Nahal Hava: a PPNB campsite and Epipalaeolithic occupation in the central Negev highlands, Israel

Stone Tools in Transition:From Hunter-Gatherers

to Farming Societies in the Near East

7th Conference on PPN Chippedand Ground Stone Industries

of the Fertile Crescent

Ferran Borrell; Juan José Ibáñez; Miquel Molist (editors)

Dades catalogràfiques recomanades pel Servei de Biblioteques de la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona

Stone Tools in Transition: From Hunter-Gatherers to Farming Societies in the Near East / Ferran Borrell, Juan José Ibáñez, Miquel Molist (eds.) — Bellaterra (Barcelona) : Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Servei de Publicacions, 2013.

ISBN 9788449038181

I. Borrell, Ferran ed.II. Ibáñez, Juan José ed.III. Molist, Miquel ed.

© dels textos, els autors.

Organitzat per:Universitat Autònoma de BarcelonaInstitució Milà i Fontanals (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas)

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Edició:Universitat Autònoma de BarcelonaServei de PublicacionsEdifici A. 08193 Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Vallès). SpainTel. 93 581 10 22Fax 93 581 32 [email protected]://publicacions.uab.cat

Impressió:JOU

Fotografia de la coberta:© Central photograph: SAPPO Research Group. Others (clockwise from top left): EFAP Archive, TISARP team-University of Tübingen, Jesús González Urquijo, Netta Mitki, Ferran Borrell, Semra Balcı, Stuart Campbell, Trustees of the British Museum and Hamoudi Khalaily.

ISBN 978-84-490-3818-1Dipòsit legal: B. 15.831-2013

Imprès a Espanya. Printed in Spain

F. Borrell, J.J. Ibáñez, M. Molist (eds.) 7

Summary

Presentations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Tribute to Marie Claire Cauvin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Brief introduction to the 7th Conference on PPN chipped and ground stone industries of the Fertile Crescent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Ferran Borrell, Juan José Ibáñez and Miquel Molist

Assessing typo-technological variability in Epipalaeolithic assemblages: Preliminary results from two case studies from the Southern Levant . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Lisa A. Maher and Danielle A. Macdonald

Wadi al-Hajana 1: A Khiamian outpost in the northwestern piedmont of Mt . Bishri, central Syria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Sumio Fujii and Takuro Adachi

The bidirectional blade industries of the southern Levant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59Omry Barzilai

Nahal Hava: a PPNB campsite and Epipalaeolithic occupation in the central Negev highlands, Israel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

Michal Birkenfeld and A. Nigel Goring-Morris

Large-scale larnite quarries and production sites for bifacial tools in the southern Judean desert . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87

Jacob Vardi

Qumran Cave 24, a Neolithic-Chalcolithic site by the Dead Sea: a short report and some information on lithics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101

Avi Gopher, Cristina Lemorini, Elisabetta Boaretto, Israel Carmi, Ran Barkai and Heeli. C. Schechter

Observations on the chaîne opératoire of bidirectional blade production at Nahal Lavan 1021 based on refitting studies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115

Netta Mitki, Omry Barzilai and A. Nigel Goring-Morris

Summary8

Household-level flaked-stone tool production at the Neolithic site of ‘Ain Ghazal, Jordan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133

Theresa M. Barket

Early Neolithic flint raw material selection at LPPNB Ba’ja / southern Levant . Preliminary results from two room fills of area B-North . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147

Christoph Purschwitz

A functional investigation of perforators from the Late Natufian/Pre-Pottery Neolithic A site of Huzuk Musa – a preliminary report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165

Iris Groman-Yaroslavski, Danny Rosenberg and Dani Nadel

Microdrill use at Khiamian sites in central and northern Levant (Syria and Lebanon) . . . 177Jesús González-Urquijo, Frederic Abbès, Hala Alarashi, Juan José Ibáñez and Talía Lazuén

