The age of the Lower Paleolithic site of Kefar Menachem West, Israel—Another facet of Acheulian variability

Ariel Malinsky-Buller; Omry Barzilai; Avner Ayalon; Mira Bar-Matthews; Michal Birkenfeld; Naomi Porat; Hagai Ron; Joel Roskin; Oren Ackermann

doi:10.1016/j.jasrep.2016.10.010

The age of the Lower Paleolithic site of Kefar Menachem West, Israel—Another facet of Acheulian variability

Ariel Malinsky-Buller^*, Omry Barzilai, Avner Ayalon, Mira Bar-Matthews, Michal Birkenfeld, Naomi Porat, Hagai Ron, Joel Roskin, Oren Ackermann

^*Corresponding author for this work

Institute of Archaeology

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

9 Scopus citations

Abstract

A salvage excavation at the Lower Paleolithic site of Kefar Menahem West in the interior of the Israeli coastal plain yielded a flake industry devoid of handaxes and their byproducts. The archeological finds covering an area exceeding 2000 m², are found at the contact of two distinct sedimentological units: Quartzic Brown and hamra (red clay loam paleosols). The absence of handaxes hamper placing the site within the relative chronology of the Lower Paleolithic record of the Levant. New paleomagnetic analysis coupled with optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) and thermally transferred optically (TT-OSL) dating yielded a chronological range between 780 and 460 ka for the archeological occupation. The techno-typological similarities with Late Acheulian assemblages together with possible variations in the mode of occupations by early hominids at the site, both suggest that the KMW should be conceived as part of the Late Acheulian variability.

Original language	American English
Pages (from-to)	350-362
Number of pages	13
Journal	Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports
Volume	10
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jasrep.2016.10.010
State	Published - 1 Dec 2016

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
The Kefar Menachem West dating project was supported by the Ruth Amiran Fund for Archaeological Research in Eretz-Israel , the Institute of Archaeology , Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Ashkelon Academic College . AMB was supported by Fulbright postdoctoral fellowship award in the University of Connecticut. AMB wish to thank Adler, D., and Hartman, G., for their advice and help in the final stages of this manuscript writing. AMB wishes to thank E. Hovers., Y, Goldsmith., M, Goder-Goldberger., N, Goren-Inbar., O. Marder., M. Ullman, R. Yeshurun and Y. Zaidner for their help during this project. OA wishes to thank H. Zhevelev for conducting statistical analysis. The authors wish to thank the three anonymous reviewer for their helpful and constructive comments.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2016 Elsevier Ltd

Keywords

Acheulian
Dating
Middle Pleistocene
Paleomagnetism
TT-OSL

Access to Document

10.1016/j.jasrep.2016.10.010

Cite this

@article{009545b56741486d88a7a5a7251b0ed7,

title = "The age of the Lower Paleolithic site of Kefar Menachem West, Israel—Another facet of Acheulian variability",

abstract = "A salvage excavation at the Lower Paleolithic site of Kefar Menahem West in the interior of the Israeli coastal plain yielded a flake industry devoid of handaxes and their byproducts. The archeological finds covering an area exceeding 2000 m2, are found at the contact of two distinct sedimentological units: Quartzic Brown and hamra (red clay loam paleosols). The absence of handaxes hamper placing the site within the relative chronology of the Lower Paleolithic record of the Levant. New paleomagnetic analysis coupled with optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) and thermally transferred optically (TT-OSL) dating yielded a chronological range between 780 and 460 ka for the archeological occupation. The techno-typological similarities with Late Acheulian assemblages together with possible variations in the mode of occupations by early hominids at the site, both suggest that the KMW should be conceived as part of the Late Acheulian variability.",

keywords = "Acheulian, Dating, Middle Pleistocene, Paleomagnetism, TT-OSL",

author = "Ariel Malinsky-Buller and Omry Barzilai and Avner Ayalon and Mira Bar-Matthews and Michal Birkenfeld and Naomi Porat and Hagai Ron and Joel Roskin and Oren Ackermann",

