Isaac Gilead

The History of the Chalcolithic Settlement in the Nahal Beer Sheva Area: The Radiocarbon Aspect

There are now dozens of 14C determinations from the Chalcolithic sites in the Nahal Beer Sheva area, most of them from the site of Shiqmim. The role of those dates, and stratigraphy, in establishing the history of the Chalcolithic settlement is described. Outlined also are the problems and prospects of defining phases of settlement by averaging sets of radiocarbon dates. The radiometric data suggest that the sites of Horvat Beter and Bir es-Safadi were settled centuries after Shiqmim was established. The article also illustrates that the radiocarbon dates cannot support the hypothesis that the subterranean structures in the Nahal Beer Sheva sites preceded the above-ground buildings.

Petrographic Analyses of Fourth Millennium B. C. Pottery and Stone Vessels from the Northern Negev, Israel

This article presents results of a petrographic analysis of Chalcolithic period pottery and stone vessels from the northern Negev. The data base consists of about 400 thin sections from more than 20 Chalcolithic sites. Most of the pottery vessels were produced in the immediate vicinity of the sites, excluding Gilat, which probably was a central site. The Cream Ware were made of Eocene chalk and a few pieces were transferred to sites away from the raw material exposures. A few of the basalt bowls were made of phosphorite and were probably produced in Transjordan.

Early Upper Paleolithic Sites in the Qadesh Barnea Area, NE Sinai

Abstract This paper describes four Upper Paleolithic sites from NE Sinai, near Quseime. Three of them are in a primary context, two of which yielded radiocarbon dates of ca. 33,000–32,000 years b.p. They are embedded in a silt-sand terrace that is attributed to a relatively wet phase of the Early Upper Paleolithic period. The sites are small camps, remnants of living surfaces, with numerous flint artifacts, limestone anvils and hammers, ochre flecks, and ostrich eggshells. The flint assemblages are dominated by numerous fine blades, some of which were either retouched or backed. The Qadesh Barnea assemblages, along with similar assemblages from the Negev and Sinai, represent the earliest and best-documented Upper Paleolithic culture in the Levant, the Lagaman, which is broadly contemporary (ca. 40,000–30,000 b.p.) with the Early Aurignacian of Europe and the French Castel-perronian.

Petrographic Study of the Pottery Assemblages from Ḥorvat Qarqar South, a Ghassulian Chalcolithic Cemetery in the Southern Levant

A petrographic study has been conducted on 181 identifiable, mostly complete vessels originating from Ḥorvat Qarqar South in the southern Shephelah, Israel. This is one of the largest Ghassulian Chalcolithic cemeteries in the southern Levant known to date. The results of the petrographic study demonstrate that 49% of the examined vessels were made non-locally, an unusual percentage for ceramic assemblages originating at a Ghassulian Chalcolithic mortuary site. Identification of raw material provenance, for example, points to an affiliation with communities living farther east in the Shephelah and in the Judaean Mountains. The “catchment area” of ceramic vessels found in the cemetery at Ḥorvat Qarqar South may suggest regional use by communities within distances of a few tens of kilometers from the site. In addition, a clear distinction in technology is apparent: While the ossuaries were made of coarse ware, the accompanying vessels were made of fine ware.