A5078941318- Archaeology and ancient environmental studies
- Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology
- Archaeology and Historical Studies
- Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology Studies
- Ancient Mediterranean Archaeology and History
- Evolution and Paleontology Studies
- Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
- Rangeland Management and Livestock Ecology
- Ancient Egypt and Archaeology
- Primate Behavior and Ecology
- Marine and environmental studies
- Archaeological Research and Protection
- Ancient Near East History
- Geology and Paleoclimatology Research
- Global Maritime and Colonial Histories
- Human-Animal Interaction Studies
- Animal Ecology and Behavior Studies
- Reformation and Early Modern Christianity
- Amphibian and Reptile Biology
- Isotope Analysis in Ecology
- Maritime and Coastal Archaeology
- Image Processing and 3D Reconstruction
- Middle East and Rwanda Conflicts
- Soil and Environmental Studies
- Pacific and Southeast Asian Studies
Israel Antiquities Authority
2020-2025
University of Haifa
2007-2021
Carmel (Israel)
2017-2018
Google (United States)
2018
Tel Aviv University
2013
Washington University in St. Louis
2007
To date, the earliest modern human fossils found outside of Africa are dated to around 90,000 120,000 years ago at Levantine sites Skhul and Qafzeh. A maxilla associated dentition recently discovered Misliya Cave, Israel, was 177,000 194,000 ago, suggesting that members Homo sapiens clade left earlier than previously thought. This finding changes our view on dispersal is consistent with recent genetic studies, which have posited possibility an 220,000 ago. The full-fledged Levallois...
Significance Decreases in hunter-gatherer mobility during the Late Pleistocene altered relationships with animal communities and led to domestication. Little is known, however, about how selection operated settlements of varying duration. This study mice modern African mobile ancient Levantine sites demonstrates competitive advantages for commensal when human low niche partitioning noncommensal wild increases. Changing molar shapes a 200,000-y-long sequence from Levant reveal that first...
Flowering plants possess mechanisms that stimulate positive emotional and social responses in humans. It is difficult to establish when people started use flowers public ceremonial events because of the scarcity relevant evidence archaeological record. We report on uniquely preserved 13,700–11,700-y-old grave linings made flowers, suggesting such began much earlier than previously thought. The only potentially older instance questionable Shanidar IV Neanderthal grave. earliest cemeteries (...
Significance Historians have long debated the role of climate in rise and fall empires 1st millennium CE. Drastic territorial contraction Byzantine Empire, societal decline, beginning European Middle Ages generally been linked to Islamic conquests seventh century. This multidisciplinary archaeological investigation trash mounds Negev Desert establishes end date organized management Byzantine-period city Elusa demonstrates urban collapse a century before transition. Our findings, taken...
Little is known about the beginnings and spread of food production in tropics, but recent research suggests that definitions depend on morphological change may hamper recognition early farming these regions. The earliest form Africa developed arid tropical grasslands. Animals were domesticates, mobility herders shaped development social economic systems. Genetic data indicate cattle domesticated North suggest domestication two different African wild asses, Sahara Horn. Cowpeas pearl millet...
Significance Commercial production of luxury “Gaza wine” was long assumed to be the economic basis Late Antique settlement in Negev Desert. We present empirical evidence for local viticulture scale and its connection Mediterranean trade. Offering unprecedented testimony globalization an ancient economy a marginal environment, our archaeobotanical ceramic dataset illuminates rise fall fourth sixth centuries common era (CE). Decline likely resulted from market contraction triggered by plague...
The impact of Late Pleistocene climatic oscillations, volcanism and the diverse terrain Armenian Highlands affected hominin population dynamics movements through region. To test different scenarios for period 50–25 ka regarding expansion, adaptive response, intra-population interactions extinction, we need local on-site paleoclimatic data found in association with occupations. However, this approach has been hampered by dearth highly uneven spatiotemporal recovery from prehistoric sites...
The chance discovery of an Early Roman city dump (1st century CE) in Jerusalem has yielded for the first time ever quantitative data on garbage components that introduce us to mundane daily life Jerusalemites led and kind animals were featured their diet. Most consists pottery shards, all common tableware, while prestige objects are entirely absent. Other significant include numerous fragments cooking ovens, wall plaster, animal bones plant remains. Of vessels, pots most abundant type....
The region of western Georgia (Imereti) has been a major geographic corridor for human migrations during the Middle and Upper Palaeolithic (MP/UP). Knowledge MP UP in this region, however, stems mostly from small number recent excavations at sites Ortvale Klde, Dzudzuana, Bondi, Kotias Klde. These provide an absolute chronology Late MP–UP transition, but only partial perspective on nature timing occupations, limited data how groups responded to harsh climatic oscillations between...
Abstract The Byzantine – Islamic transition (7 th –8 centuries CE) in the desert-edge Palaestina Tertia is examined using faunal remains recovered from archaeological sites Negev. Archaeozoological analyses suggest sharp differences between Late and Early animal economies, especially herding patterns exploitation of wildlife resources. These are suggested to reflect both cultural land ownership changes following Arab conquest, against backdrop climatic change. archaeozoological record...
The south Levantine mid-Middle Palaeolithic (mid-MP; ~130–80 thousand years ago (ka)) is remarkable for its exceptional evidence of human morphological variability, with contemporaneous fossils Homo sapiens and Neanderthal-like hominins. Yet, it remains unclear whether these hominins adhered to discrete behavioural sets or regional-scale intergroup interactions could have homogenized mid-MP behaviour. Here we report on our discoveries at Tinshemet Cave, Israel. site yielded articulated in...
Modern rapidly expanding cities generate intricate patterns of species diversity owing to immense complexity in urban spatial structure and current growth trajectories. We propose identify uncouple the drivers that give rise these by looking at effect urbanism on over a previously unexplored long temporal frame covers early developments urbanism. To provide this historical perspective we analyzed archaeozoological remains small mammals from ancient rural sites Near East 2nd 1st millennium...
Understanding past human settlement of inhospitable regions is one the most intriguing puzzles in archaeological research, with implications for more sustainable use marginal today. During Byzantine period 4th century CE, large settlements were established arid region Negev Desert, Israel, but it remains unclear why did so, and abandoned three centuries later. Previous theories proposed that was a "green desert" early 1st millennium Empire withdrew from this due to dramatic climatic...