The Neolithic commodification of stone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191Hans Georg K. Gebel

The Neolithic of Lebanon: a statement of current knowledge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207Maya Haïdar-Boustani

Caching and depositing in the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B of Yiftahel, Israel . . . . . . . . . . . . 219Hamoudi Khalaily, Ianir Milevski and Omry Barzilai

The significance of long blade caches and deposits at Late Neolithic Shir, Syria . . . . . . . 231Dörte Rokitta-Krumnow

Opening Pandora’s Box: Some reflections on the spatial and temporal distribution of the off-set bi-directional blade production strategy and the Neolithisation of the Northern Levant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247

Ferran Borrell

Exchange of points in the PPNB: points with the Palmyran retouch from Tell Ain el-Kerkh, northwest Syria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265

Makoto Arimura

Naviform technology at Göllüdağ, Central Anatolia: some remarks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277Semra Balci

The lithic assemblages of Gusir Höyük (Turkey): the preliminary results . . . . . . . . . . . . 289Çiler Altinbilek-Algül

The early cypriot Pre-Pottery Neolithic: new evidence from the Amathus area . . . . . . . . 299François Briois, Jean-Denis Vigne and Jean Guilaine

Chipped stone artifacts from the aceramic Neolithic site of Chogha Golan, Ilam Province, western Iran . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 315

Mohsen Zeidi and Nicholas J. Conard

F. Borrell, J.J. Ibáñez, M. Molist (eds.) 9

Chipped stone industry from the excavation at the PPN settlement of Tell-e Atashi, SE Iran . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 327

Mozhgan Jayez and Omran Garazhian

Study of the chipped stone assemblage from systematic surface sampling at the PPN settlement of Tell-e Atashi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 341

Maryam Shakooie and Omran Garazhian

A reappraisal of the Pottery Neolithic flaked stone assemblages at Tall-i Jari B, Fars, Southwest Iran . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 349

Yoshihiro Nishiaki

The ground stone tools from the aceramic Neolithic site of Chogha Golan, Ilam province, western Iran . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 365

Nicholas J. Conard and Mohsen Zeidi

Keeping the razor sharp: hafting and maintenance of sickles in the southern Levant during the 6th and 5th millennia bc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 377

Jacob Vardi and Isaac Gilead

The PPNA quarry of Kaizer Hill, Modi‘in, Israel – The waste piles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 395Gadi Herzlinger, Leore Grosman and Naama Goren-Inbar

Incised slabs from Hayonim cave: a methodological case study for reading Natufian art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 407

Dana Shaham and Anna Belfer-Cohen

Grooved stones and other macrolithic objects with incised decoration from the PPNB at Tell Halula (Syria, Middle Euphrates Valley) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 421

Miquel Molist, Maria Bofill, Anabel Ortiz and Bushra Taha

Grooved stones in the Southern Levant: typology, function and chronology . . . . . . . . . . 435Ariel Vered

Natufian bedrock mortars at Qarassa 3: Preliminary results from an interdisciplinary methodology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 449

Xavier Terradas, Juan José Ibáñez, Frank Braemer, Karen Hardy, Eneko Iriarte, Marco Madella, David Ortega, Anita Radini and Luis C. Teira

Göllü Dağ Obsidian Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 465Nur Balkan-Atli, Nurcan Kayacan, Semra Balci, Laurence Astruc and Korhan Erturaç

Results of geochemical analyses of obsidian artefacts from the Neolithic site of Tell Labwe South, Lebanon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 475

Lamya Khalidi, Bernard Gratuze, Maya Haidar-Boustani, Juan José Ibáñez and Luís Teira

The consumption of obsidian at Neolithic Çatalhöyük: a long-term perspective . . . . . . . 495Tristan Carter and Marina Milic

Summary10

The obsidian assemblage from Neolithic Hagoshrim, Israel: pressure technology and cultural influence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 509

