New Discoveries at the Middle Pleistocene Acheulian Site of Gesher Benot Ya'aqov, Israel

1992 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 117-128 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Goren-Inbar ◽  
S. Belitzky ◽  
K. Verosub ◽  
E. Werker ◽  
M. Kislev ◽  
...  

AbstractThe Gesher Benot Ya'aqov archaeological site in the northern Dead Sea Rift of Israel contains Acheulian artifacts and middle Pleistocene fossils. Initial results of a new interdisciplinary study have shown that fluviolacustrine sediments of the Benot Ya'aqov Formation, which contains several archaeological occupations, were deposited in an embayment of the Hula Basin. They were subsequently deformed by tectonic activity associated with the Dead Sea Rift. Biostratigraphy, magnetostratigraphy, and K-Ar dating serve to constrain the age of the Benot Ya'aqov Formation to between 240,000 and 730,000 yr B.P. Archaeological excavation of three areas and two trenches at the new study area have produced abundant basalt, flint, and limestone artifacts, mammalian and avian fossils, and considerable plant material. The lithic materials provide an excellent opportunity to study large assemblages of in situ Acheulian artifacts, a rare phenomenon in the middle Pleistocene Levantine record. In addition, the organic materials will facilitate paleoenvironmental reconstructions from an ecological-floral perspective.

1996 ◽  
Vol 46 (3) ◽  
pp. 319-334 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sabine Gaudzinski ◽  
Felix Bittmann ◽  
Wolfgang Boenigk ◽  
Manfred Frechen ◽  
Thijs Van Kolfschoten

The Kärlich–Seeufer archaeological site in Germany's central Rhineland was excavated between 1980 and 1992. The site provides evidence for hominid activity during a Middle Pleistocene interglaciation known up to now only from the Kärlich clay pit and therefore defined as the Kärlich Interglaciation, which is considered to be post-Cromer IV and pre-Holstein (sensu stricto) in age. The site is characterized by Acheulean artifacts, a fauna dominated by Elephas (Palaeoloxodon) antiquus, and a unique and outstanding preservation of wooden and other palaeobotanical remains. Assuming all finds are associated, the site previously was interpreted as an elephant hunting camp with a wooden structure, together with wood and bone implements preserved in situ. Recent analysis of the same features has shown that the site can also be interpreted as a reworked archaeological sample. Hominid occupation occurred in the vicinity of a small lake with prevailing meso-oligotrophic conditions. Expanding boreal forests and fen vegetation characterized the landscape.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (21) ◽  
pp. 7803
Author(s):  
Miguel Angel Dilena ◽  
Marie Soressi

Archaeological excavation is a demolishing process. Rather few elements outlast extractive operations. Therefore, it is hard to visualise the precise location of unearthed finds at a previously excavated research area. Here, we present a mixed reality environment that displays in situ 3D models of features that were formerly extracted and recorded with 3D coordinates during unearthing operations. We created a tablet application that allows the user to view the position, orientation and dimensions of every recorded find while freely moving around the archaeological site with the device. To anchor the model, we used physical landmarks left at the excavation. A series of customised forms were created to show (onscreen) the different types of features by superimposing them over the terrain as perceived by the tablet camera. The application permits zooming-in, zooming-out, querying for specific artefacts and reading metadata associated with the archaeological elements. When at the office, our environment enables accurate visualisations of the 3D geometry concerning previously unearthed features and their spatial relationships. The application operates using the Swift programming language, Python scripts and ARKit technology. We present here an example of its use at Les Cottés, France, a palaeolithic site where thousands of artefacts are excavated out of six superimposed layers with a complex conformation.


1989 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 371-376 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Goren-Inbar ◽  
S. Belitzky

AbstractNewly discovered outcrops of the middle Pleistocene Benot Ya'aqov Formation are strongly disturbed due to recent tectonic activity along the Dead Sea Rift. The lacustrine-fluviatile sediments of this formation comprise the littoral facies of a paleo-lake that occupied the adjacent Hula Basin. Acheulian artifacts, found embedded in the formation, have typical African characteristics. The geographical position of the site (the northern extension of the East African Red Sea Rift System) is important for understanding hominid diffusion from Africa to Eurasia.


