Formation processes and spatial patterning in a late prehistoric complex cave in northern Israel informed by SLAM-based LiDAR

Micka Ullman; Ben Laugomer; Ido Shicht; Boaz Langford; Shemesh Ya'aran; Ido Wachtel; Amos Frumkin; Uri Davidovich

doi:10.1016/j.jasrep.2022.103745

Formation processes and spatial patterning in a late prehistoric complex cave in northern Israel informed by SLAM-based LiDAR

Micka Ullman^*, Ben Laugomer, Ido Shicht, Boaz Langford, Shemesh Ya'aran, Ido Wachtel, Amos Frumkin, Uri Davidovich

^*Corresponding author for this work

Institute of Archaeology

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

1 Scopus citations

Abstract

A SLAM-based Zeb Horizon LiDAR system is used for high-resolution 3D mapping of Har Sifsof Cave (HSC) in the Upper Galilee, northern Israel. Located within a dense karst province, HSC is a subterranean system featuring a composite morphology, the result of prolonged aging processes of a large hypogenic chamber. With a total length of 518 m, it is one of the largest caves in the Galilee district. The cave contains diverse archeological remains from the early fifth millennium BCE associated with ritual activities. In the current project the scanned point cloud contains over 884 million measured points, captured in two days along 10 scanning routes. One scan was conducted by a drone recording surface topography above the cave, and nine scans were conducted manually, carrying the scanner through the cave, with an average of 1850 points per m², and measurement accuracy of 10 cm. We address the cave 3D documentation strategy and methods in the context of site formation process and spatial distribution of archeological deposits. The study shows that by the fifth millennium BCE the subterranean system already assumed its present configuration, indicating that ancient human activity in the cave involved overcoming multiple environmental obstacles and hazards. In tandem, changes in the configuration of voids and shafts in the upper part of the subterranean system led to secondary deposition of external flint-bearing sediments alongside the primary deposited remains in the cave, and to blockage of other conduits. Since the cave is located in a rapidly-developing rural area, high-resolution documentation of the subterranean system and its surroundings is a valuable tool not only for research purposes, but also for promoting statutory protection of the cave and its natural and archeological legacies.

Original language	American English
Article number	103745
Journal	Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports
Volume	47
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jasrep.2022.103745
State	Published - Feb 2023

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
We gratefully acknowledge V. Boslov and Y. Lisovets (ICRC) who discovered Har Sifsof Cave and invited us to map, explore and study the cave. We wish to thank the volunteers who participated in the cave mapping and survey in 2016: Y. Zissu, N. Sagi and L. Haviv, H. Ashkenazi, Y. Shivtiel, M. Osband, S. Frumkin, S. Aharon, A. Cooper, and D. Belinson. We are also grateful to all colleagues collaborating in the archaeological research of the cave, including O. Marder (Ben Gurion University) and R. Lavi (Independent researcher), co-directors of 2017 excavation; A. Ben-Nun and G. Keren (The Hebrew University) who served as GIS consultants; and D. Heimberg who assisted in surveying literature. Dan David Foundation is acknowledged for sponsoring the 2017 Excavation season and laboratory work, while Ruth Amiran Fund (Institute of Archaeology, The Hebrew University) is acknowledged for funding field- and lab-work, including material documentation and conservation. Permission to excavate the cave was granted by the Israel Antiquities Authority (License #G-14/2017).