Heeli C. Schechter, Ofer Marder, Ran Barkai, Nimrod Getzov and Avi Gopher

The obsidian at Arpachiyah, Iraq; an integrated study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 529Stuart Campbell and Elizabeth Healey

Stone Tools in Transition: From Hunter-Gatherers to Farming Societies in the Near East. F. Borrell, J.J. Ibáñez, M. Molist (eds.) 73

Abstract

The results of test excavations at the small campsite complex of Nahal Hava in the central Negev high-lands are presented, from two adjacent localities.Nahal Hava I is an open-air encampment with a cluster of at least five small, low circular stone-walled structures arranged in a beehive arrangement. The structures were extensively deflated and no organic materials were recovered. Although many finds were washed down-slope, they were exclusively of Middle PPNB attribution.Nahal Hava II is located ca. 15m to the north, and comprises a small rockshelter/cave, again with much material washed down-slope, but with evidence of organic, anthropogenic in situ deposition. Finds can be attributed to the Late Epipalaeolithic and PPNB periods. Unfortunately, the presence of ticks precluded further exploration of the cave.The Nahal Hava site complex complements previous studies, indicating a distinctive mobile foraging adaptation in the central and western Negev and northern Sinai during the PPNB, with seasonal movements of small bands of mobile foragers between the lowlands and highlands.

Keywords: Early neolithic, negev highlands, lithic assemblage, foraging strategies .

1. Introduction

Following a gap in occupation during the Pre-Pottery neolithic A (PPnA), a gradual re-coloni-zation of the central and western negev and northern Sinai is demonstrated during the course of the Pre-Pottery neolithic B (PPnB) . During this period the region was occupied by mobile for-aging groups, exploiting both the highlands and lowlands, probably on a seasonal basis (Goring-Morris 1993a, b; noy 1976; Simmons 1981) .

The present paper summarises preliminary investigations at the recently discovered site com-plex of nahal Hava, in the central negev highlands (fig . 1) . Salvage surveys and test excavations had previously been conducted in the upper reaches of nahal Hava by Y . Govrin on behalf of the

Nahal Hava: a PPNB campsite and Epipalaeolithic occupation in the central Negev highlands, Israel

Michal Birkenfeld* and A. Nigel Goring-Morris

Institute of Archaeology. The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Jerusalem. Israel.*[email protected]

Nahal Hava: a PPNB campsite and Epipalaeolithic occupation in the central Negev highlands, Israel74

Israel Antiquities Authority prior to the investigations described herein (see acknowledgements below) . The primary aim of our salvage excavation was to ascertain what periods were repre-sented at the locality, to evaluate whether in situ deposits remained and, if indeed present, esti-mate their extent . Accordingly, investigations focused on two areas, respectively labeled as nahal Hava I and nahal Hava II (fig . 2a) .

Figure 1: Location of the Nahal Hava sites.

Figure 2a: View of HAV I (group of figures on the left) and HAV II (figures on the right) from the southeast.

Michal Birkenfeld and A. Nigel Goring-Morris 75

nahal Hava I (HAV I) is an open-air site, while nahal Hava II (HAV II), located about 20m to the north, appears to represent a very small, collapsed rock-shelter or cave . A topographic map of the area was plotted and prepared (fig . 2b) . The two sites are situated at ca . 750m asl, on the upper part of the east-facing slope on the left bank of a small tributary wadi of nahal Hava, to-wards the eastern end of the Mishor Haruhot (“Plain of the Winds”) plateau . Located immedi-ately below an exposed bedrock overhang adjacent to the windswept plateau surface, the occur-rences are thus relatively protected from the elements (especially from winds deriving from the northwest) . The presence of a possible fossil spring was noted ca . 100m downstream from the sites, where a small waterfall is located close to its confluence with nahal Hava .

This paper presents the preliminary results of this brief excavation, shedding light on the na-ture of the archaeological remains and the site’s function, in order to place nahal Hava within the larger framework of terminal Pleistocene and early Holocene adaptations in the central and western negev and northern Sinai .

