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Kela – A Middle Paleolithic flint extraction and reduction site in the northern Golan Heights
Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports 30 (2020) 102208
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Kela – A Middle Paleolithic flint extraction and reduction site in the northern Golan Heights
T
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Meir Finkela, , Avi Gophera, Gonen Sharonb, Ofir Tiroshc, Erez Ben-Yosefa a
Department of Archaeology and Near Eastern Cultures, Tel Aviv University, Israel MA program in Galilee Studies, Tel-Hai College, Upper Galilee, Israel c Institute of Earth Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel b
A R T I C LE I N FO
A B S T R A C T
Keywords: Flint Extraction and reduction Middle Paleolithic Golan Heights
Flint-bearing Eocene outcrops are well known from west of the northern Jordan Rift Valley, appearing as a strip of land along the Eastern Galilee and extensively used by prehistoric knappers as a rich source of quality raw material. In this paper we report for the first time on the flint extraction and reduction site of Kela, located within an isolated Eocene limestone outcrop in the basalt terrain of the northwestern margins of the Golan Heights. Based on the analysis of flint items collected at the Kela extraction and reduction locality, we attribute the entire assemblage to the Middle Paleolithic period. Our conclusions are for the most part founded on the presence of numerous Levallois cores and on the absence of other cores and waste types. Our preliminary geochemical analysis tested possible links between the Kela extraction and reduction locality and prehistoric habitation sites in the region. Our finds show that Kela was a source of flint for the Middle Paleolithic knappers of the northern Golan Heights. These results contribute to our understanding of raw material exploitation strategies by prehistoric knappers in the northern Jordan Rift Valley and the Golan Heights.
1. Introduction The Hula Valley, a segment of the northern Jordan Rift Valley and the northern Golan Heights, hosts significant prehistoric sites, including the Lower Paleolithic sites of Gesher Benot Ya’aqov (Goren-Inbar et al., 2000, 2018), Berekhat Ram (Goren Inbar, 1985); Joubbata el-Khachab (Goren Inbar, 1979) and Ma'ayan Barukh/Hamara (Stekelis and Gilead, 1966; Ronen et al., 1980). The Middle Paleolithic is represented by sites such Quneitra (Goren Inbar, 1990; Oron and Goren-Inbar, 2013) and Nahal Mahanayeem Outlet (Sharon and Oron, 2014; Sharon, 2018). The Hula Valley is also home to key Natufian sites, including the Late Epipaleolithic/Natufian site of Einan (‘Ain Malaha) (Valla et al., 2004; Valla et al., 2007; Valla et al., 2017). The region was also extensively inhabited during the Neolithic and Chalcolithic periods at sites such as Beisamoun (Bocquentin et al., 2011; Bocquentin et al., 2014; Khalaily et al., 2015; Lechevallier, 1978; Rosenberg et al., 2008) and Hagoshrim (Rosenberg et al., 2008, 2010). These sites all contain substantial flint assemblages and it has been suggested that their raw material came from diverse sources (e.g. Delage, 1997; Hovers, 1990). Recent research suggests that a primary flint source for the Ma'ayan Baruch handaxes and Neolithic/
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Chalcolithic bifacial tools (axes and adzes) from Beisamoun and Hagoshrim was the Eocene flint of the Dishon extraction and reduction complex (Finkel et al., 2019; Fig. 1). The extensive open-air flint extraction and reduction complexes of the central Dishon Basin (Finkel et al., 2016) and at Mount Achbara (Finkel et al., 2018; Fig. 1) both in the Eastern Galilee, as well as from the Sede Ilan extraction and reduction complex located on the southern edge of the Eocene “strip” (Barkai et al., 2006; Barkai and Gopher, 2009), provide insights into the origins of prehistoric Eocene flint in northern Israel. (The term “complex” is used here to denote the entire area where extraction and reduction activities took place; sub-areas are termed extraction and reduction “localities”.) Lithic assemblages from tailing piles were documented in field surveys and small-scale test excavations in the Dishon Complex, the largest and richest extraction and reduction complex in the Galilee. Studies of the assemblages recovered from these piles indicate the presence of Late Lower Paleolithic and Middle Paleolithic procurement activity (Finkel et al., 2016). The site of Mount Reihan in the same region revealed a large Neolithic/Chalcolithic bifacial tool workshop (Finkel et al., 2017). The finds unearthed at the Achbara Complex (Fig. 1) were assigned primarily to Middle Paleolithic activity, and less
Corresponding author. E-mail address: fi[email protected] (M. Finkel).
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jasrep.2020.102208 Received 13 February 2019; Received in revised form 10 January 2020; Accepted 11 January 2020 2352-409X/ © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports 30 (2020) 102208
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Fig. 1. Geography and geology of the Middle Paleolithic sites and extraction and reduction localities in the vicinity of the Kela extraction and reduction locality (geological map: Sneh et al., 1998).
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and Dalwe basalts (Sneh and Weinberger, 2014) and by later Quaternary basalt flows (Muweisse and Ein Zivan flows). The basalts covered the previous erosional relief of the Golan and eventually filled the syncline, creating a plateau (Dafny et al., 2003; Mor, 1986). These thick basalts cover the entire Golan Heights, leaving exposed only a few small sedimentary outcrops in the northern part of the region. An example of these exposed outcrops is the so-called “Shamir Windows” (Fig. 2a) in which the Eocene as well as the Paleocene-Senonian outcrops are observed. In many of the northern Golan Heights limestone outcrops flint of good knapping quality is present in the form of nodules embedded within the limestone layers. These flint outcrops were surveyed by D. Ben-Ami and later systematically studied as part of the Quneitra Middle Paleolithic site excavation project (Hovers, 1990). In this study, the area of Kela was designated as raw material source number 4, but no evidence of extraction and reduction activity was reported. Hovers concluded that the Kela area seemed to be the least represented in the Quneitra assemblage. Nevertheless, she noted that since Kela “has several kinds of flint very similar to those at other localities, this is only a tentative conclusion“ (Hovers, 1990: 159). Hovers emphasized the considerable variability of flint within each locality (source) and also noted on the variability of the flint within single nodules. She pointed out that “Locality 4 was for a long time considered to have only chalky, fragmentary flint nodules, but recent observations have shown that various kinds of flint exist there, making a distinction within this source and others quite difficult” (Hovers, 1990: 159). Our observations of the Kela flint support Hovers’ observation regarding the variability of flint in this source. The study presented here focuses on a specific location situated in the eastern part of the Kela Eocene outcrop (henceforth, the Kela extraction and reduction locality), only a few dozen meters west of the limestone-basalt boundary (Fig. 2a). This location contains large
extensive Neolithic/Chalcolithic activity was also documented (Finkel et al., 2018). The southernmost extraction and reduction complex found along the Eocene strip of the Galilee is the site of Sede Ilan, where late Lower Paleolithic and Middle Paleolithic extraction and reduction activity was documented (Barkai and Gopher, 2009). Thus far, no absolute radiometric dates have been determined for these extraction and reduction complexes, hence their assignment to the Lower–Middle Paleolithic periods is based primarily on the technotypology of the lithic assemblages. The presence of Acheulian handaxes indicates the occurrence of Lower Paleolithic Acheulian while the Levallois cores and products indicate Middle Paleolithic Mousterian activity (Gopher and Barkai 2014). The aim of this paper is to report the newly investigated extraction and reduction locality situated within an isolated Eocene limestone outcrop in the basalt terrain of the northwestern margins of the Golan Heights and its significance to our understanding of raw material acquisition strategies in the Upper Galilee and Golan Heights.
