Radiocarbon dating of Ohalo II: Archaeological and methodological implications

Nadel, Dani; Carmi, Israel; Segal, Dror

doi:10.1016/0305-4403(95)90010-1

Cited by 60 publications

(40 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…A sample of about 40,000 specimens has been studied and identified so far (Kislev et al 1992;Simchoni 1997). The 29 charcoal dates from 10 separate loci range from about 18,000-21,000 BP, with an average for 25 dates of 19,430 ± 770 BP (Nadel et al 1995). The archaeological remains suggest a relatively brief overall occupation of the site and definitely not in the order of thousands of 14 C years.…”

Section: The Ohalo II Campmentioning

confidence: 95%

New Dates from Submerged Late Pleistocene Sediments in the Southern Sea of Galilee, Israel

Nadel¹,

Belitzky²,

Carmi

et al. 2001

Radiocarbon

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ABSTRACT. Unusual low water levels in the Sea of Galilee (Dead Sea Fault, Israel) have caused the recent exposure of submerged Late Pleistocene prehistoric sites and lacustrine sediments along the southern shores of the lake. The Ohalo II site is a large fisher-hunter-gatherers camp with in-situ brush hut floors, hearths, and a human grave. The site is radiometrically dated by 25 charcoal dates to 19,430 BP (average, uncalibrated). The archaeological remains include quantities of excellently preserved organic remains. These would not have been preserved without a rapid rise of lake level immediately after the occupation, covering the remains with silts and sand. Recently a concentration of eight tree trunks were found about 1.5 km south of Ohalo II, of which five trunks were identified as Salix species and dated as a single accumulation at about 16,100 BP. The trunks, too, had to be submerged quickly together to ensure excellent preservation. The camp and the trunks were found at -212/ -213 m, almost 4 m below modern high water levels. We suggest that the finds represent two separate episodes of deposition during low lake levels, almost 3,000 radiocarbon years apart, each followed by an abrupt water rise. It is possible that climatic changes caused the observed fluctuations, though earthquakes (blocking or lowering the Jordan outlet, for example) cannot be ruled out.

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Section: The Ohalo II Campmentioning

confidence: 95%

New Dates from Submerged Late Pleistocene Sediments in the Southern Sea of Galilee, Israel

Nadel¹,

Belitzky²,

Carmi

et al. 2001

Radiocarbon

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“…These included the remains of several brush huts, hearths, a human grave, an assemblage of flint and ground stone tools, and a wide faunal spectrum (mammals, birds, rodents, fish, mollusks), as well as a plant assemblage (8,9,(11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20).…”

Section: Ohalo Ii: the Broad Spectrum Testedmentioning

confidence: 99%

The broad spectrum revisited: Evidence from plant remains

Weiss

Wetterstrom

Nadel

et al. 2004

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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266

148

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“…The average age of 25 relevant 14 C dates (all obtained from charcoal samples) is 19,470 years B.P., which is Ϸ23,000 years after calibrations (22,23). No material remains belonging to other archaeological cultures were found.…”

Section: The Ohalo II Sitementioning

confidence: 99%

Stone Age hut in Israel yields world's oldest evidence of bedding

Nadel

Weiss

Simchoni

et al. 2004

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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112

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The earliest archaeological remains of dwelling huts built by Homo sapiens were found in various European Upper Paleolithic open-air camps. Although floors of huts were found in a small number of cases, modern organization of the home space that includes defined resting areas and bedding remains was not discovered. We report here the earliest in situ bedding exposed on a brush hut floor. It has recently been found at the previously submerged, excellently preserved 23,000-year-old fisher-hunter-gatherers' camp of Ohalo II, situated in Israel on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. The grass bedding consists of bunches of partially charred Puccinellia confer convoluta stems and leaves, covered by a thin compact layer of clay. It is arranged in a repeated pattern, on the floor, around a central hearth. This study describes the bedding in its original context on a well preserved intentionally constructed floor. It also reconstructs on the basis of direct evidence (combined with ethnographic analogies) the Upper Paleolithic hut as a house with three major components: a hearth, specific working locales, and a comfortable sleeping area near the walls.

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Radiocarbon dating of Ohalo II: Archaeological and methodological implications

Cited by 60 publications

References 12 publications

New Dates from Submerged Late Pleistocene Sediments in the Southern Sea of Galilee, Israel

New Dates from Submerged Late Pleistocene Sediments in the Southern Sea of Galilee, Israel

The broad spectrum revisited: Evidence from plant remains

Stone Age hut in Israel yields world's oldest evidence of bedding

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