2. Results

2.1. Nahal Hava IThe site of nahal Hava I comprises a cluster of at least five rounded structures, arranged in a beehive-like formation . These were exposed on the surface prior to the excavation, and several had been tested by Y . Govrin . The structures vary in size from one to three meters in diameter and are constructed of local fieldstones and slabs that were preserved to a maximum height of two courses . Our investigations focused on the western area of the cluster, systematically expos-ing parts of two adjacent structures, Locus 1002 and Locus 1007 (fig . 3), and on collecting the surface material that had washed down-slope . Excavations were conducted using a 1 x 1m grid, while the eroded surface material was collected using 2 x 2m grid squares . All material was dry sieved using a 5 mm mesh .

Figure 2b: Topographic location of HAV I and II, facing south. Vertical scale at 2 m increments. Approximate location of potential water source is indicated.


Structure L1002 is the larger of the two structures, and it comprises at least two architectural phases (fig . 4) . The upper stage of the structure comprises a long, curvilinear wall built of large, flat fieldstones . At least two courses of this wall were preserved . The upper stage had been exca-vated by Govrin down to a floor made of medium and large-sized flat stones . We continued his excavation and removed the upper stones to reveal the second, lower phase of the structure . While removing the upper floor, a second, underlying wall was revealed . This wall was con-structed of large, flat slabs as well, but unlike the upper wall, these had been set on edge . The lower phase is somewhat larger in diameter than the upper one, reaching slightly over three me-ters . In the center of the structure, a second accumulation of large stones was revealed . These seem to represent a collapsed architectural element (perhaps the upper course of the wall) rather than deliberate flooring .

Structure L1007 is an adjacent, smaller structure, about 1 .5m in diameter . It comprises an arc of a single layer of stones, open downslope to the east . This small structure or cell had been fully excavated by Govrin . However, our investigations indicate that L1007 actually abuts the lower phase wall of structure L1002, and was contemporary with it . Somewhat similar very small struc-tures have been documented elsewhere in the negev highlands, e .g . Loci 10 and 17 at Early PPnB Abu Salem (Gopher, Goring-Morris 1998) .

It is important to note that due to extensive deflation of the site, no in situ remains appear to have been preserved within the structures . Open areas to the north, west and south of L1002 and L1007 structures were also excavated to ascertain this observation . In fact, all of the finds derived from the eroded sediments downslope of the structures, and were limited to chipped stone arte-facts . It is of interest to note that a similar phenomenon of the complete deflation of sediments within architectural features is apparent at the coeval Middle PPnB site of nahal nizzana IX in the western negev lowlands (Goring-Morris pers . obs .; noy 1976) . Additionally, occupation sediments at Middle PPnB Divshon and Ramat Matred have been extensively deflated (Servello 1976; Goring-Morris pers . obs .) .

Figure 3: Architectural plan of HAV I; currently investigated area is shaded.


2.2. The lithic assemblage of Nahal Hava IThe recovered flint assemblage totals 2708 artefacts, comprising tools (6 .4%), cores (1 .2%), deb-itage (41 .5%) and debris (50 .9%) (table 1) . Raw materials are varied, including brown and tan-coloured flint as well as grey flint with pink stripes (also known from other sites in the negev during the period), mostly of local origin . Like many other negev sites, which were subjected to deflation processes, the material bears heavy patination, though most of the flint is relatively fresh .

Figure 4: View showing the two phases of L1002 (marked by dashed line). Part of the wall of L1007 is visible in the foreground.

Debris

Chunks 253 18

Chips 1125 82

Total 1378 100

General

Cores 33 1,2

Tools 172 6,4

Debitage 1125 42

Debris 1378 51

Total 2708 100

Debitage N %

Primary Elements 174 16

Flakes 445 40

Blade/lets 404 36

Core Trimming Elements 61 5,4

Core Tablets 5 0,4

Ridge Blades 14 1,2

Burin Spalls 22 2

Total 1125 100

Table 1: General breakdown of HAV I flint assemblage.