Funding Information:
We gratefully acknowledge V. Boslov and Y. Lisovets (ICRC) who discovered Har Sifsof Cave and invited us to map, explore and study the cave. We wish to thank the volunteers who participated in the cave mapping and survey in 2016: Y. Zissu, N. Sagi and L. Haviv, H. Ashkenazi, Y. Shivtiel, M. Osband, S. Frumkin, S. Aharon, A. Cooper, and D. Belinson. We are also grateful to all colleagues collaborating in the archaeological research of the cave, including O. Marder (Ben Gurion University) and R. Lavi (Independent researcher), co-directors of 2017 excavation; A. Ben-Nun and G. Keren (The Hebrew University) who served as GIS consultants; and D. Heimberg who assisted in surveying literature. Dan David Foundation is acknowledged for sponsoring the 2017 Excavation season and laboratory work, while Ruth Amiran Fund (Institute of Archaeology, The Hebrew University) is acknowledged for funding field- and lab-work, including material documentation and conservation. Permission to excavate the cave was granted by the Israel Antiquities Authority (License #G-14/2017). Funding: This work was supported by the Ruth Amiran Fund for Archaeological Research in Eretz-Israel

Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 Elsevier Ltd

Keywords

Cave Formation Processes
Early Chalcolithic
Har Sifsof Cave
Levantine Caves
Portable LiDAR
SLAM-based Mapping
Upper Galilee

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10.1016/j.jasrep.2022.103745

Cite this

@article{f0a1555edfec4e69b340ab57c7a2d548,

title = "Formation processes and spatial patterning in a late prehistoric complex cave in northern Israel informed by SLAM-based LiDAR",

abstract = "A SLAM-based Zeb Horizon LiDAR system is used for high-resolution 3D mapping of Har Sifsof Cave (HSC) in the Upper Galilee, northern Israel. Located within a dense karst province, HSC is a subterranean system featuring a composite morphology, the result of prolonged aging processes of a large hypogenic chamber. With a total length of 518 m, it is one of the largest caves in the Galilee district. The cave contains diverse archeological remains from the early fifth millennium BCE associated with ritual activities. In the current project the scanned point cloud contains over 884 million measured points, captured in two days along 10 scanning routes. One scan was conducted by a drone recording surface topography above the cave, and nine scans were conducted manually, carrying the scanner through the cave, with an average of 1850 points per m2, and measurement accuracy of 10 cm. We address the cave 3D documentation strategy and methods in the context of site formation process and spatial distribution of archeological deposits. The study shows that by the fifth millennium BCE the subterranean system already assumed its present configuration, indicating that ancient human activity in the cave involved overcoming multiple environmental obstacles and hazards. In tandem, changes in the configuration of voids and shafts in the upper part of the subterranean system led to secondary deposition of external flint-bearing sediments alongside the primary deposited remains in the cave, and to blockage of other conduits. Since the cave is located in a rapidly-developing rural area, high-resolution documentation of the subterranean system and its surroundings is a valuable tool not only for research purposes, but also for promoting statutory protection of the cave and its natural and archeological legacies.",

keywords = "Cave Formation Processes, Early Chalcolithic, Har Sifsof Cave, Levantine Caves, Portable LiDAR, SLAM-based Mapping, Upper Galilee",

author = "Micka Ullman and Ben Laugomer and Ido Shicht and Boaz Langford and Shemesh Ya'aran and Ido Wachtel and Amos Frumkin and Uri Davidovich",

