Persistent Neanderthal occupation of the open-air site of 'Ein Qashish, Israel.
Over the last two decades, much of the recent efforts dedicated to the Levantine Middle Paleolithic has concentrated on the role of open-air sites in the settlement system in the region. Here focus on the site of 'Ein Qashish as a cases study. Located in present-day northern Israel, the area of...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2019-01-01
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| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0215668 |
| _version_ | 1819146350373109760 |
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| author | Ravid Ekshtain Ariel Malinsky-Buller Noam Greenbaum Netta Mitki Mareike C Stahlschmidt Ruth Shahack-Gross Nadav Nir Naomi Porat Daniella E Bar-Yosef Mayer Reuven Yeshurun Ella Been Yoel Rak Nuha Agha Lena Brailovsky Masha Krakovsky Polina Spivak Micka Ullman Ariel Vered Omry Barzilai Erella Hovers |
| author_facet | Ravid Ekshtain Ariel Malinsky-Buller Noam Greenbaum Netta Mitki Mareike C Stahlschmidt Ruth Shahack-Gross Nadav Nir Naomi Porat Daniella E Bar-Yosef Mayer Reuven Yeshurun Ella Been Yoel Rak Nuha Agha Lena Brailovsky Masha Krakovsky Polina Spivak Micka Ullman Ariel Vered Omry Barzilai Erella Hovers |
| author_sort | Ravid Ekshtain |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Over the last two decades, much of the recent efforts dedicated to the Levantine Middle Paleolithic has concentrated on the role of open-air sites in the settlement system in the region. Here focus on the site of 'Ein Qashish as a cases study. Located in present-day northern Israel, the area of this site is estimated to have been >1300 m2, of which ca. 670 were excavated. The site is located at the confluence of the Qishon stream with a small tributary running off the eastern flanks of the Mt. Carmel. At the area of this confluence, water channels and alluvial deposits created a dynamic depositional environment. Four Archaeological Units were identified in a 4.5-m thick stratigraphic sequence were dated by Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) to between-71 and 54 ka, and probably shorter time span-~70-~60 ka. Here we present the diverse material culture remains from the site (lithics, including refitted sequences; modified limestone pieces; molluscs; faunal remains) against their changing paleogeographic backdrop. Skeletal evidence suggests that these remains were associated with Neanderthals. The large-scale repeated accumulation of late Middle Paleolithic remains in the same place on the landscape provides a unique opportunity to address questions of occupation duration and intensity in open-air sites. We find that each occupation was of ephemeral nature, yet presents a range of activities, suggesting that the locale has been used as a generalized residential site rather than specialized task-specific ones. This role of 'Ein Qashish did not change through time, suggesting that during the late Middle Paleolithic settlement system in this part of the southern Levant were stable. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-22T13:12:32Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-8dfa7469872b48ad9783708ac8bc02cc |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-22T13:12:32Z |
| publishDate | 2019-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj.art-8dfa7469872b48ad9783708ac8bc02cc2022-12-21T18:24:43ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032019-01-01146e021566810.1371/journal.pone.0215668Persistent Neanderthal occupation of the open-air site of 'Ein Qashish, Israel.Ravid EkshtainAriel Malinsky-BullerNoam GreenbaumNetta MitkiMareike C StahlschmidtRuth Shahack-GrossNadav NirNaomi PoratDaniella E Bar-Yosef MayerReuven YeshurunElla BeenYoel RakNuha AghaLena BrailovskyMasha KrakovskyPolina SpivakMicka UllmanAriel VeredOmry BarzilaiErella HoversOver the last two decades, much of the recent efforts dedicated to the Levantine Middle Paleolithic has concentrated on the role of open-air sites in the settlement system in the region. Here focus on the site of 'Ein Qashish as a cases study. Located in present-day northern Israel, the area of this site is estimated to have been >1300 m2, of which ca. 670 were excavated. The site is located at the confluence of the Qishon stream with a small tributary running off the eastern flanks of the Mt. Carmel. At the area of this confluence, water channels and alluvial deposits created a dynamic depositional environment. Four Archaeological Units were identified in a 4.5-m thick stratigraphic sequence were dated by Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) to between-71 and 54 ka, and probably shorter time span-~70-~60 ka. Here we present the diverse material culture remains from the site (lithics, including refitted sequences; modified limestone pieces; molluscs; faunal remains) against their changing paleogeographic backdrop. Skeletal evidence suggests that these remains were associated with Neanderthals. The large-scale repeated accumulation of late Middle Paleolithic remains in the same place on the landscape provides a unique opportunity to address questions of occupation duration and intensity in open-air sites. We find that each occupation was of ephemeral nature, yet presents a range of activities, suggesting that the locale has been used as a generalized residential site rather than specialized task-specific ones. This role of 'Ein Qashish did not change through time, suggesting that during the late Middle Paleolithic settlement system in this part of the southern Levant were stable.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0215668 |
| spellingShingle | Ravid Ekshtain Ariel Malinsky-Buller Noam Greenbaum Netta Mitki Mareike C Stahlschmidt Ruth Shahack-Gross Nadav Nir Naomi Porat Daniella E Bar-Yosef Mayer Reuven Yeshurun Ella Been Yoel Rak Nuha Agha Lena Brailovsky Masha Krakovsky Polina Spivak Micka Ullman Ariel Vered Omry Barzilai Erella Hovers Persistent Neanderthal occupation of the open-air site of 'Ein Qashish, Israel. PLoS ONE |
| title | Persistent Neanderthal occupation of the open-air site of 'Ein Qashish, Israel. |
| title_full | Persistent Neanderthal occupation of the open-air site of 'Ein Qashish, Israel. |
| title_fullStr | Persistent Neanderthal occupation of the open-air site of 'Ein Qashish, Israel. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Persistent Neanderthal occupation of the open-air site of 'Ein Qashish, Israel. |
| title_short | Persistent Neanderthal occupation of the open-air site of 'Ein Qashish, Israel. |
| title_sort | persistent neanderthal occupation of the open air site of ein qashish israel |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0215668 |
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