IMAGE: PICTURE OF BONES IN SITU: A. SEGMENT OF AXIAL SKELETON: RIBS AND VERTEBRAE EXPOSED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STRUCTURE. B. RIGHT COXAL IN SITU; PRESERVED ALMOST COMPLETE BY A... view more
CREDIT: BOCQUENTIN ET AL, 2020 (PLOS ONE, CC BY)
Ancient people in the Near East had begun the practice of intentionally cremating their dead by the beginning of the 7th millennium BC, according to a study published August 12, 2020 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Fanny Bocquentin of the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) and colleagues.
Excavations at the Neolithic site of Beisamoun in Northern Israel have uncovered an ancient cremation pit containing the remains of a corpse that appears to have been intentionally incinerated as part of a funerary practice. These remains were directly dated to between 7013-6700 BC, making them the oldest known example of cremation in the Near East.
The remains comprise most of one skeleton of a young adult. The bones show evidence of having been heated to temperatures of over 500°C shortly after death, and they sit inside a pit that appears to have been constructed with an open top and strong insulating walls. Microscopic plant remains found inside the pyre-pit are likely leftover from the fuel for the fire. This evidence leads the authors to identify this as an intentional cremation of a fresh corpse, as opposed to the burning of dry remains or a tragic fire accident.
This early cremation comes at an important period of transition in funerary practices in this region of the world. Old traditions were on the way out, such as the removal of the cranium of the dead and the burial of the dead within the settlement, while practices like cremation were new. This change in funeral procedure might also signify a transition in rituals surrounding death and the significance of the deceased within society. Further examination of other possible cremation sites in the region will help elucidate this important cultural shift.
Bocquentin says: "The funerary treatment involved in situ cremation within a pyre-pit of a young adult individual who previously survived from a flint projectile injury-- the inventory of bones and their relative position strongly supports the deposit of an articulated corpse and not dislocated bones." She adds, "This is a redefinition of the place of the dead in the village and in society."
The gender of the human remains found inside a cremation pyre pit in Beisamoun, Israel remains unknown. What is known is that the individual was a young adult injured by a flint projectile several months prior to their death in spring some 9,000 years ago. Preserved due to it being buried, the pit represents the oldest proof of direct (1) cremation in the Middle-East. An international team lead by CNRS archaeo-anthropologist Fanny Bocquentin (2) with aid from PhD candidate Marie Anton and several experts in animal, plant, and mineral remains, discovered and studied the bones found inside the pyre. An analysis of the clay used to coat the inside of the pit showed the 355 bone fragments, some of which were burnt, were exposed to temperatures reaching 700°C. The position of the bones and the preserved joints seem to indicate the body was placed seated onto the pyre and was not moved during or after cremation. Whether used as fuel, as ornamentation, or as a scent, siliceous traces indicated the presence of flowering plants, which made it possible to identify the season the person died. In addition to the exceptional pyre pit, the cremated remains of five other adults were discovered at the site. They dated back to the same period as burials whose traces were discovered among the ruins of abandoned dwellings. The use of cremation indicates an evolution of the relationship to death in the region. The veneration of ancestors and lengthy funerary practices seem to have given way to shorter rituals. This could be evidence of a transition phase because, some two to three centuries later, the dead were no longer buried inside or near villages and their traces are much more difficult to find.
The study is based on joint archaeological digs completed between 2007-2016 by the CNRS, the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs and the Israel Antiquities Authority.
Revealed in archaeological excavations by the Israel Antiquities Authority and Tel Aviv University in the Givati Parking Lot Excavation of the City of David, in the Jerusalem Walls National Park
The new findings may indicate that despite the plight of Jerusalem after the destruction of the First Temple, efforts were made to restore the stature of the administrative authorities. The impression depicts a man sitting on a large chair - probably a king - and in front of his columns.
The findings will be displayed tomorrow (Wednesday) at the 5th "Jerusalem Days" conference of Yad Ben-Zvi and the Israel Antiquities Authority, donated by the Uzi and Michal Halevy Foundation.