note = "Funding Information: We gratefully acknowledge V. Boslov and Y. Lisovets (ICRC) who discovered Har Sifsof Cave and invited us to map, explore and study the cave. We wish to thank the volunteers who participated in the cave mapping and survey in 2016: Y. Zissu, N. Sagi and L. Haviv, H. Ashkenazi, Y. Shivtiel, M. Osband, S. Frumkin, S. Aharon, A. Cooper, and D. Belinson. We are also grateful to all colleagues collaborating in the archaeological research of the cave, including O. Marder (Ben Gurion University) and R. Lavi (Independent researcher), co-directors of 2017 excavation; A. Ben-Nun and G. Keren (The Hebrew University) who served as GIS consultants; and D. Heimberg who assisted in surveying literature. Dan David Foundation is acknowledged for sponsoring the 2017 Excavation season and laboratory work, while Ruth Amiran Fund (Institute of Archaeology, The Hebrew University) is acknowledged for funding field- and lab-work, including material documentation and conservation. Permission to excavate the cave was granted by the Israel Antiquities Authority (License #G-14/2017). Funding Information: We gratefully acknowledge V. Boslov and Y. Lisovets (ICRC) who discovered Har Sifsof Cave and invited us to map, explore and study the cave. We wish to thank the volunteers who participated in the cave mapping and survey in 2016: Y. Zissu, N. Sagi and L. Haviv, H. Ashkenazi, Y. Shivtiel, M. Osband, S. Frumkin, S. Aharon, A. Cooper, and D. Belinson. We are also grateful to all colleagues collaborating in the archaeological research of the cave, including O. Marder (Ben Gurion University) and R. Lavi (Independent researcher), co-directors of 2017 excavation; A. Ben-Nun and G. Keren (The Hebrew University) who served as GIS consultants; and D. Heimberg who assisted in surveying literature. Dan David Foundation is acknowledged for sponsoring the 2017 Excavation season and laboratory work, while Ruth Amiran Fund (Institute of Archaeology, The Hebrew University) is acknowledged for funding field- and lab-work, including material documentation and conservation. Permission to excavate the cave was granted by the Israel Antiquities Authority (License #G-14/2017). Funding: This work was supported by the Ruth Amiran Fund for Archaeological Research in Eretz-Israel Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2022 Elsevier Ltd",

year = "2023",

month = feb,

doi = "10.1016/j.jasrep.2022.103745",

language = "American English",

volume = "47",

journal = "Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports",

issn = "2352-409X",

publisher = "Elsevier BV",

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TY - JOUR

T1 - Formation processes and spatial patterning in a late prehistoric complex cave in northern Israel informed by SLAM-based LiDAR

AU - Ullman, Micka

AU - Laugomer, Ben

AU - Shicht, Ido

AU - Langford, Boaz

AU - Ya'aran, Shemesh

AU - Wachtel, Ido

AU - Frumkin, Amos

AU - Davidovich, Uri

N1 - Funding Information: We gratefully acknowledge V. Boslov and Y. Lisovets (ICRC) who discovered Har Sifsof Cave and invited us to map, explore and study the cave. We wish to thank the volunteers who participated in the cave mapping and survey in 2016: Y. Zissu, N. Sagi and L. Haviv, H. Ashkenazi, Y. Shivtiel, M. Osband, S. Frumkin, S. Aharon, A. Cooper, and D. Belinson. We are also grateful to all colleagues collaborating in the archaeological research of the cave, including O. Marder (Ben Gurion University) and R. Lavi (Independent researcher), co-directors of 2017 excavation; A. Ben-Nun and G. Keren (The Hebrew University) who served as GIS consultants; and D. Heimberg who assisted in surveying literature. Dan David Foundation is acknowledged for sponsoring the 2017 Excavation season and laboratory work, while Ruth Amiran Fund (Institute of Archaeology, The Hebrew University) is acknowledged for funding field- and lab-work, including material documentation and conservation. Permission to excavate the cave was granted by the Israel Antiquities Authority (License #G-14/2017). Funding Information: We gratefully acknowledge V. Boslov and Y. Lisovets (ICRC) who discovered Har Sifsof Cave and invited us to map, explore and study the cave. We wish to thank the volunteers who participated in the cave mapping and survey in 2016: Y. Zissu, N. Sagi and L. Haviv, H. Ashkenazi, Y. Shivtiel, M. Osband, S. Frumkin, S. Aharon, A. Cooper, and D. Belinson. We are also grateful to all colleagues collaborating in the archaeological research of the cave, including O. Marder (Ben Gurion University) and R. Lavi (Independent researcher), co-directors of 2017 excavation; A. Ben-Nun and G. Keren (The Hebrew University) who served as GIS consultants; and D. Heimberg who assisted in surveying literature. Dan David Foundation is acknowledged for sponsoring the 2017 Excavation season and laboratory work, while Ruth Amiran Fund (Institute of Archaeology, The Hebrew University) is acknowledged for funding field- and lab-work, including material documentation and conservation. Permission to excavate the cave was granted by the Israel Antiquities Authority (License #G-14/2017). Funding: This work was supported by the Ruth Amiran Fund for Archaeological Research in Eretz-Israel Publisher Copyright: © 2022 Elsevier Ltd