2. The site of Kela The Golan Heights is a broad syncline formed by Rift Valley tectonic activity and following erosive processes. It extends between the Hermon anticline in the north and the Ajlun anticline in the south. The northern Golan Heights consist of Eocene limestone and chalks of the Timrat and Bar Kokhba Formations ca. 150 m thick, which contain flint (Sneh and Weinberger, 2004; Sneh and Weinberger, 2014; see Fig. 2a). Due to the ca. 105-km transform of the eastern side of the Rift Valley in this region in relation to the western side of the valley, the Eocene outcrop observed in the northen Golan Heights (e.g. the site of Kela presented in this paper) roughly parallels the Eocene outcrops of the northern Samaria Hills (Sneh and Weinberger, 2003). The northern Golan Heights is covered by the Pliocene Yehudiyya
Fig. 2. a: The geology of the Kela site (geological map: Sneh and Weinberger, 2014); b: Aerial photo of the extraction and reduction pile. The red square represents the 2 × 2-m square in which systematic surface collection was conducted; c. Flint on the pile (scale = 40 cm); d. Ground photo of the pile. 3
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amounts of high-quality flint and exhibits extensive evidence of extraction and reduction activities. It was discovered in the 1980s by D. Ben-Ami as part of his unpublished survey of the Golan Heights. The Kela extraction and reduction locality is situated 780 m above sea level on the westernmost margins of the Golan Heights, overlooking the northern Hula Valley. It is covered by grassland and dotted with a few trees. The Kela locality was damaged both by Syrian military activity in the middle of the 20th century (see zig-zag trenches in the upper part of Fig. 2b) and later by agricultural activity. A shallow water trough for cattle, situated 100 m east of the extraction and reduction locality, was constructed during the 1980s to collect rainfall and is still maintained today. When soil was moved to create the edges of the trough, large flint nodules were exposed (see below) indicating the proximity of the raw material to the surface. Interestingly, the name of the nearby Syrian village was a-Sawana el-Baida – “the white flint” – probably because of the combination of the white limestone and the abundance of flint in the vicinity (see Fig. 2a). 3. Methods A field survey was conducted in all the Eocene limestone “island” outcrops in the northern Golan Heights (Fig. 1; Sneh and Weinberger, 2014). The survey yielded evidence of flint-knapping activity on the surface, primarily in the form of flakes. No Levallois cores or bifacial tools were found, and no evidence of extraction and reduction tailing piles was observed. The Kela extraction and reduction locality was the only such locality identified within the Kela outcrop (Fig. 2) – a 25 × 20-m waste pile (Fig. 2b and d) where knapped flint was found in abundance (Fig. 2c). To assess the number of flint items in the tailing pile, a systematic surface collection of a 2 × 2-m square at the northern and widest part of the pile was conducted (Fig. 3a). The flint nodules and worked artifacts were then weighed. A small (15 × 15 cm) test pit was dug into the pile to evaluate the thickness of the deposit (Fig. 3b). The pile, covering ca. 500 m2, was carefully surveyed and all indicative items were collected. Fifteen of the Kela flint items were sampled to be photographed in the laboratory. The results of the survey, and the geochemical analysis conducted on 10 selected items (see below), were compared to similar collections from the Dishon and Achbara extraction and reduction complexes. In addition, ten large flint nodules exposed during construction of the watering trough, ca. 100 m east of the Kela extraction and reduction pile, were recorded in order to document the natural appearance of flint in this formation and to enable comparison with other extraction and reduction complexes in northern Israel. Ten flint flakes (debitage) were selected from the Kela extraction and reduction pile for geochemical analysis. The flint items were selected according to three criteria: the absence of cortex (to avoid bias caused by differences in chemical compositions between the calcareous cortex and the inner part of the flint item); the absence of inclusions; and a minimal weight of 50 g in order to have a representative sample (after grinding) of an otherwise heterogeneous sample. The average of the results obtained from ten samples provided a reliable geochemical fingerprint of the site, in accordance with the method applied for geochemical analysis of the Dishon, Achbara and Sede Ilan extraction and reduction complexes (Finkel et al., 2019). In addition, ten flint flakes from the Middle Paleolithic site of Nahal Mahanayeem Outlet (Kalbe et al., 2014; Sharon and Oron, 2014) were selected for geochemical analysis. These items were smaller in size, weighing 5–10 g. Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer (ICPMS) geochemical analysis was conducted. Samples were ground for analysis in two phases: 1) By heavy-duty grinder (model: Retsch BB 100 Jaw Crusher; Tungsten Carbide of the whole object from the Kela extraction and reduction pile – 50–100 g and the whole object from Nahal Mahanayeem Outlet – 5–10 g); and 2) By a tungsten carbide-based mill (model: Retsch RS 200; ~10 g out of the 50–100 g; 700 rpm for 1 min).
Fig. 3. a: The 2 × 2-m square at the northern part of the Kela extraction and reduction pile, in which flint items were systematically collected; b: Small test pit dug into the Kela extraction and reduction pile to a depth of 25 cm.
The analysis was conducted on 0.5 g (out of ~5–10 g). Samples were digested in PTFE (Savillex) vials as follows: dissolved in 9 ml HNO3 (70%); after 1 h – 3 ml HF (50%) was added; then heated at 80 °C for 24 h; evaporation was conducted; 2 ml HNO3 was added; evaporation was conducted; 10 ml HNO3 (1%) was added; and finally an ICP-MS analysis was conducted using Agilent 7500 Cx. Helium gas was used in the octopole reaction system to reduce polyatomic interferences during analysis (He mode). The calibration was performed using MERCK VI ICP MS multi-element standard and High Purity Standards ICP-MS Multielement Standard B (for REE). An internal standard containing Sc, Rh and Re was added in-line to all standards and samples for correction of drift and matrix effects. Two standard reference materials were used to ensure accuracy – the US Geological Survey Standard Reference Samples T-201 and T-209. Recovery of elements was within the statistical limits provided by the USGS for most elements, and less than ± 10% of Most Probable Value in cases in which it exceeded said limits (Fe, Mn and Mg in T-201, and Mo and Ag in T-209). Average results of rare earth elements (REE) from the samples were normalized according to Chondrite norms (values according to Piper and Bau, 2013) and compared with results obtained for flint from other geological formations in the Galilee (Nathan et al., 1999; and Finkel et al., 2019) to establish the geological origin of each of the items.
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Table 1 Assemblage composition and weight of items from 4 m2 of surface collection at the Kela extraction and reduction locality and comparison to five extraction and reduction localities within the Achbara and Dishon complexes (Data from Finkel et al. 2016, 2017, 2018). Category of items
Core Large flake (> 10 cm) Retouched large flake Flake Retouched flake Bifacial roughout Chunk Levallois core Blade Total Weight (kg) Levallois cores in entire pile
Kela
Achbara West
Achbara East
Dishon - Baram South
Dishon - Baram North
Dishon Reihan plateau (R) – RAW 100 pile
No.
%
No.
%
No.
%
No.
%
No.
%
No.
%
27 2 6 4 4
32.5 2.4 7.3 4.8 4.8
19.3 2.6
28 38
18.1 24.5
36.2 6 6 100
9.2 2.6 2 24.4 32.2 1.3 28.3
30 4
30 5 5 83 24.5 34 + 2 Levallois points
14 4 3 37 49 2 (late) 43
55
35.5
7 2 7 50 58 1 66
3.6 1 3.6 25.6 29.7 0.5 33.8
3.7 14.8 1.5 56.2 12 2.7 4.1
100
155 27.35 5
100
4 195 23.75 2
2 100
11 4.7 1.6 17.2 13.3 0.7 47.7 0.7 3.1 100
12 48 5 182 39 9 (late) 13
152 21.75 3
14 6 2 22 17 1 61 1 4 128 24 2
16 324 32.1 7
4.9 100
4. Results
10–15 cm of stone cover (flint and limestone), dark soil appears. The flint flakes unearthed from this soil were less weathered than the surface items, and their quantity decreased with depth.