How did Jerusalem deal with the tremendous destruction wrought upon her by the Babylonian army in the 6th century BCE? A double stamp impression on a bulla and a seal made of reused pottery sherds, dated with high probability to the Persian period, may provide an answer to this question. The findings were discovered in the course of archaeological excavations undertaken by the Israel Antiquities Authority and Tel Aviv University in the Givati Parking Lot Excavation of the City of David, in the Jerusalem Walls National Park. They were found next to the rubble of a large structure that was destroyed during the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem.
According to Prof. Yuval Gadot, of the Department of Archaeology and Ancient Near Eastern Cultures at Tel Aviv University, and Dr. Yiftah Shalev, of the Israel Antiquities Authority: "Despite the numerous excavations conducted in Jerusalem to date, so far the findings revealed from the Persian period are extremely meager, and therefore we lack information regarding the character and appearance of the city during this period. The researchers emphasized that "Discovering these artifacts in an archaeological context which can be dated with a high probability is very rare."
The seal impression - bullae - were small pieces of clay used in ancient times to sign documents or containers (for example, storage jugs for agricultural produce collected as a tax), and were intended to keep them sealed en route to their destination. Frequently, the objects on which the seals were stamped were themselves left unopened or did not endure (especially the documents). Still, the bullae remained preserved, leaving evidence of the administrative authorities, and even of the people representing them.
According to Prof. Gadot and Dr. Shalev: "The finding of the stamp and seal impression in the City of David indicates that despite the city's dire situation after the destruction, efforts were made to restore the administrative authorities to normal, and its residents continued to use the structures that were destroyed partly".
The double seal impression was discovered on a large piece of clay. The size of the clay piece, about 4.5 cm, indicates that it was used to seal a large container -perhaps a jar- and not a document. The imprint bears the image of a person sitting on a large chair with one or two columns in front of him. The design of the image is indicative of Babylonian-style composition. The character is probably a king, and the columns are the symbols that represent the gods Nabu and Marduk. According to Dr. Ido Koch of the Department of Archaeology and Ancient Near Eastern Cultures at Tel Aviv University, only about ten artifacts of this style have been found in Israel, in places such as Ein Gedi and Jerusalem, which appear to have been in use during the Persian period. Another bulla of this style, also from the Persian period, was discovered in excavations carried out by Dr. Eilat Mazar on the eastern slope of the City of David.
The seal is made of a large, locally-made pottery shard, with a circular frame engraved on its outer side, and is divided into two sections containing several linear inscriptions. The engravings probably represent two characters, and it may be a pseudo-epigraphic seal (bearing drawings designed to resemble letters). On the other side of the seal is a fragment, which may be indicative of a handle that was attached to it in the past. The size of the seal, about 8 cm in diameter, indicates that it was used to seal large objects.
Other artifacts were discovered along with these items, including a broken pottery vessel decorated with a face of the god Bes. According to the researchers: "Discovering the new findings on the western slope of the City of David adds much information about the city's structure during the period of the Return to Zion, a period we knew about mainly from Biblical literature (the books of Ezra and Nehemiah). The paucity of the findings from this period made it difficult to understand the status and extent of the city. The findings from the Givati Parking Lot Excavation shed light on the renewal of the local administration, in a location similar to the one that existed before the destruction of the First Temple, about 100 years prior."
The findings will be displayed tomorrow (Wednesday) at the 5th "Jerusalem Days" conference of Yad Ben-Zvi and the Israel Antiquities Authority, donated by; the Uzi and Michal Halevy Foundation. The conference that will take place on Wednesday and Thursday will be broadcasted live at The Israel Antiquities Authority and Yad Ben-Zvi websites.
A new study presents, for the first time, ancient rock art discovered recently in the Yehudiya Nature Reserve. The rock art, over 4,200 years old, is engraved on the walls of megalithic burials called "dolmens." In an article recently published, Israel Antiquities Authority and Tel-Hai College researchers report on four different sites where dolmen builders engraved artistic motifs on the walls of the enormous structures they erected, opening a window to the mysterious culture of the ancient builders.