PY - 2023/2

Y1 - 2023/2

N2 - A SLAM-based Zeb Horizon LiDAR system is used for high-resolution 3D mapping of Har Sifsof Cave (HSC) in the Upper Galilee, northern Israel. Located within a dense karst province, HSC is a subterranean system featuring a composite morphology, the result of prolonged aging processes of a large hypogenic chamber. With a total length of 518 m, it is one of the largest caves in the Galilee district. The cave contains diverse archeological remains from the early fifth millennium BCE associated with ritual activities. In the current project the scanned point cloud contains over 884 million measured points, captured in two days along 10 scanning routes. One scan was conducted by a drone recording surface topography above the cave, and nine scans were conducted manually, carrying the scanner through the cave, with an average of 1850 points per m2, and measurement accuracy of 10 cm. We address the cave 3D documentation strategy and methods in the context of site formation process and spatial distribution of archeological deposits. The study shows that by the fifth millennium BCE the subterranean system already assumed its present configuration, indicating that ancient human activity in the cave involved overcoming multiple environmental obstacles and hazards. In tandem, changes in the configuration of voids and shafts in the upper part of the subterranean system led to secondary deposition of external flint-bearing sediments alongside the primary deposited remains in the cave, and to blockage of other conduits. Since the cave is located in a rapidly-developing rural area, high-resolution documentation of the subterranean system and its surroundings is a valuable tool not only for research purposes, but also for promoting statutory protection of the cave and its natural and archeological legacies.

AB - A SLAM-based Zeb Horizon LiDAR system is used for high-resolution 3D mapping of Har Sifsof Cave (HSC) in the Upper Galilee, northern Israel. Located within a dense karst province, HSC is a subterranean system featuring a composite morphology, the result of prolonged aging processes of a large hypogenic chamber. With a total length of 518 m, it is one of the largest caves in the Galilee district. The cave contains diverse archeological remains from the early fifth millennium BCE associated with ritual activities. In the current project the scanned point cloud contains over 884 million measured points, captured in two days along 10 scanning routes. One scan was conducted by a drone recording surface topography above the cave, and nine scans were conducted manually, carrying the scanner through the cave, with an average of 1850 points per m2, and measurement accuracy of 10 cm. We address the cave 3D documentation strategy and methods in the context of site formation process and spatial distribution of archeological deposits. The study shows that by the fifth millennium BCE the subterranean system already assumed its present configuration, indicating that ancient human activity in the cave involved overcoming multiple environmental obstacles and hazards. In tandem, changes in the configuration of voids and shafts in the upper part of the subterranean system led to secondary deposition of external flint-bearing sediments alongside the primary deposited remains in the cave, and to blockage of other conduits. Since the cave is located in a rapidly-developing rural area, high-resolution documentation of the subterranean system and its surroundings is a valuable tool not only for research purposes, but also for promoting statutory protection of the cave and its natural and archeological legacies.

KW - Cave Formation Processes

KW - Early Chalcolithic

KW - Har Sifsof Cave

KW - Levantine Caves

KW - Portable LiDAR

KW - SLAM-based Mapping

KW - Upper Galilee

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DO - 10.1016/j.jasrep.2022.103745

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85143878338

SN - 2352-409X

VL - 47

JO - Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports

JF - Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports

M1 - 103745

ER -

Formation processes and spatial patterning in a late prehistoric complex cave in northern Israel informed by SLAM-based LiDAR

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

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