Archaeobotanical and archaeoentomological evidence from a well at Atlit-Yam indicates colder, more humid climate on the Israeli coast during the PPNC period

• DOI: 10.1016/j.jas.2004.02.010
• Publication Date: 2004-05-13T11:04:21Z
• Authors: Mordechai E Kislev; Anat Hartmann; Ehud Galili
• Keywords: 0601 history and archaeology; 06 humanities and the arts; 15. Life on land

Abstract The archaeobotanical assemblage excavated from a well in a submerged settlement provided the basis for reconstructing the climate that prevailed on the coast of Israel towards the end of the PPNC period (around 7500 BP, uncalibrated). Six wild plant species were recovered from Atlit-Yam that no longer grow in the region today, but do remain in somewhat colder or more humid habitats— Cuminum cyminum , Papaver setigerum , Phoenix theophrasti , Pinus halepensis , Pistacia atlantica and Vitis sylvestris . In addition, a pest beetle, namely the granary weevil— Sitophilus granarius —that still severely infests cereal grains in the temperate regions of the world was also identified. It is therefore suggested that in the mid-8th millennium BP, the climate was apparently more humid and colder than it is today.