Prehistory and paleoenvironments of submerged sites along the Carmel Coast of Israel

Abstract

Des sites préhistoriques récents submergés ont été découverts récemment le long de la côte du Carmel. Leur paléoenvironnement a été reconstitué en grande partie grâce à la palynologie. Les processus géologiques liés à ces sites peuvent se résumer comme suit : 1 ) marais d'eau douce à saumâtre au début de l'Holocène; 2) régression marine suivie par l'assèchement des marais et l'occupation humaine au cours du Néolithique-Chalcolithique; 3) transgression marine, avant le 4e millénaire av. J.-C. et abandon des sites.

Evidence for Earliest Olive-Oil Production in Submerged Settlements off the Carmel Coast, Israel

“…The recent Mount Carmel spectrum exhibits high ratios of Ceratonia siliqua, trees of which grow in the close vicinity. The fossil samples, however, exhibit relatively high Chenopodiaceae levels, which suggest a nearby saline, coastal environment (Galili & Weinstein-Evron, 1985). This indicates the proximity of the olive trees to the recently discovered oil-extraction installations at Kfar Samir.…”

“…Stands of wild olives can be found today on the coastal ridge east of Atlit-Yam (Galili & Weinstein-Evron, 1985).…”

“…Submerged settlements in this sector include Atlit-Yam, a Pre-Pottery Neolithic site dated to the 8th millennium  , and five Late-Pottery Neolithic to Early Chalcolithic sites (belonging to a cultural phase locally called Wadi Rabah) dating from the 7th millennium  (Table 1). The five Wadi Rabah sites, now at water depths of 1-5 m, are from north to south (Figure 1(b)): Kfar Samir, Kfar Galim, Tel Hreiz, Megadim and Neve-Yam (Wreschner, 1983;Galili & Weinstein-Evron, 1985;Galili, Weinstein-Evron & Ronen, 1988;Galili, Weinstein-Evron & Zohary, 1989;Galili & Schick, 1990;Galili & Sharvit, 1994-1995. Besides the assemblages of the Wadi Rabah cultural stage, some remains of the early 7th millennium Lodian culture (Table 1) have recently been recorded at the Neve-Yam site south of Atlit (Figure 1(b)).…”

“…Ongoing underwater archaeological excavations detailing these now-submerged coastal settlements in the southern Levant (Galili & Weinstein-Evron, 1985;Galili, Dahari & Sharvit, 1993; are recovering remarkably well-preserved finds, including organic remains. Of special interest is new evidence for ancient olive-oil production, a technology previously believed to have begun in the Levant, further to the east of the submerged sites and at a later period (Eitam, 1987(Eitam, , 1993Neef, 1990;Epstein, 1993).…”

Formation processes affecting submerged archaeological sites:An overview

“…7000 -3500 B.C.) sites at depths of up to 20 m off the coast of Israel (Galili and Weinstein-Evron, 1985;Raban, 1983). Although there has certainly been disturbance of spatial patterning at some of these sites, others exhibit artifacts preserved in situ.…”