2.2.1. CoresThe assemblage includes 33 cores, which are divided into several type-categories; these include single and opposed platform cores (27% and 36% respectively), amorphous cores (9%) and cores with three platforms (3%), as well as tested nodules (12%) and preforms (6%) (Table 2; figure 5) . These represent two main technologies; the dominant technology is the more formal, bidirectional technology, aimed at blade production (represented by the opposed platform cores and the cores with three platforms), while the lesser one is a more ad hoc sequence, aimed mainly at producing flakes (represented mainly by the amorphous cores) . This preference for targeted blade blanks, as indicated by the core typology, is also apparent in the tool categories (see below) .

Core Type N %

Single platform 9 27

Opposed platform 12 36

Three platforms 1 3

Tested nodules 4 12

Amorphous cores 3 9

Preforms 2 6

Core fragments 2 6

Total 33 100

Table 2: Core types at Nahal Hava I.

Figure 5: Cores from Nahal Hava I. Scale in centimeters.


The bidirectional technology at the site is of the ‘dominant platform variant’ (sensu Barzilai 2010), i .e . one platform is used for the actual blade production, while the other, opposed plat-form serves mainly for core maintenance . These cores were made mainly on nodules but also on large flake and blade blanks (for example see figure 5: 4) . The dominance of this bidirectional technology is typical of Middle PPnB sites in the central and western negev, and is most prob-ably a result of endemic developments (Barzilai 2010) .

2.2.2. DebitageThe debitage comprises 1125 artefacts in total . Most frequent are the flakes (40%) and blades (36%) . It should be noted that the targeted blade blanks deriving from the bidirectional technol-ogy are not especially symmetrical or standardized . Primary elements comprise 16% of the as-semblage, followed by core trimming elements (5%), ridge-blades (1 .2%) and core tablets (0 .4%) . Burin spalls are approximately 2% of the assemblage (table 1) .

The wide range of debitage types, including artefacts representing different stages of flint knapping (i .e . primary elements, ridge blades, core trimming elements, etc .) indicate that flint production was performed on-site at nahal Hava I .

2.2.3. ToolsThe tool assemblage includes 166 artefacts (table 3, fig . 6) . Most frequent are the retouched blades (32%), followed by the notches and denticulates (19%) and the retouched flakes (14%) . Other tools include projectile points (9%), perforators (7%), scrapers (7%) and burins (6%) . A single bifacial tool was collected as well . A small but interesting group is the sickle blades (four artefacts in total, comprising 2% of the assemblage) usually absent from the negev assemblages . These are either finely retouched, or denticulated, and all are broken either proximally, distally or both (figure 6: 9-10) .

Tool Type N %

Projectile Points 15 9

Perforators 12 7

Sickle Blades 4 2

Retouched Blades 53 32

Scrapers 11 7

Burins 10 6

Notches & Denticulates 31 19

Bifaces 1 1

Retouched Flakes 24 14

Retouched Fragments 3 2

Varia 2 1

Total 166 100

Table 3: Tool types at Nahal Hava I.


More than 50% of the tools were fashioned on blades, including all of the more formal tools such as projectile points and sickle blades, as well as large proportions of the perforators and bur-ins . Only 21% were fashioned on flakes, while other, more ad hoc tools were fashioned on pri-mary elements and different core trimming elements, like core tablets, secondary ridge blades, etc .

The projectile points are the most indicative tool group in terms of chronology . This group comprises 15 artefacts; most frequent are the Jericho points (35%), followed by Byblos points (29%) and Amuq points (19%) (fig . 6: 1-6) . A relatively large percentage (19%) represents atyp-ical variants that could not easily fit any of the type-groups . Most projectile points (63%) were fashioned using abrupt retouch, or with a combination of abrupt and pressure retouch . While there is no evidence for the use of Abu Gosh pressure retouch in general amongst the negev southwestern province PPnB, the Jericho and Byblos points, together with the use of other forms of pressure retouch, date the assemblage to the Middle PPnB (and see Gopher 1994) .