4.1. Lithic assemblage
4.2. The flint
The survey of the entire surface of the Kela extraction and reduction locality (~500 m2) and the systematic collection of flint in the 2 × 2-m square yielded significant observations. The tailing pile under study comprises mostly flint in different stages of utilization, from extracted, unmodified nodules and slabs to extensively flaked cores and flakes. The number of flakes is not too large and the great majority of items are primary flakes that represent early stages of the reduction sequence. In addition to the flint, the pile includes limestone cobbles, some of which show signs of battering and may have been used as hammerstones. The pile area is very different from the surrounding area, where only a small amount of flint was observed within the limestone bedrock exposures. A nearby (200 m to the north) artificial trench, some 3 m deep, shows deeper flint horizons within the limestone that were not extracted by prehistoric knappers. Lithic analysis of the flint items collected from the Kela extraction and reduction tailing pile included mainly Levallois cores (Table 1 and Fig. 4). Levallois flakes, some of which were retouched, were also found (Table 1 and Fig. 5). We also identified two possible bifacial roughouts (Fig. 6) however, their bifacially flaked parts were limited and not very convincing and they could not be clearly defined. The industry was clearly dominated by the Levallois component of the Middle Paleolithic period. The most significant observation that resulted from the study of all the Kela extraction and reduction artifacts (from the primary survey, the systematic collection from a 2 × 2-m square and the survey of ~500 m2) is that all of the flint artifacts found can be attributed to the Middle Paleolithic Mousterian industry. We found no convincing evidence for bifacial reduction – either typical by-products of Acheulian handaxes or Neolithic/Chalcolithic axe/adze production. The cores and utilized flint nodules from Kela were either tested nodules and/or amorphous cores in the very early stages of production or Levallois cores. Small cores were practically absent from the assemblage and not a single blade or bladelet core was found. The small number of flakes should also be noted. Experimental work has demonstrated that the production of Acheulian bifacial tools results in large numbers of waste flakes, even when only the primary stages are executed (e.g., GorenInbar and Sharon, 2006; Madsen and Goren-Inbar, 2004). The relatively small number of flakes in the Kela assemblage (and the absence of any flakes characteristic of bifacial flaking) further supports the attribution of the site to the Middle Paleolithic period and the Levallois tradition. The small test pit dug into the Kela extraction and reduction pile indicated that flint is present to a depth of 25 cm (Fig. 3b). Below some
The extraction and reduction pile is located some 20 m west of a limestone exposure – a possible “front” where flint nodules (though not very large) are still clearly visible (supplementary Fig. 1). This may have been the outcrop used for the extraction of the Kela locality flint. The flint in Kela can be categorized as beige-gray, with a smooth texture (see Figs. 4–6), which is the typical Eocene flint (Finkel et al., 2019 and reference within). The very large, unexploited flint nodules observed ca. 100 m east of the extraction and reduction locality, within and at the edge of the present-day watering trough, show no evidence of knapping activities (Fig. 7). The average weight of ten nodules from this locality is 22.2 kg per nodule. The results of the geochemical analysis of the Kela extraction and reduction locality and the occupation site of Nahal Mahanayeem Outlet samples indicate 38 elements (Li, Be, Na, Mg, Al, K, Ca, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Rb, Sr, Y, Mo, Ag, Cd, Ba, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu, Pb and U; see Supplementary Table 1). Average results of REE for the Kela extraction and reduction locality and the Nahal Mahanayeem Outlet occupation site were normalized and compared to results of flint from other extraction and reduction complexes in the region (Nathan et al., 1999; Finkel et al 2019). Fig. 8 shows a clear pattern of Cerium (Ce) depletion, which characterizes Eocene flint, compared to the different patterns of flint from the Cenomanian-Turonian Formations. 5. Discussion The Kela flint extraction and reduction locality on the northwestern edge of the Golan Heights is located within an Eocene limestone formation. This limited exposure of sedimentary rocks, an “island” within the basaltic terrain of the Golan Heights, appears to be related to the Eocene limestone known to be rich in flint that has recently been studied in the Upper Galilee west of the Rift Valley (Finkel et al., 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019; Finkel & Gopher, 2018). The site comprises a large tailing pile of flint extracted from the nearby outcrops of flint nodules exposed within the limestone layers forming the slopes of the upper Golan Heights in this area. The tailing pile spreads over some ~500 m2 and includes almost exclusively flint nodules, cores, knapping waste and limestone cobbles, some of which are the waste of flint extraction from the limestone and some of which 5
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Fig.4. 1–5 – Levallois cores.
Secondary deposits containing flint nodules and cobbles are found in the Hula basin. These have been located, for example, within alluvial fans of the large streams flowing into the valley from the west, e.g., the Dishon Stream. Such secondary surface sources were probably also an option, and were most probably exploited by Paleolithic flint knappers of the Hula Valley (Delage, 1997). However, the extent of the Dishon extraction and reduction complex west of the Rift Valley, and the finds from Kela east of the Rift Valley, as well as the results of the geochemical analysis presented in Finkel et al., 2019 and here, all suggest that during most stages of prehistory, primary sources of flint were preferred (for their higher flint quality) as indicated by the large-scale
may have been used in the extraction and reduction processes. Our systematic survey and collection of flint artifacts from this locality has yielded a rich assemblage of flint artifacts that is clearly attributed to a Middle Paleolithic Levallois industry. The average weight of ten natural, unmodified nodules at Kela (22.2 kg) is similar to the average weights calculated for two extraction and reduction localities in the Dishon extraction and reduction complex (Mount Reihan [R]: 17.7 kg; Baram North [Bn]: 20.1 kg; Finkel & Gopher, 2018). This indicates that the Kela nodules fall well within the suitable raw material size used by Lower and Middle Paleolithic knappers in Eocene extraction and reduction complexes in the region.
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Fig. 5. 1 – core, 2 – flake, 3 – retouched and notched flake.
(Khalaily et al., 2015: 12) and the Chalcolithic site of Rasem Harbush (Noy, 1998: 270-271). In other studies, however, the visual classification of the flint is supported by analytic data as in the case of Amud Cave (Ekshtain et al., 2017) and ’Ein Qashish (Ekshtain et al., 2014). Not many Mousterian sites are known from the Golan Heights. The most familiar is the site of Quneitra, located 10 km southeast of Kela (Goren Inbar, 1990; Oron and Goren-Inbar, 2013). The use of Eocene flint by the flint knappers of Quneitra has been noted (Goren-Inbar, 1990, 63; see also Hovers 1990), yet the primary source of flint used at the site was attributed to other sources located at comparable distances (see Hovers 1990 for details). However, the presence of rich Middle Paleolithic raw material extraction activity at Kela may suggest that it was an additional source for the Quneitra flint knappers. A geochemical study of the Quneitra artifacts is planned for the near future with the aim of exploring this suggestion. An additional Mousterian site in the vicinity of the Kela outcrop is Nahal Mahanayeem Outlet (Sharon, 2018), located ca. 18 km to the southwest of Kela in the southern part of the Hula Valley. From a
extensive extraction and reduction activities in the region. To the naked eye, the knapped flint items collected in the Kela extraction and reduction locality look similar to those that originated in the Dishon and Achbara extraction and reduction complexes; they are homogenous in texture, beige-grey in color, and present varied patination patterns, mainly grey and yellow in color (Figs. 4–6, Supplementary Fig. 2 and see Finkel et al., 2016; Finkel et al., 2017; Finkel et al., 2018; Finkel et al., 2019 for comparison). Such grey patination is similar to the Amud Cave category of “debitage classified as Eocene” (Ekshtain et al., 2017). Yaroshevich et al. (2017) described the flint of the Givat Rabi East extraction and reduction complex (in the Lower Galilee) as having “a grey-beige shade, often having orange-pink concentric veins.” It should be noted that such common textures and colors were the basis for the attribution of many flint tool assemblages to “Eocene flint” without conducting any in-depth visual or geochemical analyses. Notable examples are studies such as that of the Ma'ayan Baruch (Hamara) Acheulian site (Ronen et al., 1980: 19; Stekelis and Gilead, 1966: 7), of the Pre-Pottery Neolithic site of Beisamoun 7
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Fig.6. (1–2): Bifacial roughouts.