Millions of visitors to the Yehudiya Nature Reserve have no idea that their footpath crossed a key to understanding the mysterious culture of ancient builders who once lived in the area. A new study by Israel Antiquities Authority and Tel-Hai College researchers reports the discovery of engraved rock art motifs on four dolmens - giant burial structures - in the Galilee and the Golan. The recently exposed rock art sheds light, for the first time, on the mysterious ancient culture of the dolmen builders. The discovery was published last week in the journal Asian Archaeology.
The rock art discovered is varied: On the Yehudiya Nature Reserve dolmen, a Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel inspector identified carvings of horned animals, such as mountain goats, antelopes, and wild cows; the massive capstone of another dolmen is carved to depict a human face, and a variety of geometric shapes were discovered engraved in the rockface of a third dolmen.
The dolmens, burial structures built of huge rocks, are one of the most impressive of the archaeological phenomena in the Land of Israel. Most researchers agree that these giant rock structures were built in the Levant Intermediate Bronze Age, 4500-4000 years ago. Hundreds of dolmens were surveyed in the Upper Galilee and the Golan, but the dolmens and the culture that built them have yet to receive proper attention. In recent years, there has been renewed interest in the study of dolmens in the Middle East, and the research has yielded new and fascinating discoveries.
In the words of Prof. Gonen Sharon, head of the M.A. Program in Galilee Studies at Tel-Hai College, who wrote the article together with Uri Berger of the Israel AntiquitiesAuthority, "Several years ago, a panel of rock art engravings was discovered on the inner wall of a huge dolmen in a field surrounding Kibbutz Shamir. This was the first time rock art was documented in the context of dolmens in the Middle East. Following this discovery, we started a research project to locate and document dolmen art throughout the Land of Israel. We surveyed dozens of dolmens in Upper Galilee and the Golan in an attempt to uncover the world of this mysterious culture that existed more than 4000 years ago. We left behind only dolmens as evidence of their rich culture."
According to Uri Berger, Upper Galilee archaeologist for the Israel Antiquities Authority, "To date, many dolmens were identified in Israel and neighboring countries, but we knew almost nothing about the civilization of these super-builders beyond the remains of the enormous structures they left behind as evidence of their existence in the region. The engravings in the rock open a window, for the first time, to the culture behind the construction of these dolmens. In Kiryat Shemona, a giant rock was found that served as the wall of a burial chamber that is carved much like a human face. In the Yehudiya Nature Reserve in the Golan, Paula Foley, an alert inspector of the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel, contacted us after discovering engravings in a dolmen located in reserve. We were amazed to see seven animals with horns of various kinds, engraved in a complicated composition on the walls of the burial chamber."
The joint research of Uri Berger of the Israel Antiquities Authority and Prof. Gonen Sharon of Tel-Hai College is gradually uncovering the mystery surrounding the culture responsible for one of the most significant, least understood, construction projects in the history of the Land of Israel. With the new dolmen discoveries, perhaps we will begin to identify the artistic technique, worldview, and social organization of this mysterious population.
Over 120 seal impressions stamped on jars found in the Arnona neighborhood of Jerusalem provide a sneak-peek into tax collection in the period of the Judean monarchs.
The excavations in Arnona, conducted by the Israel Antiquities Authority, were funded by the Israel Land Authority and administrated by the Moriah Jerusalem Development Corporation and revealed one of the largest and most important collections of seal impressions uncovered in Israel. The impressions were stamped with the letters "LMLK" (to the King) written in ancient Hebrew script and the name of an ancient city in the Kingdom of Judah. Other seals are associated with private individuals who bear the name of a senior official of the Kingdom of Judah or a wealthy individual.