Special mention should be made of the massive tools, including mainly large, macro-burins and massive scrapers . These represent a continuation of local traditions dating back to the end of the Upper Paleolithic and Epipalaeolithic in the negev (Goring-Morris 1987) (fig . 6: 11-12) .

Figure 6: Tools from Nahal Hava I. Scale in centimeters.


2.2. Nahal Hava IIAs noted above, nahal Hava II is a small rockshelter/cave located ca . 20m north of nahal Hava I . The entrance to the rockshelter/cave is located at the foot of the bedrock shelf described above, just below the surface of the plateau . Its low entrance, only ca . 1m high and perhaps 1m wide, was almost completely blocked by recent or sub-recent activity of burrowing animals, as well as various blocks seemingly fallen from the roof, mixed with finer-grained sediments . Lithic mate-rial, some seemingly of Late Epipalaeolithic attribution was noted on the surface of the lower slope prior to testing .

Two test-trenches were opened in this area: a 2 x 2m trench was opened adjacent to the entrance of the rock-shelter/cave, and 4 x 1m trench was opened downslope, to the east (fig . 7) . All excavations used a 1 x 1m grid and 5/10cm spits . All sediments were dry sieved using a 5mm mesh .

Figure 7: Nahal Hava II. View showing the test trench and excavation area near the entrance to the rock-shelter.


The two trenches revealed two separate occupation phases . The eastern trench revealed no in situ remains or architectural features . Furthermore, the lithic densities were low and no charcoal or other organic materials were preserved . The lower squares of the test trench revealed a thin veneer of dark, ashy sediments, 5-20 cm deep, lying directly on bedrock . The chipped stone artefacts display a wide array of raw material types and included translucent blue/grey chalcedony in addition to brown flint . Amongst the artefacts on the former were items characteristic of the late Epipalaeolithic (including a Helwan lunate as well as several microburins) . While chalcedony is characteristic of many late Epipalaeolithic assemblages in the negev (Goring-Morris 1987), it is rare or absent amongst most middle and late PPnB assemblages in the region .

The area immediately adjacent to the entrance to the cave revealed deeper sediments that ap-peared to lie upon a small rock terrace . Here, the matrix comprised light tan-coloured silts with numerous snail shell fragments and large stones in random arrangements, with low densities of artefacts . Towards the base, at the southern edge of the test trench, a small feature constructed of upright limestone slabs was exposed (fig . 8) . Here the sediments were more ashy/organic in na-ture . Most of the associated artefacts in this area were quite fresh and were made on tan/brown flint; most appeared to date to the Pre-Pottery neolithic .

Unfortunately, a full investigation of the constructed feature, as well as evaluation of the inte-rior size of the rockshelter/cave proved impossible . This was due, in part, to time constraints, but mainly because of the presence of large quantities of ticks within the sediments, which hindered any further work . For this reason, and until further exploration of the locale is made possible by fumigation, it will remain out of the scope of this paper .

3. Discussion

The short exploratory excavation season at the nahal Hava, though limited in scope, neverthe-less adds to and supplements our knowledge of PPnB adaptations and settlement patterns in the

Figure 8: Nahal Hava II, Trench I, showing the slab-lined feature in the south-west corner of the excavation area (left) and from above (right).


negev . PPnB adaptations in the Mediterranean zone were based on large scale sedentary, farm-ing and herding village communities . By contrast, PPnB occupations in the more marginal areas of the Southern Levant represent mobile, foraging adaptations by small bands; this adaptation in the central and western negev and northern Sinai has been termed by Barzilai (2010) ‘The Southwestern Province’ .