than the large scale extraction and reduction complexes of the Upper Galilee west of the Rift Valley, such as the Dishon, Achbara and Sede Ilan complexes (Finkel et al., 2016, 2019). Nevertheless, the size of the Kela locality is still extensive, especially when considering the fact that it seems to have been active only during the Middle Paleolithic. It is somewhat surprising that no evidence of earlier (e.g., Acheulian) or later (e.g., Epipaleolithic or Neolithic) knapping activity was found at Kela, especially in light of the limited availability of flint in the basalt Golan Heights. The reason for this may be the limited exposure of the Kela flint or possibly that the properties of the flint were not suitable for the needs of earlier or later tool makers. Whatever the reason, the Kela flint extraction and reduction locality was used extensively by Middle Paleolithic knappers for the production of a Levalloisian industry. This allows for improved investigation of differences in raw material economy and exploitation at sites of the Middle Paleolithic period of the Hula Valley and the Golan Heights, as well as earlier sites of the Lower Paleolithic period or later sites of the Neolithic/Chalcolithic periods. The Middle Paleolithic extraction and reduction locality at Kela offers a significant new contribution that fosters better understanding of raw material availability and exploitation strategies in the northern Golan Heights and the northern part of the Jordan Rift Valley. Meir Finkel: Found the site during a field survey and led the research team. Wrote the original draft; Avi Gopher: field survey and lithic analysis; Gonen Sharon: field survey and lithic analysis. Provided flint items from Nahal Mahanayeem Outlet for geochemical analysis; Ofir Tirosh: Geochemical analysis; Erez Ben-Yosef: field survey and geochemical analysis. All authors contributed to the reviewing and editing processes.
Fig. 7. Flint nodules found within a cattle drinking trough 100 m east of the extraction and reduction locality (scale = 40 cm).
geochemical perspective, the sample of flints from Nahal Mahanayeem Outlet shows a different pattern than that of Kela. Geochemical fingerprints of Nahal Mahanayeem Outlet flint items most closely resemble the flints collected from the Achbara extraction and reduction complex on the western side of the Rift Valley (Fig. 8 and Finkel et al., 2019). The Achbara extraction and reduction complex, situated ~15 km southwest of the Nahal Mahanayeem Outlet Middle Paleolithic site, is probably a better candidate for a raw material source for this site than the Kela extraction and reduction locality.
6. Conclusions The scale of the Kela extraction and reduction locality is smaller 8
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Fig. 8. Comparison of REE concentrations (after chondrite normalization) in flint from the Kela site, the main flint-bearing formations of the Galilee and Nahal Mahanayeem Outlet (NMO) site. Data for Timrat Eocene flint from the Dishon (n = 29) and Achbara (n = 30) complexes are from Finkel et al. (2019). Data for the Deir Hanna, Yanuh and Yirka Formations (Cenomanian-Turonian) are from Nathan et al., 1999).
Acknowledgments
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2013.07. Ekshtain, R., Ilani, S., Segal, I., Hovers, E., 2016. Local and non-local procurement of raw material in Amud Cave, Israel: the complex mobility of late Middle Paleolithic groups. Geoarchaeology 1–26. https://doi.org/10.1002/gea.21585. Finkel, M., Gopher, A., Barkai, R., 2016. Extensive Paleolithic flint extraction and reduction complexes in the Nahal Dishon central basin, Upper Galilee, Israel. J. World Prehist. 29, 217–266. Finkel, M., Gopher, A., Ben-Yosef, E., Barkai, R., 2017. An extensive Neolithic/ Chalcolithic axe and adze workshop found within a Paleolithic extraction complex at Mt. Reihan, northeastern Galilee, Israel. J. Isr. Prehist. Soc. 47, 5–32. Finkel, M., Gopher, A., Ben-Yosef, E., Barkai, R., 2018. A middle paleolithic and neolithic/ chalcolithic flint extraction and reduction complex at Mt. Achbara, Eastern Galilee, Israel. Archaeol. Res. Asia. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ara.2018.01.004. Finkel, M., Gopher, A., 2018. The role of nodule size in assessing lithic transportation—The case of the Mount Reihan Flint extraction and axe/adze workshop, Dishon Basin, Eastern Galilee, Israel. Lithic Technol. 43 (3), 186–200. https:// doi.org/10.1080/01977261.2018.1484604. Finkel, M., Barkai, R., Gopher, A., Tirosh, O., Ben-Yosef, E., 2019. The “Flint depot” of prehistoric Northern Israel: comprehensive geochemical analyses (ICP-MS) of flint extraction and reduction complexes and implications for provenance studies. Geoarchaeology. https://doi.org/10.1002/gea.21727. Gopher, A., Barkai, R., 2014. Middle Paleolithic open-air industrial areas in the Galilee, Israel: the challenging study of flint extraction and reduction complexes. Quat. Int. 331, 95–102. Goren Inbar, N., 1979. An Upper Acheulian industry from the Golan Heights. Quartar 29–30, 105–121. Goren Inbar, N., 1985. The lithic assemblage of the Berekhat Ram Acheulian site, Golan Heights. Paleorient 11 (1), 7–28. Goren Inbar, N., 1990. Quneitra – a Mousterian Site on the Golan Heights (Qedem 31). Institute of Archaeology, Hebrew University, Jerusalem. Goren-Inbar, N., Feibel, C.S., Verosub, K.L., Melamed, Y., Kislev, M.E., Tchernov, E., Saragusti, I., 2000. Pleistocene milestones on the out-of-Africa corridor at Gesher Benot Ya’aqov, Israel. Science 289 (5481), 944–947. https://doi.org/10.1126/ science.289.5481.944. Goren-Inbar, N., Alperson-Afil, N., Sharon, G., Herzlinger, G., 2018. The Acheulian site of Gesher Benot Ya'aqov. Volume IV. The Lithic Assemblage. Springer, Cham, Switzerland. Hovers, E., 1990. The exploitation of raw material at the Mousterian site of Quneitra. In: Goren-Inbar, N.a (Ed.), Quneitra: A Mousterian Site on the Golan Heights. Monographs of the Institute of Archaeology. The Hebrew. University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, pp. 150–167. Kalbe, J., Sharon, G., Porat, N., Zhang, C., Mischke, S., 2014. Geological Setting of the
We wish to thank Itamar Ben-Ezra for preparing the graphics. Dodi Ben-Ami allowed us to use the data from his pioneering survey of the Golan Heights and generously shared with us his extensive knowledge of this region. We wish to thank the anonymous reviewers for their suggestions and comments. Appendix A. Supplementary data Supplementary data to this article can be found online at https:// doi.org/10.1016/j.jasrep.2020.102208. References Barkai, R., Gopher, A., LaPorta, C., 2006. Middle Pleistocene landscape of extraction: quarry and workshop complexes in northern Israel. In: Goren-Inbar, N., Sharon, G. (Eds.), Axe Age – Acheulian Tool Making from Quarry to Discard. Equinox, London, pp. 7–44. Barkai, R., Gopher, A., 2009. Changing the face of the earth: Human behavior at Sede Ilan, an extensive Lower-Middle Paleolithic quarry site in Israel. In: Adams, B., Blades, B. (Eds.), Lithic Materials and Paleolithic Societies. Blackwell, Oxford, pp. 174–185. Bocquentin, F., Barzilai, O., Khalaily, H., Kolska Horwitz, L., 2011. The PPNB site of Beisamoun (Hula Basin): present and past research. In: Healey, E., Campbell, S., Maeda, O. (Eds.), The State of the Stone: Terminologies, Continuities and Contexts in Near Eastern Lithics (Studies in Early Near Eastern Production, Subsistence, and Environment 13). Ex Oriente, Berlin, pp. 197–211. Bocquentin, F., et al., 2014. Renewed excavations at Beisamoun: investigating the 7th millennium Cal BC of the Southern Levant, Mitekufat Haeven. J. Isr. Prehist. Soc. 44, 5–100. Delage, C., 1997. Chert Procurement and Management. During the Prehistory of Northern Israel. Bulletin du Centre de recherche français à Jérusalem 53–58. Dafny, E., Gvirtzman, H., Burg, A., Fleischer, L., 2003. The hydrogeology of the Golan basalt aquifer, Israel. Isr. J. Earth Sci. 52, 139–153. Ekshtain, R., Malinsky-Buller, A., Ilani, S., Segal, I., Hovers, E., 2014. Raw material exploitation around the Middle Paleolithic site of Ein Qashish. Quat. Int. 331, 248–266.
