Physical Characteristics of the Continental Shelves of the East Mediterranean Basin

Late Pleistocene submarine terraces in the Eastern Mediterranean, central Lebanon, Byblos: Revealing their formation time frame through modeling

“…In Central Lebanon, the mean significant wave height during the spring-summer-autumn seasons ranges from 0.5 to 0.8 m while in the winter months due to the western winds it rises to 1.4m (Kabbara et al, 2006;Aoun et al, 2013). The tide is diurnal (1 cycle every 11h) while the tidal range is about 0.5m (Galili et al, 2017).…”

“…Although discovering submerged paleo-landscapes is of utmost importance and can be accomplished through integrated methodological approaches (Georgiou et al, 2021b), the literature regarding their existence is quite limited due to the difficulties in mapping, collecting, and dating underwater data (Bilbao-Lasa et al, 2020). This has mainly led to the poor presence of sea-level evidence especially for the Marine Isotope Stages 3 (MIS3), early MIS1, and also of anthropogenic material since the Epipaleolithic-Neolithic periods (Rovere et al, 2011;Furlani et al, 2014;Pedoja et al, 2014;Galili et al, 2017).…”

“…The areas that are currently found underwater from 0 to 40m depth in the Eastern Mediterranean were dry for about 60% of the time since MIS7 (~245ka BP) (Galili et al, 2017). Since the cognitive revolution (~70ka BP) the southern Levant coast has been inhabited by Homo sapiens as it was one of the main passages spreading out of Africa, thus it is considered one of the most favorable places for tracking early human life (historic-prehistoric records) (Bailey, 2004;Bailey and Flemming, 2008;Douka et al, 2013;Micallef et al, 2013;Galili et al, 2017).…”

Microarchaeological approach to underwater stratigraphy of submerged settlements: A case study of Atlit‐Yam Pre‐Pottery Neolithic site, off the Carmel Coast, Israel

“…Thousands of submerged sites in Europe and the Mediterranean date to the Mesolithic and Neolithic, some even to the Bronze Age (Splashcos viewer). The identification of many of these sites by archaeologists or recreational divers was facilitated by the exposure of archaeological deposits by natural agents (storms and currents) and anthropogenic activities (quarrying and marine constructions) that shift the sands overlying the sites (Bayón & Politis, 2014; Bicket & Gardiner, 2011; Galili et al, 2017). Thus, surveys and initial documentation have generally focused on the surface deposits (Bailey, 2014) and test excavations in selected sites and features (Galili et al, 2020), while micro‐geoarchaeological work in submerged settlements has been carried out much less frequently (Galili & Weinstein‐Evron, 1985; Hershkovitz et al, 2015; Ogloblin Ramirez et al, 2020, 2021, 2023; Ward et al, 2019).…”

A submerged 7000-year-old village and seawall demonstrate earliest known coastal defence against sea-level rise

“…Neolithic settlements that were inundated by post-glacial sea-level rise have been discovered along a 20km stretch off the Carmel coast of northern Israel (Fig 1). Before inundation, the sites were rapidly covered by a layer of sand which contributed to their preservation [13].…”