What challenge was the Kingdom of Judah preparing for 2,700 years ago in today's Arnona neighborhood of Jerusalem, and can it be related to a dramatic historical event? A significant administrative storage center from the days of Kings Hezekiah and Menashe (8th century to the middle of the 7th century BCE) has recently been exposed to archeological excavations in the Arnona neighborhood of Jerusalem. The excavation conducted by the Israel Antiquities Authority US Embassy is funded by the Israel Land Authority and administrated by the Moriah Jerusalem Development Corporation for the development of a new neighborhood.
Excavation at the site revealed an unusually large structure built of concentric ashlars walls. Of particular interest, 120 jar handles were found bearing seal impressions containing ancient Hebrew script! Many of the handles bare the inscription "LMLK" - (belonging) to the King- with the name of an ancient city. In contrast, others feature the names of senior officials or wealthy individuals from the First Temple Period. This is one of the largest and most important collections of seal impressions ever uncovered in archaeological excavations in Israel.
According to Neria Sapir and Nathan Ben-Ari, directors of the excavations on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority, "This is one of the most significant discoveries from the period of the Kings in Jerusalem made in recent years. At the site we excavated, there are signs that governmental activity managed and distributed food supplies not only for a shortage but administered agricultural surplus amassing commodities and wealth. Evidence shows that at this site, taxes were collected in an orderly manner for agricultural products such as wine and olive oil. The site once dominated large agricultural plots and orchards of olive trees and grapevines, which included agricultural, industrial facilities such as wine presses for winemaking. The site is dated to a period documented in the Bible by upheavals such as that of the Assyrian conquest campaign - under the command of King Sennacherib in the days of King Hezekiah. It may be that the government economic provisions indicated by the stamp seals are related to these events; however, the excavation revealed that the site continued to be active after the Assyrian conquest. Moreover, the array of stamped seals indicated that the system of taxation remained uninterrupted during this period. It is interesting to note that some of the storage jar handles are inscribed with the names of senior officials and wealthy individuals from the Kingdom of Judah - Naham Abdi, Naham Hatzlihu, Meshalem Elnatan, Zafan Abmetz, Shaneah Azaria, Shalem Acha, and Shivna Shachar. These names appear on storage jar handles at various sites across the Kingdom of Judah and attest to the elite position of those whose names are impressed on the jars. It is estimated that these are senior officials who were in charge of specific economic areas, or perhaps wealthy individuals at that time - those who owned large agricultural lands, propelled the economy of their district and owned private seals."
The excavators also posit that a large number of seal impressions at the site indicate that during the latter part of the Kingdom of Judah, the governmental activity took place in the area south of the City of David. It is also possible that this governmental activity was related to the nearby site of Ramat Rachel, which may be identified with the palace of the Kings of Judah and/or as an administrative center.
The majority of the seal impressions uncovered contain the ancient Hebrew letters "LMLK." These impressions are characterized by a sun disk flanked with two wings. Above the sun disc appears the word 'to the King' and below one of four cities in the kingdom of Judah: Hebron, Ziph, Socho, or Mmst. According to Sapir and Ben-Ari, while the identification of Hebron, Ziph, and Socho can be identified with known ancient cities in Judea in the Hebron Hills area, however, the identification of Mmst is still controversial."
During the ancient period, for reasons not understood, the large building at the site was covered over with a massive pile of flint stones forming an artificial hill measuring 20 meters high and extending over seven dunams (!). Even today, this huge pile of stones stands out from the surrounding hills and is visible from a great distance. According to the researchers, "These artificial stone hills have been identified at several sites in Jerusalem and are a phenomenon to the end of the First Temple period and have aroused the curiosity and fascination of Jerusalem researchers since the beginning of archeological research in the area. Nevertheless, the reason for the huge effort made in stacking them over many acres remains an unresolved archaeological mystery."
Another finding that sheds light on the character of the period is a collection of figurines – clay statuettes. According to archaeologists Sapir and Ben-Ari, "Some of the figurines are designed in the form of women, horse riders or as animals. These figurines are usually interpreted as objects used in pagan worship and idolatry - a phenomenon which, according to the Bible, was prevalent in the Kingdom of Judah." The researchers added that "It seems that shortly after the site was abandoned, with the destruction of the Kingdom of Judah in 586 BCE and the Babylonian exile, the site was resettled and administrative activity resumed. During this time, governmental activity at the site was connected to the Judean province upon the Return to Zion in 538 BCE under the auspices of the Achaemenid Persian Empire, which then ruled over the entire ancient Near East and Central Asia."