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Sharon, G., 2018. A week in the life of the Mousterian hunter. In: Akazawa, T., Nishiaki, Y. (Eds.), RNMH2014: The Second International Conference Replacement of Neanderthals by Modern Humans: Testing Evolutionary Models of Learning. Springer, Date City, Hokkaido Japan. Sneh, A., Bartov, Y., Rosensaft, M., 1998. Geological Map of Israel 1: 200,000. Sheet 1 Hadera. Geological Survey of Israel, Jerusalem. Sneh, A., Weinberger, R., 2004. Geology of the Metulla quadrangle, northern Israel: implications for the offset along the Dead Sea Rift. Isr. J. Earth Sci. 52, 123–138. Sneh, A., Weinberger, R., 2014. Geological Map of Israel 1:50,000. Sheet 2-II – Metulla. Geological Survey of Israel, Jerusalem. Stekelis, M., Gilead, D., 1966. Ma’ayan Barukh: a Lower Paleolithic site in Upper Galilee. Isr. Prehist. Soc. 1–23. Valla, F.R., Khalaily, H., Valladas, H., Tisnerat-Laborde, N., Samuelian, N., Bocquentin, F., Rabinovich, R., Bridault, A., Simmons, T., Le Dosseur, G., 2004. Les fouilles de Mallaha en 2000 et 2001: 3’eme rapport pre’liminaire. J. Isr. Prehist. Soc. 34, 49–244. Valla, F.R., Khalaily, H., Valladas, H., Kaltnecker, E., Bocquentin, F., Cabellos, T., BarYosef Mayer, D., Le Dosseur, G., Regev, L., Chu, V., 2007. Les fouilles de Ain Mallaha (Eynan) de 2003 à 2005: Quatrième rapport préliminaire. J. Isr. Prehist. Soc. 37, 135–383. Valla, F.R., Khalaily, H., Samuelian, N., Bocquentin, F., Bridault, A., Rabinovich, R., 2017. Eynan (Ain Mallaha). In: Enzel, Y., Bar‐Yosef, O. (Eds.), Quaternary of the Levant Environments, Climate Change, and Humans. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, pp. 295–302. Yaroshevich, A., Shemer, M., Porat, N., Roskin, J., 2017. Flint workshop affiliation: chronology, technology and site-formation processes at Giv'at Rabi East, Lower Galilee, Israel. Quat. Int. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2017.03.001.
Middle Paleolithic Site of NMO (Upper Jordan Valley, Israel). Quat. Int. 331, 139–148. Khalaily, H., Kuperman, T., Marom, N., Milevski, I., Yegorov, D., 2015. Beisamun: an early pottery Neolithic site in the Hula Basin. Atiqot 82, 1–61. Lechevallier, M., 1978. Abou Gosh et Beisamoun. Deux gisements du VIIe millenaire avant l’ere chretienne en Israel. Memoires et Travaux du Centre de Resherches Prehistoriques Francais de Jerusalem 2. Association Paléorient, Paris. Madsen, B., Goren-Inbar, N., 2004. Acheulian giant core technology and beyond: an archaeological and experimental case study. Eurasian Prehist. 2, 3–52. Mor, D., 1986. The volcanism of the Golan Heights. Geological Survey of Israel, Jerusalem. Nathan, Y., Segal, I., Delage, C., 1999. Geochemical characterization of cherts from northern Israel (western Galilee). Isr. J. Earth Sci. 48, 235–245. Noy, T., 1998. The flint artifacts. In: Epstein, C. (Ed.), The Chalcolithic culture of the Golan. Israel Antiquities Authority, Jerusalem, pp. 269–332 IAA Reports 4. Oron, M., Goren-Inbar, N., 2013. Mousterian intra-site spatial patterning at Quneitra, Golan Heights. Quant. Int. 331, 186–202. Piper, D.Z., Bau, M., 2013. Normalized Rare Earth Elements in water, sediments, and wine: identifying sources and environmental redox conditions. Am. J. Anal. Chem. 4, 69–83. Ronen, A., Ohel, M., Lamdam, M., Assaf, A., 1980. Acheulian Artifacts from Two Trenches at Ma'ayan Barukh. Isr. Explor. J. 30 (1/2), 17–33. Rosenberg, D., Assaf, A., Getzov, N., Gopher, A., 2008. Flaked stone discs of the Neolithic and Chalcolithic periods in the southern Levant. Paléorient 137–151. Rosenberg, D., Getzov, N., Assaf, A., 2010. New light on long distance ties in the Late Neolithic/Early Chalcolithic Near East. Curr. Anthropol. 51 (2), 281–293. Sharon, G., Oron, M., 2014. The lithic tool arsenal of the Mousterian hunter. Quat. Int. 331, 167–185.
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Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jasrep
Kela – A Middle Paleolithic flint extraction and reduction site in the northern Golan Heights
T
⁎
Meir Finkela, , Avi Gophera, Gonen Sharonb, Ofir Tiroshc, Erez Ben-Yosefa a
Department of Archaeology and Near Eastern Cultures, Tel Aviv University, Israel MA program in Galilee Studies, Tel-Hai College, Upper Galilee, Israel c Institute of Earth Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel b
A R T I C LE I N FO
A B S T R A C T
Keywords: Flint Extraction and reduction Middle Paleolithic Golan Heights
Flint-bearing Eocene outcrops are well known from west of the northern Jordan Rift Valley, appearing as a strip of land along the Eastern Galilee and extensively used by prehistoric knappers as a rich source of quality raw material. In this paper we report for the first time on the flint extraction and reduction site of Kela, located within an isolated Eocene limestone outcrop in the basalt terrain of the northwestern margins of the Golan Heights. Based on the analysis of flint items collected at the Kela extraction and reduction locality, we attribute the entire assemblage to the Middle Paleolithic period. Our conclusions are for the most part founded on the presence of numerous Levallois cores and on the absence of other cores and waste types. Our preliminary geochemical analysis tested possible links between the Kela extraction and reduction locality and prehistoric habitation sites in the region. Our finds show that Kela was a source of flint for the Middle Paleolithic knappers of the northern Golan Heights. These results contribute to our understanding of raw material exploitation strategies by prehistoric knappers in the northern Jordan Rift Valley and the Golan Heights.
