sciencedirect.com

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

Elsevier

Journal of Archaeological Science

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.

Introduction

In the last 25 years, remains of prehistoric cultures around the globe have been retrieved from the sea floor. In 1984, Atlit-Yam, a submerged settlement was discovered off the Israel coast and was dated to the first half of the 8th millennium BP (all dates reported here are uncalibrated radiocarbon dates) [17]. Human activity over the past few decades has led to the recent exposure of submerged sites off the Israeli coast. These include the quarrying of sand and the construction of marine structures (breakwaters, etc.), which have reduced the amount of sand on the seabed. Moreover, following the construction of the Aswan Dam, there may have been a halt in the continuous supply of sand produced by erosion of mountainous regions of Ethiopia, which were transported via the Nile River and its delta into the Mediterranean basin [11].

During the 11th millennium BP, the sea level of the Mediterranean was about 30

 

m lower than at present [1]. This period, often termed the “Younger Dryas” (11,000–10,300

 

BP), was relatively colder and dryer, a situation that endured for some hundreds of years. Also, at the beginning of the Holocene (10,300

 

BP), large sections of Israel's present-day continental shelf were dry land [44]. Between 10,000 and 7000

 

BP the climate apparently became wetter and warmer [3], [13].

Because for about two millennia following 10,300

 

BP the climate apparently became wetter and warmer, the Mediterranean began to rise, inundating large areas of the coastal plain. Neolithic settlements were flooded and abandoned and new settlements were established along the retreating shoreline. It is our opinion (E.G.) that the inundation of Atlit-Yam occurred during a global rise in sea level; others associate it with local tectonic movements of the earth's crust; and some claim that both of these changes took place [18], [24], [39], [44].

Section snippets

The site

Atlit-Yam is located 300–400

 

m off the Mediterranean Carmel coast, 10

 

km south of Haifa, 400

 

m north of the Atlit Crusader castle; it lies 8–12

 

m below sea level (Fig. 1). The site is approximately 40,000

 

m2 in area. The ancient, now-submerged channel of the seasonal Oren River, comprises the northern border of Atlit-Yam. One of the most important finds at the site is a water well, 1.5

 

m in diameter, which was dug down to its base, a depth of 5.7

 

m. The well (structure 11, Fig. 2) is located at the

The macrofossils

Most of the archaeobotanical assemblage of the Atlit-Yam well was found in a preserved waterlogged state; a minority of the finds was completely or partially charred specimens. The findings were well preserved, enabling us to identify them to the species level. Thousands of seeds of about 90 different plant species were found [25]. The important economic varieties were grains of cultivated naked wheat (Triticum parvicoccum), emmer wheat (T. dicoccon) and barley (Hordeum vulgare). In addition,

Discussion

Today, the Atlit-Yam region has a typical Mediterranean climate. The suggested temperature drop of pluvial times in Israel, about 4–5

 

°C, is based on reconstructed plant communities of the local vegetation derived from pollen spectra [29]. The hypothesis that a colder and more humid climate prevailed in the 8th millennium is supported by stable isotope analysis of speleothems (cave deposits) at Soreq cave, Judean Mountains, Israel [3].

Three trees, two annuals as well as the weevil S. granarius

Conclusions

The climate of the Carmel coast region in the early PPNC was slightly colder and more humid than it is today. This is concluded from the presence at Atlit-Yam of S. granarius and six plant species that are well adapted to that climate. This conclusion of a colder and humid climate in the PPNC is in accordance with the low sea level that enabled inhabitation of Atlit-Yam settlement [3], [13], [29].

The changes in the function of the well from a water source to a refuse pit led us to distinguish

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank O. Cohen of the Department of Evolution, Systematics and Ecology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, who assisted us with the identification of Cuminum cyminum; Dr. E. Donahaye of the Department of Plant Protection, Beit-Dagan, Israel, for confirming the identification of Sitophilus granarius; Prof. S. Jacomet of the Botanical Institute, University of Basel, Dr. R. Buxo of the Museum of Archaeology, Catalunya, and Dr. R. Neef of the German Archaeological Institute at

References (56)

  • M.J.E Coode et al.

    Pinus

  • P. Dobie, C.P. Haines, R.J. Hodgers, P.F. Prevett, D.P. Rees, Insects and Arachnids of Tropical Stored Products: Their...
  • A Eig

    Les éléments et les groupes phytogéographiques auxiliaires dans la flore palestinienne

    Feddes Repertorium, Beihefte

    (1931)

  • K.O Emery et al.

    Mediterranean beaches of Israel

    Geological Survey of Israel, Bulletin

    (1960)

  • N Feinbrun

    Spontaneous Pineta in the Lebanon

    The Bulletin of the Research Council of Israel

    (1959)

  • A Frumkin et al.

    The Holocene climatic record of the salt caves of Mount Sedom, Israel

    The Holocene

    (1991)

  • E Galili et al.

    The submerged pre-pottery Neolithic water well of Atlit-Yam, northern Israel, and its palaeoenvironmental implications

    The Holocene

    (1993)

  • E Galili et al.

    The emergence and dispersion of the Eastern Mediterranean fishing village: evidence from submerged Neolithic settlements off the Carmel Coast, Israel

    Journal of Mediterranean Archaeology

    (2002)

  • E. Galili, J. Sharvit, Submerged Neolithic water-wells from the Carmel coast of Israel, in: H. Koschic (Ed.), Brunnen...
  • E Galili et al.

    Atlit-Yam: a prehistoric site on the sea floor off the Israeli coast

    Journal of Field Archaeology

    (1993)

  • E Galili et al.

    Sea level changes in the Carmel coast and their impact on water sources of prehistoric coastal settlement

    Proceedings of the 28th annual meeting of the Israel society for ecology and environmental quality sciences Haifa

    (1997)

  • H Gaussen et al.

    Pinus

  • W Greuter et al.

    (1984)

  • W Greuter et al.

    (1986)

  • W Greuter et al.

    (1989)

  • G. Gvirtzman, A. Klang, E. Adler, H. Michelson, E. Kashai, The Atlit fault system: left strike-slip faults and rotation...
  • A. Hartmann, Landscape and agriculture of the Carmel coastal plain in the PPNC period: reconstruction from the plant...
  • H Helbaek

    The plant husbandry of Hacilar

    • Cited by (57)

    View full text

    Copyright © 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.