In this region, small seasonal base camps such as Abu Salem, Ein Qadis I, nahal Divshon, Lavan Elyon I and Har Karkom are located mainly in and adjacent to the highland areas (Gor-ing-Morris 1993a; Anati, Mailland in press) . These base camps commonly include small num-bers of rounded structures of various sizes, generally in loose, beehive arrangements . More ephemeral camps, lacking durable architectural features are documented both in the highlands (including Ramat Matred V, VI and VIII) as well as in the lowland dune fields of the western negev and northern Sinai (nahal Lavan 1006, Halutza Dunes, nahal Sekher and Mushabi VI) . These are usually open-air activity sites, primarily focused on hunting and related activities . The negev sites usually lack any preservation of organic material, whether macro-botanic or faunal material . Finds are thus generally limited to chipped stone artefacts .

The lithic assemblage at HAV I indicates on-site manufacture and use deriving from a pre-dominant bidirectional blade technology of the ‘dominant platform variant’ together with a secondary, ad hoc flake production technology; these are characteristic of the PPnB in the ne-gev . The tool repertoire demonstrates an emphasis on types made on targeted blade/let blanks . Characteristic tool classes include retouched blades, notches and denticulates, projectile points and perforators . Though rare, the presence of several sickle blades with pronounced gloss is sig-nificant, especially given the rarity in coeval sites within the region . However, it is interesting to note that while sickle blades are absent from other sites (fig . 9), grinding slabs and handstones often do occur, e .g . Ein Qadis I, Abu Salem, nahal nizzana IX, Lavan Elyon I (Servello 1976; Goring-Morris, Rosen 1987; Gopher et al . 1995; noy 1976) . At HAV I, on the other hand,

Figure 9: Distribution of tool classes at Nahal Hava I in comparison to Nahal Divshon (after Servello 1976) and Ein Qadis I (after Gopher et al. 1995).


groundstone tools are absent . Chronologically, techno-typological markers, i .e . projectile point types, place the site during the Middle PPnB, more or less coeval with sites in Ramat Matred, nahal Divshon, Lavan Elyon I, Ein Qadis I and nahal Lavan 1021 (noy 1976; Mitki et al . in this volume) . The massive tools are a distinctive feature, which to some extent indicate a degree of continuity of late Upper Palaeolithic and Epipalaeolithic traditions (Goring-Morris, Belfer-Cohen in press) .

In conclusion, although the evidence from nahal Hava I is limited to poorly preserved archi-tectural features and a lithic assemblage, the available data accords well with the notion of rela-tively ephemeral occupation of the negev and northern Sinai by small-scale, mobile foraging bands (noy 1976; Simmons 1981) . Seasonality probably played an important role within this adaptive system, which in many ways reflects a continuation of Epipalaeolithic exploitation pat-terns, albeit following an apparent local hiatus during the PPnA .

Acknowledgments

Initial survey of the Mishor HaRuhot plateau and a brief test excavation at nahal Hava I (also known as nahal Hava site 50 - IG reference 509080/185628) in the central negev highlands were conducted by Y . Govrin as part of a salvage project prior to development in the region . This brief test determined that the site was of prehistoric age, at which point Govrin transferred the rights of investigating the locality to Goring-Morris, who conducted further exploratory testing at the request of the Israel Antiquities Authority under the auspices of the Institute of Archaeol-ogy, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem . The excavations (Excavation License: G-22/2010) were conducted for three days in April 2010 with the enthusiastic participation of students from the Institute of Archaeology . These excavations were generously funded by a Ruth Amiran fund research grant from the Institute of Archaeology . The lithic counts presented herein for nahal Hava I include materials collected and excavated by Govrin . Though noted by Govrin, nahal Hava II had not been tested by him previously . We gratefully acknowledge the generous coop-eration of Y . Govrin and the IAA .

References

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Nahal Hava: a PPNB campsite and Epipalaeolithic occupation in the central Negev highlands, Israel

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