1. Introduction The Hula Valley, a segment of the northern Jordan Rift Valley and the northern Golan Heights, hosts significant prehistoric sites, including the Lower Paleolithic sites of Gesher Benot Ya’aqov (Goren-Inbar et al., 2000, 2018), Berekhat Ram (Goren Inbar, 1985); Joubbata el-Khachab (Goren Inbar, 1979) and Ma'ayan Barukh/Hamara (Stekelis and Gilead, 1966; Ronen et al., 1980). The Middle Paleolithic is represented by sites such Quneitra (Goren Inbar, 1990; Oron and Goren-Inbar, 2013) and Nahal Mahanayeem Outlet (Sharon and Oron, 2014; Sharon, 2018). The Hula Valley is also home to key Natufian sites, including the Late Epipaleolithic/Natufian site of Einan (‘Ain Malaha) (Valla et al., 2004; Valla et al., 2007; Valla et al., 2017). The region was also extensively inhabited during the Neolithic and Chalcolithic periods at sites such as Beisamoun (Bocquentin et al., 2011; Bocquentin et al., 2014; Khalaily et al., 2015; Lechevallier, 1978; Rosenberg et al., 2008) and Hagoshrim (Rosenberg et al., 2008, 2010). These sites all contain substantial flint assemblages and it has been suggested that their raw material came from diverse sources (e.g. Delage, 1997; Hovers, 1990). Recent research suggests that a primary flint source for the Ma'ayan Baruch handaxes and Neolithic/
⁎
Chalcolithic bifacial tools (axes and adzes) from Beisamoun and Hagoshrim was the Eocene flint of the Dishon extraction and reduction complex (Finkel et al., 2019; Fig. 1). The extensive open-air flint extraction and reduction complexes of the central Dishon Basin (Finkel et al., 2016) and at Mount Achbara (Finkel et al., 2018; Fig. 1) both in the Eastern Galilee, as well as from the Sede Ilan extraction and reduction complex located on the southern edge of the Eocene “strip” (Barkai et al., 2006; Barkai and Gopher, 2009), provide insights into the origins of prehistoric Eocene flint in northern Israel. (The term “complex” is used here to denote the entire area where extraction and reduction activities took place; sub-areas are termed extraction and reduction “localities”.) Lithic assemblages from tailing piles were documented in field surveys and small-scale test excavations in the Dishon Complex, the largest and richest extraction and reduction complex in the Galilee. Studies of the assemblages recovered from these piles indicate the presence of Late Lower Paleolithic and Middle Paleolithic procurement activity (Finkel et al., 2016). The site of Mount Reihan in the same region revealed a large Neolithic/Chalcolithic bifacial tool workshop (Finkel et al., 2017). The finds unearthed at the Achbara Complex (Fig. 1) were assigned primarily to Middle Paleolithic activity, and less
Corresponding author. E-mail address: fi[email protected] (M. Finkel).
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jasrep.2020.102208 Received 13 February 2019; Received in revised form 10 January 2020; Accepted 11 January 2020 2352-409X/ © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Fig. 1. Geography and geology of the Middle Paleolithic sites and extraction and reduction localities in the vicinity of the Kela extraction and reduction locality (geological map: Sneh et al., 1998).
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and Dalwe basalts (Sneh and Weinberger, 2014) and by later Quaternary basalt flows (Muweisse and Ein Zivan flows). The basalts covered the previous erosional relief of the Golan and eventually filled the syncline, creating a plateau (Dafny et al., 2003; Mor, 1986). These thick basalts cover the entire Golan Heights, leaving exposed only a few small sedimentary outcrops in the northern part of the region. An example of these exposed outcrops is the so-called “Shamir Windows” (Fig. 2a) in which the Eocene as well as the Paleocene-Senonian outcrops are observed. In many of the northern Golan Heights limestone outcrops flint of good knapping quality is present in the form of nodules embedded within the limestone layers. These flint outcrops were surveyed by D. Ben-Ami and later systematically studied as part of the Quneitra Middle Paleolithic site excavation project (Hovers, 1990). In this study, the area of Kela was designated as raw material source number 4, but no evidence of extraction and reduction activity was reported. Hovers concluded that the Kela area seemed to be the least represented in the Quneitra assemblage. Nevertheless, she noted that since Kela “has several kinds of flint very similar to those at other localities, this is only a tentative conclusion“ (Hovers, 1990: 159). Hovers emphasized the considerable variability of flint within each locality (source) and also noted on the variability of the flint within single nodules. She pointed out that “Locality 4 was for a long time considered to have only chalky, fragmentary flint nodules, but recent observations have shown that various kinds of flint exist there, making a distinction within this source and others quite difficult” (Hovers, 1990: 159). Our observations of the Kela flint support Hovers’ observation regarding the variability of flint in this source. The study presented here focuses on a specific location situated in the eastern part of the Kela Eocene outcrop (henceforth, the Kela extraction and reduction locality), only a few dozen meters west of the limestone-basalt boundary (Fig. 2a). This location contains large
extensive Neolithic/Chalcolithic activity was also documented (Finkel et al., 2018). The southernmost extraction and reduction complex found along the Eocene strip of the Galilee is the site of Sede Ilan, where late Lower Paleolithic and Middle Paleolithic extraction and reduction activity was documented (Barkai and Gopher, 2009). Thus far, no absolute radiometric dates have been determined for these extraction and reduction complexes, hence their assignment to the Lower–Middle Paleolithic periods is based primarily on the technotypology of the lithic assemblages. The presence of Acheulian handaxes indicates the occurrence of Lower Paleolithic Acheulian while the Levallois cores and products indicate Middle Paleolithic Mousterian activity (Gopher and Barkai 2014). The aim of this paper is to report the newly investigated extraction and reduction locality situated within an isolated Eocene limestone outcrop in the basalt terrain of the northwestern margins of the Golan Heights and its significance to our understanding of raw material acquisition strategies in the Upper Galilee and Golan Heights.
2. The site of Kela The Golan Heights is a broad syncline formed by Rift Valley tectonic activity and following erosive processes. It extends between the Hermon anticline in the north and the Ajlun anticline in the south. The northern Golan Heights consist of Eocene limestone and chalks of the Timrat and Bar Kokhba Formations ca. 150 m thick, which contain flint (Sneh and Weinberger, 2004; Sneh and Weinberger, 2014; see Fig. 2a). Due to the ca. 105-km transform of the eastern side of the Rift Valley in this region in relation to the western side of the valley, the Eocene outcrop observed in the northen Golan Heights (e.g. the site of Kela presented in this paper) roughly parallels the Eocene outcrops of the northern Samaria Hills (Sneh and Weinberger, 2003). The northern Golan Heights is covered by the Pliocene Yehudiyya
Fig. 2. a: The geology of the Kela site (geological map: Sneh and Weinberger, 2014); b: Aerial photo of the extraction and reduction pile. The red square represents the 2 × 2-m square in which systematic surface collection was conducted; c. Flint on the pile (scale = 40 cm); d. Ground photo of the pile. 3
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amounts of high-quality flint and exhibits extensive evidence of extraction and reduction activities. It was discovered in the 1980s by D. Ben-Ami as part of his unpublished survey of the Golan Heights. The Kela extraction and reduction locality is situated 780 m above sea level on the westernmost margins of the Golan Heights, overlooking the northern Hula Valley. It is covered by grassland and dotted with a few trees. The Kela locality was damaged both by Syrian military activity in the middle of the 20th century (see zig-zag trenches in the upper part of Fig. 2b) and later by agricultural activity. A shallow water trough for cattle, situated 100 m east of the extraction and reduction locality, was constructed during the 1980s to collect rainfall and is still maintained today. When soil was moved to create the edges of the trough, large flint nodules were exposed (see below) indicating the proximity of the raw material to the surface. Interestingly, the name of the nearby Syrian village was a-Sawana el-Baida – “the white flint” – probably because of the combination of the white limestone and the abundance of flint in the vicinity (see Fig. 2a). 3. Methods A field survey was conducted in all the Eocene limestone “island” outcrops in the northern Golan Heights (Fig. 1; Sneh and Weinberger, 2014). The survey yielded evidence of flint-knapping activity on the surface, primarily in the form of flakes. No Levallois cores or bifacial tools were found, and no evidence of extraction and reduction tailing piles was observed. The Kela extraction and reduction locality was the only such locality identified within the Kela outcrop (Fig. 2) – a 25 × 20-m waste pile (Fig. 2b and d) where knapped flint was found in abundance (Fig. 2c). To assess the number of flint items in the tailing pile, a systematic surface collection of a 2 × 2-m square at the northern and widest part of the pile was conducted (Fig. 3a). The flint nodules and worked artifacts were then weighed. A small (15 × 15 cm) test pit was dug into the pile to evaluate the thickness of the deposit (Fig. 3b). The pile, covering ca. 500 m2, was carefully surveyed and all indicative items were collected. Fifteen of the Kela flint items were sampled to be photographed in the laboratory. The results of the survey, and the geochemical analysis conducted on 10 selected items (see below), were compared to similar collections from the Dishon and Achbara extraction and reduction complexes. In addition, ten large flint nodules exposed during construction of the watering trough, ca. 100 m east of the Kela extraction and reduction pile, were recorded in order to document the natural appearance of flint in this formation and to enable comparison with other extraction and reduction complexes in northern Israel. Ten flint flakes (debitage) were selected from the Kela extraction and reduction pile for geochemical analysis. The flint items were selected according to three criteria: the absence of cortex (to avoid bias caused by differences in chemical compositions between the calcareous cortex and the inner part of the flint item); the absence of inclusions; and a minimal weight of 50 g in order to have a representative sample (after grinding) of an otherwise heterogeneous sample. The average of the results obtained from ten samples provided a reliable geochemical fingerprint of the site, in accordance with the method applied for geochemical analysis of the Dishon, Achbara and Sede Ilan extraction and reduction complexes (Finkel et al., 2019). In addition, ten flint flakes from the Middle Paleolithic site of Nahal Mahanayeem Outlet (Kalbe et al., 2014; Sharon and Oron, 2014) were selected for geochemical analysis. These items were smaller in size, weighing 5–10 g. Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer (ICPMS) geochemical analysis was conducted. Samples were ground for analysis in two phases: 1) By heavy-duty grinder (model: Retsch BB 100 Jaw Crusher; Tungsten Carbide of the whole object from the Kela extraction and reduction pile – 50–100 g and the whole object from Nahal Mahanayeem Outlet – 5–10 g); and 2) By a tungsten carbide-based mill (model: Retsch RS 200; ~10 g out of the 50–100 g; 700 rpm for 1 min).