According to Dr. Yuval Baruch, the Jerusalem District Archaeologist of the IAA, "The archeological discoveries at Arnona identify the site as a key site - the most important in the history of the final days of the Kingdom of Judah and of the return to Zion decades after the destruction of the kingdom. This site joins a number of other key sites uncovered in the area of Jerusalem, which were connected to the centralized administrative system of the Kingdom of Judah from its peak until its destruction. The Israel Antiquities Authority and the Israel Lands Authority recognize the importance of the site and its uniqueness and are working together to preserve and integrate these sites into the new neighborhood plan. This is part of the IAA's trend of sustainable development which views archeological excavations as a resource that must be preserved and presented to the public as part of local heritage, and not just as an academic field of study."
The church was discovered in Kfar Kama, in archaeological excavations carried out by the Israel Antiquities Authority, in collaboration with the Kinneret Academic College and local volunteers * The discovery in the Galilee excited the Head of the Greek Catholic Church in Israel, who personally came to visit the site * The excavation was conducted before the construction of a playground, at the initiative of the Kfar Kama Local Council and the Jewish National Fund. A 1,300year-old church, with ornate mosaic floors, was recently revealed in an excavation in the Circassian village of Kfar Kama, near Kfar Tabor, carried out by the Israel Antiquities Authority, in collaboration with the Kinneret Academic College, and with assistance from local volunteers. The Catholic Archbishop Dr. Youssef Matta, Head of the Greek Catholic Church in Israel, personally visited the site and was inspired by the ancient remains.
The excavation directed led by archaeologist Nurit Feig on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority, and in collaboration with Prof. Moti Aviam of the Kinneret Academic College, took place before the building of a playground, initiated by the Kfar Kama Local Council and the Jewish National Fund.
According to Feig, “The church, measuring 12 × 36 m, includes a large courtyard, a narthex foyer, and a central hall. Particular to this church is the existence of three apses (prayer niches), while most churches were characterized by a single apse. The nave and the aisles were paved with mosaics, which partially survived. Their colorful decoration stands out, incorporating geometric patterns, and blue, black, and red floral designs. An unusual discovery was the small reliquary, a stone box used to preserve sacred relics.
An additional series of rooms was partially uncovered adjacent to the church. According to a ground-penetrating radar inspection operated by Dr. Shani Libbi, there are other rooms at the site yet to be excavated. According to the researchers, “it is quite possible that this large complex was a monastery.”
In the early 1960s, a smaller church with two chapels was excavated inside the village of Kfar Kama and was dated by the finds to the first half of the sixth century CE. According to Prof. Moti Aviam, “this was probably the village church, while the church now discovered was probably part of a contemporary monastery on the outskirts of the village.”
The discovery hints at the apparent importance of the Christian village settled in the Byzantine period close to Mount Tabor, a site of primary religious significance for Christianity, identified as the site of the Transfiguration. In 1876, when the Circassian Shapsug tribe first settled in Kfar Kama, they used the stones of the ancient village to build their houses.
The discovery of the church in Kfar Kama will contribute to the extensive research project on the Christian settlement in the Galilee that is being carried out by Prof. Moti Aviam and Dr. Jacob Ashkenazi of the Kinneret Institute of Galilean Archaeology in the Kinneret Academic College.
Local youths working with the Israel Antiquities Authority uncovered the Stone Age site during the summer * This is the first place in Israel where in situ evidence has been found of the particular stone knapping technology used by humans who left Africa * The discovery was revealed in an archeological excavation facilitating the construction of a solar energy field and was underwritten by the Israel Electric Company Recent excavations conducted by the Israel Antiquities Authority together with local youths from Dimona, in preparation for the construction of a solar energy field and funded by the Electric Company, discovered a Middle Paleolithic flint knapping site that existed between 250,000 - 50,000 years ago. Those who helped uncover the unique prehistoric site were youths from the city, who worked in the excavation as a summer job during the economically challenging period of the COVID-19.
