computerised database; Gadi Herzlinger for his assistance in conducting statistical analysis and operating the JMP software; Noa Klein for her help in preparing some of the graphics and assistance in operating the Illustrator software; and Oz Varoner for his advice and knowledge regarding prehistoric research and raw material spatial distribution of the Nesher-Ramla area. We thank H.K. Mienis consultations regarding molluskan taxonomy. Our appreciation goes to the scholars and friends who shared their knowledge and advice; Prof. Reuven Yeshurun, Prof. Nigel Goring-Morris, Dr. Uri Davidovich, Prof. Erella Hovers, Prof. Na'ama Goren-Inbar, Dr. Yossi Zaidner, Prof. Ruth Shahack-Gross, Prof. Danny Rosenberg and Prof. Yuval Goren.

Funders	Funder number
Bouky Boaz
Nesher Israel Cement Enterprises LTD
Zinman Institute of Archaeology
University of Haifa

Keywords

EPPNB
Paleoenvironment
Sinkhole
Site formation processes
Southern levant

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Access to Document

10.1016/j.quaint.2021.04.019

Cite this

Ullman, M., Brailovsky, L., Schechter, H. C., Weissbrod, L., Zuckerman-Cooper, R., Toffolo, M. B., Caracuta, V., Boaretto, E., Weiner, S., Abramov, J., Bar-Yosef Mayer, D. E., Avrutis, V. W., Kol-Ya'kov, S., & Frumkin, A. (2022). The early Pre-Pottery Neolithic B site at Nesher-Ramla Quarry, Israel. Quaternary International, 624, 148-167. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2021.04.019

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abstract = "Routine quarrying activity at the Nesher-Ramla Quarry, in the Judean Lowlands, Israel, has recently exposed a new Early Holocene archaeological site located in a small natural sinkhole, one of many dolines scattered in the area, dated to the Early Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (EPPNB). It is the first site of this period to be uncovered in the narrow strip of land between the Judean Mts. and the coastal plain. This site, dubbed NRQN, contains lithic artifacts, groundstone tools, shells and beads as well as botanical and faunal remains. Here we combine data from a series of studies on the site's stratigraphy and radiometric dating, paleoenvironment, sediments and material culture, with the aim of understanding the role of the site in the EPPNB sphere. Various human activities took place in or immediately adjacent to the sinkhole, predominantly domestic in nature, including stone-tool making and food consumption. However, some of the sediments deep within the sinkhole underwent intense in situ combustion, possibly associated with episodes of lime-plaster production. The filling of the sinkhole appears to have occurred rapidly, not exceeding a few hundred years (ca. 10,500–10,300 cal. BP) and was driven by both geogenic and anthropogenic sedimentation processes. Good preservation of microvertebrate, macrovertebrae, short-lived plants and wood remains at the site, provides a unique opportunity to study the environmental characteristics of this geographical area during the Early Holocene, which appears to have been of an open grassy landscape with patchy Mediterranean forest, resembling the current environmental conditions. Studying the characteristics of Early Holocene human activity at the site, its paleoenvironment, and the site formation mechanisms, also provides useful comparisons with the nearby NRQ Middle Paleolithic site (this issue).",

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Ullman, M, Brailovsky, L, Schechter, HC, Weissbrod, L, Zuckerman-Cooper, R, Toffolo, MB, Caracuta, V, Boaretto, E, Weiner, S, Abramov, J, Bar-Yosef Mayer, DE, Avrutis, VW, Kol-Ya'kov, S & Frumkin, A 2022, 'The early Pre-Pottery Neolithic B site at Nesher-Ramla Quarry, Israel', Quaternary International, vol. 624, pp. 148-167. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2021.04.019

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AU - Ullman, Micka

AU - Brailovsky, Lena

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AU - Zuckerman-Cooper, Roni

AU - Toffolo, Michael B.

AU - Caracuta, Valentina

AU - Boaretto, Elisabetta

AU - Weiner, Steve

AU - Abramov, Julia

AU - Bar-Yosef Mayer, Daniella E.

AU - Avrutis, Vladimir Wolff

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AU - Frumkin, Amos

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The early Pre-Pottery Neolithic B site at Nesher-Ramla Quarry, Israel

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Funding

Keywords

UN SDGs

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