Fig. 3. a: The 2 × 2-m square at the northern part of the Kela extraction and reduction pile, in which flint items were systematically collected; b: Small test pit dug into the Kela extraction and reduction pile to a depth of 25 cm.
The analysis was conducted on 0.5 g (out of ~5–10 g). Samples were digested in PTFE (Savillex) vials as follows: dissolved in 9 ml HNO3 (70%); after 1 h – 3 ml HF (50%) was added; then heated at 80 °C for 24 h; evaporation was conducted; 2 ml HNO3 was added; evaporation was conducted; 10 ml HNO3 (1%) was added; and finally an ICP-MS analysis was conducted using Agilent 7500 Cx. Helium gas was used in the octopole reaction system to reduce polyatomic interferences during analysis (He mode). The calibration was performed using MERCK VI ICP MS multi-element standard and High Purity Standards ICP-MS Multielement Standard B (for REE). An internal standard containing Sc, Rh and Re was added in-line to all standards and samples for correction of drift and matrix effects. Two standard reference materials were used to ensure accuracy – the US Geological Survey Standard Reference Samples T-201 and T-209. Recovery of elements was within the statistical limits provided by the USGS for most elements, and less than ± 10% of Most Probable Value in cases in which it exceeded said limits (Fe, Mn and Mg in T-201, and Mo and Ag in T-209). Average results of rare earth elements (REE) from the samples were normalized according to Chondrite norms (values according to Piper and Bau, 2013) and compared with results obtained for flint from other geological formations in the Galilee (Nathan et al., 1999; and Finkel et al., 2019) to establish the geological origin of each of the items.
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Table 1 Assemblage composition and weight of items from 4 m2 of surface collection at the Kela extraction and reduction locality and comparison to five extraction and reduction localities within the Achbara and Dishon complexes (Data from Finkel et al. 2016, 2017, 2018). Category of items
Core Large flake (> 10 cm) Retouched large flake Flake Retouched flake Bifacial roughout Chunk Levallois core Blade Total Weight (kg) Levallois cores in entire pile
Kela
Achbara West
Achbara East
Dishon - Baram South
Dishon - Baram North
Dishon Reihan plateau (R) – RAW 100 pile
No.
%
No.
%
No.
%
No.
%
No.
%
No.
%
27 2 6 4 4
32.5 2.4 7.3 4.8 4.8
19.3 2.6
28 38
18.1 24.5
36.2 6 6 100
9.2 2.6 2 24.4 32.2 1.3 28.3
30 4
30 5 5 83 24.5 34 + 2 Levallois points
14 4 3 37 49 2 (late) 43
55
35.5
7 2 7 50 58 1 66
3.6 1 3.6 25.6 29.7 0.5 33.8
3.7 14.8 1.5 56.2 12 2.7 4.1
100
155 27.35 5
100
4 195 23.75 2
2 100
11 4.7 1.6 17.2 13.3 0.7 47.7 0.7 3.1 100
12 48 5 182 39 9 (late) 13
152 21.75 3
14 6 2 22 17 1 61 1 4 128 24 2
16 324 32.1 7
4.9 100
4. Results
10–15 cm of stone cover (flint and limestone), dark soil appears. The flint flakes unearthed from this soil were less weathered than the surface items, and their quantity decreased with depth.
4.1. Lithic assemblage
4.2. The flint
The survey of the entire surface of the Kela extraction and reduction locality (~500 m2) and the systematic collection of flint in the 2 × 2-m square yielded significant observations. The tailing pile under study comprises mostly flint in different stages of utilization, from extracted, unmodified nodules and slabs to extensively flaked cores and flakes. The number of flakes is not too large and the great majority of items are primary flakes that represent early stages of the reduction sequence. In addition to the flint, the pile includes limestone cobbles, some of which show signs of battering and may have been used as hammerstones. The pile area is very different from the surrounding area, where only a small amount of flint was observed within the limestone bedrock exposures. A nearby (200 m to the north) artificial trench, some 3 m deep, shows deeper flint horizons within the limestone that were not extracted by prehistoric knappers. Lithic analysis of the flint items collected from the Kela extraction and reduction tailing pile included mainly Levallois cores (Table 1 and Fig. 4). Levallois flakes, some of which were retouched, were also found (Table 1 and Fig. 5). We also identified two possible bifacial roughouts (Fig. 6) however, their bifacially flaked parts were limited and not very convincing and they could not be clearly defined. The industry was clearly dominated by the Levallois component of the Middle Paleolithic period. The most significant observation that resulted from the study of all the Kela extraction and reduction artifacts (from the primary survey, the systematic collection from a 2 × 2-m square and the survey of ~500 m2) is that all of the flint artifacts found can be attributed to the Middle Paleolithic Mousterian industry. We found no convincing evidence for bifacial reduction – either typical by-products of Acheulian handaxes or Neolithic/Chalcolithic axe/adze production. The cores and utilized flint nodules from Kela were either tested nodules and/or amorphous cores in the very early stages of production or Levallois cores. Small cores were practically absent from the assemblage and not a single blade or bladelet core was found. The small number of flakes should also be noted. Experimental work has demonstrated that the production of Acheulian bifacial tools results in large numbers of waste flakes, even when only the primary stages are executed (e.g., GorenInbar and Sharon, 2006; Madsen and Goren-Inbar, 2004). The relatively small number of flakes in the Kela assemblage (and the absence of any flakes characteristic of bifacial flaking) further supports the attribution of the site to the Middle Paleolithic period and the Levallois tradition. The small test pit dug into the Kela extraction and reduction pile indicated that flint is present to a depth of 25 cm (Fig. 3b). Below some
The extraction and reduction pile is located some 20 m west of a limestone exposure – a possible “front” where flint nodules (though not very large) are still clearly visible (supplementary Fig. 1). This may have been the outcrop used for the extraction of the Kela locality flint. The flint in Kela can be categorized as beige-gray, with a smooth texture (see Figs. 4–6), which is the typical Eocene flint (Finkel et al., 2019 and reference within). The very large, unexploited flint nodules observed ca. 100 m east of the extraction and reduction locality, within and at the edge of the present-day watering trough, show no evidence of knapping activities (Fig. 7). The average weight of ten nodules from this locality is 22.2 kg per nodule. The results of the geochemical analysis of the Kela extraction and reduction locality and the occupation site of Nahal Mahanayeem Outlet samples indicate 38 elements (Li, Be, Na, Mg, Al, K, Ca, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Rb, Sr, Y, Mo, Ag, Cd, Ba, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu, Pb and U; see Supplementary Table 1). Average results of REE for the Kela extraction and reduction locality and the Nahal Mahanayeem Outlet occupation site were normalized and compared to results of flint from other extraction and reduction complexes in the region (Nathan et al., 1999; Finkel et al 2019). Fig. 8 shows a clear pattern of Cerium (Ce) depletion, which characterizes Eocene flint, compared to the different patterns of flint from the Cenomanian-Turonian Formations. 5. Discussion The Kela flint extraction and reduction locality on the northwestern edge of the Golan Heights is located within an Eocene limestone formation. This limited exposure of sedimentary rocks, an “island” within the basaltic terrain of the Golan Heights, appears to be related to the Eocene limestone known to be rich in flint that has recently been studied in the Upper Galilee west of the Rift Valley (Finkel et al., 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019; Finkel & Gopher, 2018). The site comprises a large tailing pile of flint extracted from the nearby outcrops of flint nodules exposed within the limestone layers forming the slopes of the upper Golan Heights in this area. The tailing pile spreads over some ~500 m2 and includes almost exclusively flint nodules, cores, knapping waste and limestone cobbles, some of which are the waste of flint extraction from the limestone and some of which 5
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Fig.4. 1–5 – Levallois cores.