note = "Funding Information: The Kefar Menachem West dating project was supported by the Ruth Amiran Fund for Archaeological Research in Eretz-Israel , the Institute of Archaeology , Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Ashkelon Academic College . AMB was supported by Fulbright postdoctoral fellowship award in the University of Connecticut. AMB wish to thank Adler, D., and Hartman, G., for their advice and help in the final stages of this manuscript writing. AMB wishes to thank E. Hovers., Y, Goldsmith., M, Goder-Goldberger., N, Goren-Inbar., O. Marder., M. Ullman, R. Yeshurun and Y. Zaidner for their help during this project. OA wishes to thank H. Zhevelev for conducting statistical analysis. The authors wish to thank the three anonymous reviewer for their helpful and constructive comments. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2016 Elsevier Ltd",

year = "2016",

month = dec,

day = "1",

doi = "10.1016/j.jasrep.2016.10.010",

language = "American English",

volume = "10",

pages = "350--362",

journal = "Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports",

issn = "2352-409X",

publisher = "Elsevier BV",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - The age of the Lower Paleolithic site of Kefar Menachem West, Israel—Another facet of Acheulian variability

AU - Malinsky-Buller, Ariel

AU - Barzilai, Omry

AU - Ayalon, Avner

AU - Bar-Matthews, Mira

AU - Birkenfeld, Michal

AU - Porat, Naomi

AU - Ron, Hagai

AU - Roskin, Joel

AU - Ackermann, Oren

N1 - Funding Information: The Kefar Menachem West dating project was supported by the Ruth Amiran Fund for Archaeological Research in Eretz-Israel , the Institute of Archaeology , Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Ashkelon Academic College . AMB was supported by Fulbright postdoctoral fellowship award in the University of Connecticut. AMB wish to thank Adler, D., and Hartman, G., for their advice and help in the final stages of this manuscript writing. AMB wishes to thank E. Hovers., Y, Goldsmith., M, Goder-Goldberger., N, Goren-Inbar., O. Marder., M. Ullman, R. Yeshurun and Y. Zaidner for their help during this project. OA wishes to thank H. Zhevelev for conducting statistical analysis. The authors wish to thank the three anonymous reviewer for their helpful and constructive comments. Publisher Copyright: © 2016 Elsevier Ltd

PY - 2016/12/1

Y1 - 2016/12/1

N2 - A salvage excavation at the Lower Paleolithic site of Kefar Menahem West in the interior of the Israeli coastal plain yielded a flake industry devoid of handaxes and their byproducts. The archeological finds covering an area exceeding 2000 m2, are found at the contact of two distinct sedimentological units: Quartzic Brown and hamra (red clay loam paleosols). The absence of handaxes hamper placing the site within the relative chronology of the Lower Paleolithic record of the Levant. New paleomagnetic analysis coupled with optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) and thermally transferred optically (TT-OSL) dating yielded a chronological range between 780 and 460 ka for the archeological occupation. The techno-typological similarities with Late Acheulian assemblages together with possible variations in the mode of occupations by early hominids at the site, both suggest that the KMW should be conceived as part of the Late Acheulian variability.

AB - A salvage excavation at the Lower Paleolithic site of Kefar Menahem West in the interior of the Israeli coastal plain yielded a flake industry devoid of handaxes and their byproducts. The archeological finds covering an area exceeding 2000 m2, are found at the contact of two distinct sedimentological units: Quartzic Brown and hamra (red clay loam paleosols). The absence of handaxes hamper placing the site within the relative chronology of the Lower Paleolithic record of the Levant. New paleomagnetic analysis coupled with optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) and thermally transferred optically (TT-OSL) dating yielded a chronological range between 780 and 460 ka for the archeological occupation. The techno-typological similarities with Late Acheulian assemblages together with possible variations in the mode of occupations by early hominids at the site, both suggest that the KMW should be conceived as part of the Late Acheulian variability.

KW - Acheulian

KW - Dating

KW - Middle Pleistocene

KW - Paleomagnetism

KW - TT-OSL

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84994589138&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.jasrep.2016.10.010

DO - 10.1016/j.jasrep.2016.10.010

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:84994589138

SN - 2352-409X

VL - 10

SP - 350

EP - 362

JO - Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports

JF - Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports

ER -

The age of the Lower Paleolithic site of Kefar Menachem West, Israel—Another facet of Acheulian variability

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this