The newly discovered site near Dimona is small. Prehistoric humans seemingly arrived here to access the abundant natural flint, from which they made their tools. The site here is unique because of the flint knapping technology, known as ‘Nubian Levallois,’ which originated in Africa. Researchers trace the path of this technology to understand the migration routes of modern humans from Africa to the rest of the world, about 100,000 years ago.
According to the excavation directors, the prehistory researchers Talia Abulafia and Maya Oron from the Israel Antiquities Authority, “This is the first evidence of a ‘Nubian’ flint industry in an archeological excavation in Israel. The knapped flint artifacts remained right in the first place where the humans sat and created the tools. This manufacturing is identified with modern human populations who lived in East Africa 150-100 thousand years ago and migrated from there around the world. In the last decade, quite a few Nubian sites have been discovered in the Arabian Peninsula. This has led many scholars to claim that modern humans left Africa through the Arabian Peninsula. The Dimona site appears to present the northernmost example of Nubian flint output found in situ, thus marking the migration route: from Africa to Saudi Arabia, and from there, perhaps, to the Negev.
The excavation took place while dealing with the challenges presented by COVID-19, which affect the health and economy of Israeli citizens in general, and the residents of Dimona in particular. According to Svetlana Talis, Northern Negev District Archaeologist at the Israel Antiquities Authority, “Dimona is one of the most severely affected towns in the second wave of the Corona outbreak and was even on the verge of lockdown. After wondering what to do about summer holidays, local youths from Dimona came to the excavation to work and help their families, and to uncover a site of particular importance. All of this is part of a project promoted and directed by the Israel Antiquities Authority in recent years, which seeks to bring our youth closer to their cultural heritage.”
A new analysis of ancient genomes suggests that different branches of the human family tree interbred multiple times, and that some humans carry DNA from an archaic, unknown ancestor. Melissa Hubisz and Amy Williams of Cornell University and Adam Siepel of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory report these findings in a study published 6th August in PLOS Genetics.
Roughly 50,000 years ago, a group of humans migrated out of Africa and interbred with Neanderthals in Eurasia. But that's not the only time that our ancient human ancestors and their relatives swapped DNA. The sequencing of genomes from Neanderthals and a less well-known ancient group, the Denisovans, has yielded many new insights into these interbreeding events and into the movement of ancient human populations. In the new paper, the researchers developed an algorithm for analyzing genomes that can identify segments of DNA that came from other species, even if that gene flow occurred thousands of years ago and came from an unknown source. They used the algorithm to look at genomes from two Neanderthals, a Denisovan and two African humans. The researchers found evidence that 3 percent of the Neanderthal genome came from ancient humans, and estimate that the interbreeding occurred between 200,000 and 300,000 years ago. Furthermore, 1 percent of the Denisovan genome likely came from an unknown and more distant relative, possibly Homo erectus, and about 15% of these "super-archaic" regions may have been passed down to modern humans who are alive today.
The new findings confirm previously reported cases of gene flow between ancient humans and their relatives, and also point to new instances of interbreeding. Given the number of these events, the researchers say that genetic exchange was likely whenever two groups overlapped in time and space. Their new algorithm solves the challenging problem of identifying tiny remnants of gene flow that occurred hundreds of thousands of years ago, when only a handful of ancient genomes are available. This algorithm may also be useful for studying gene flow in other species where interbreeding occurred, such as in wolves and dogs.
"What I think is exciting about this work is that it demonstrates what you can learn about deep human history by jointly reconstructing the full evolutionary history of a collection of sequences from both modern humans and archaic hominins," said author Adam Siepel. "This new algorithm that Melissa has developed, ARGweaver-D, is able to reach back further in time than any other computational method I've seen. It seems to be especially powerful for detecting ancient introgression."