Secondary deposits containing flint nodules and cobbles are found in the Hula basin. These have been located, for example, within alluvial fans of the large streams flowing into the valley from the west, e.g., the Dishon Stream. Such secondary surface sources were probably also an option, and were most probably exploited by Paleolithic flint knappers of the Hula Valley (Delage, 1997). However, the extent of the Dishon extraction and reduction complex west of the Rift Valley, and the finds from Kela east of the Rift Valley, as well as the results of the geochemical analysis presented in Finkel et al., 2019 and here, all suggest that during most stages of prehistory, primary sources of flint were preferred (for their higher flint quality) as indicated by the large-scale
may have been used in the extraction and reduction processes. Our systematic survey and collection of flint artifacts from this locality has yielded a rich assemblage of flint artifacts that is clearly attributed to a Middle Paleolithic Levallois industry. The average weight of ten natural, unmodified nodules at Kela (22.2 kg) is similar to the average weights calculated for two extraction and reduction localities in the Dishon extraction and reduction complex (Mount Reihan [R]: 17.7 kg; Baram North [Bn]: 20.1 kg; Finkel & Gopher, 2018). This indicates that the Kela nodules fall well within the suitable raw material size used by Lower and Middle Paleolithic knappers in Eocene extraction and reduction complexes in the region.
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Fig. 5. 1 – core, 2 – flake, 3 – retouched and notched flake.
(Khalaily et al., 2015: 12) and the Chalcolithic site of Rasem Harbush (Noy, 1998: 270-271). In other studies, however, the visual classification of the flint is supported by analytic data as in the case of Amud Cave (Ekshtain et al., 2017) and ’Ein Qashish (Ekshtain et al., 2014). Not many Mousterian sites are known from the Golan Heights. The most familiar is the site of Quneitra, located 10 km southeast of Kela (Goren Inbar, 1990; Oron and Goren-Inbar, 2013). The use of Eocene flint by the flint knappers of Quneitra has been noted (Goren-Inbar, 1990, 63; see also Hovers 1990), yet the primary source of flint used at the site was attributed to other sources located at comparable distances (see Hovers 1990 for details). However, the presence of rich Middle Paleolithic raw material extraction activity at Kela may suggest that it was an additional source for the Quneitra flint knappers. A geochemical study of the Quneitra artifacts is planned for the near future with the aim of exploring this suggestion. An additional Mousterian site in the vicinity of the Kela outcrop is Nahal Mahanayeem Outlet (Sharon, 2018), located ca. 18 km to the southwest of Kela in the southern part of the Hula Valley. From a
extensive extraction and reduction activities in the region. To the naked eye, the knapped flint items collected in the Kela extraction and reduction locality look similar to those that originated in the Dishon and Achbara extraction and reduction complexes; they are homogenous in texture, beige-grey in color, and present varied patination patterns, mainly grey and yellow in color (Figs. 4–6, Supplementary Fig. 2 and see Finkel et al., 2016; Finkel et al., 2017; Finkel et al., 2018; Finkel et al., 2019 for comparison). Such grey patination is similar to the Amud Cave category of “debitage classified as Eocene” (Ekshtain et al., 2017). Yaroshevich et al. (2017) described the flint of the Givat Rabi East extraction and reduction complex (in the Lower Galilee) as having “a grey-beige shade, often having orange-pink concentric veins.” It should be noted that such common textures and colors were the basis for the attribution of many flint tool assemblages to “Eocene flint” without conducting any in-depth visual or geochemical analyses. Notable examples are studies such as that of the Ma'ayan Baruch (Hamara) Acheulian site (Ronen et al., 1980: 19; Stekelis and Gilead, 1966: 7), of the Pre-Pottery Neolithic site of Beisamoun 7
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Fig.6. (1–2): Bifacial roughouts.
than the large scale extraction and reduction complexes of the Upper Galilee west of the Rift Valley, such as the Dishon, Achbara and Sede Ilan complexes (Finkel et al., 2016, 2019). Nevertheless, the size of the Kela locality is still extensive, especially when considering the fact that it seems to have been active only during the Middle Paleolithic. It is somewhat surprising that no evidence of earlier (e.g., Acheulian) or later (e.g., Epipaleolithic or Neolithic) knapping activity was found at Kela, especially in light of the limited availability of flint in the basalt Golan Heights. The reason for this may be the limited exposure of the Kela flint or possibly that the properties of the flint were not suitable for the needs of earlier or later tool makers. Whatever the reason, the Kela flint extraction and reduction locality was used extensively by Middle Paleolithic knappers for the production of a Levalloisian industry. This allows for improved investigation of differences in raw material economy and exploitation at sites of the Middle Paleolithic period of the Hula Valley and the Golan Heights, as well as earlier sites of the Lower Paleolithic period or later sites of the Neolithic/Chalcolithic periods. The Middle Paleolithic extraction and reduction locality at Kela offers a significant new contribution that fosters better understanding of raw material availability and exploitation strategies in the northern Golan Heights and the northern part of the Jordan Rift Valley. Meir Finkel: Found the site during a field survey and led the research team. Wrote the original draft; Avi Gopher: field survey and lithic analysis; Gonen Sharon: field survey and lithic analysis. Provided flint items from Nahal Mahanayeem Outlet for geochemical analysis; Ofir Tirosh: Geochemical analysis; Erez Ben-Yosef: field survey and geochemical analysis. All authors contributed to the reviewing and editing processes.
Fig. 7. Flint nodules found within a cattle drinking trough 100 m east of the extraction and reduction locality (scale = 40 cm).
geochemical perspective, the sample of flints from Nahal Mahanayeem Outlet shows a different pattern than that of Kela. Geochemical fingerprints of Nahal Mahanayeem Outlet flint items most closely resemble the flints collected from the Achbara extraction and reduction complex on the western side of the Rift Valley (Fig. 8 and Finkel et al., 2019). The Achbara extraction and reduction complex, situated ~15 km southwest of the Nahal Mahanayeem Outlet Middle Paleolithic site, is probably a better candidate for a raw material source for this site than the Kela extraction and reduction locality.
6. Conclusions The scale of the Kela extraction and reduction locality is smaller 8
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Fig. 8. Comparison of REE concentrations (after chondrite normalization) in flint from the Kela site, the main flint-bearing formations of the Galilee and Nahal Mahanayeem Outlet (NMO) site. Data for Timrat Eocene flint from the Dishon (n = 29) and Achbara (n = 30) complexes are from Finkel et al. (2019). Data for the Deir Hanna, Yanuh and Yirka Formations (Cenomanian-Turonian) are from Nathan et al., 1999).
Acknowledgments
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