2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mallory N. Gerzan ◽  
◽  
Gary E. Stinchcomb ◽  
Joseph V. Ferraro ◽  
Steven L. Forman ◽  
...  

2003 ◽  
Vol 69 ◽  
pp. 315-324 ◽  
Author(s):  
W.A. Boismier ◽  
Danielle C. Schreve ◽  
Mark J. White ◽  
D.A. Robertson ◽  
A.J. Stuart ◽  
...  

In late February and early March 2002, an archaeological watching brief at Lynford Quarry, Mundford, Norfolk revealed a palaeochannel with a dark organic fill containing in situ mammoth remains and associated Mousterian stone tools and debitage buried under 2–3 m of bedded sands and gravels. Well-preserved in situ Middle Palaeolithic open air sites are very unusal in Europe and exceedingly rare within a British context. As such, the site was identified as being of national and international importance, and was subsequently excavated by the Norfolk Archaeological Unit with funding provided by English Heritage through the Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund.This report presents some of the initial results of the excavation. It sets out how the site was excavated, outlines the stratigraphic sequence for the site, and presents some provisional findings of the excavation based on the results of the assessment work carried out by project specialists and Norfolk Archaeological Unit staff.


CI-TECH ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (01) ◽  
pp. 7-15
Author(s):  
CI-TECH UPNJATIM ◽  
Alma Christine Puspasari Rumaseb ◽  
Made Dharma Astawa ◽  
Sumaidi

Gedung Kuliah Bersama was modified into ten floors, constructed using precast pretension slabs, namely hollow core slabs on the second to five floors and cast in situ slabs, namely steel deck on floors six to ten. Gedung Kuliah Bersama is located at the UPN “Veteran” East Java in the city of Surabaya. Geologically and tectonically, Surabaya City is in an active fault zone, so that the tectonic activity that occurs can cause damage to building structures and construction materials. Pushover analysis is an analysis that can be used to determine the pattern of structural collapse when an earthquake occurs. Based on the results of the analysis, precast pretension slabs (hollow core slabs) with segments of 1500 mm × 7000 mm × 150 mm with PC Wire reinforcement ϕ7-121 mm and cast in situ (steel deck) slabs with a thickness of 120 mm with wiremesh reinforcement M8-150 mm. The difference in the bending strength of the two types of slabs is 38.73%. The results of the pushover analysis show that the structural performance at the Damage Control (DO) level shows that the building is able to withstand the earthquake that occurs and the risk of casualties is very small.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (17) ◽  
pp. 3461
Author(s):  
Pavel Kishcha ◽  
Boris Starobinets ◽  
Yury Lechinsky ◽  
Pinhas Alpert

This study was carried out using Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) 1 km × 1 km resolution records on board Terra and Aqua satellites and in-situ measurements during the period (2003–2019). In spite of the presence of increasing atmospheric warming, in summer when evaporation is maximal, in fresh-water Lake Kinneret, satellite data revealed the absence of surface water temperature (SWT) trends. The absence of SWT trends in the presence of increasing atmospheric warming is an indication of the influence of increasing evaporation on SWT trends. The increasing water cooling, due to the above-mentioned increasing evaporation, compensated for increasing heating of surface water by regional atmospheric warming, resulting in the absence of SWT trends. In contrast to fresh-water Lake Kinneret, in the hypersaline Dead Sea, located ~100 km apart, MODIS records showed an increasing trend of 0.8 °C decade−1 in summer SWT during the same study period. The presence of increasing SWT trends in the presence of increasing atmospheric warming is an indication of the absence of steadily increasing evaporation in the Dead Sea. This is supported by a constant drop in Dead Sea water level at the rate of ~1 m/year from year to year during the last 25-year period (1995–2020). In summer, in contrast to satellite measurements, in-situ measurements of near-surface water temperature in Lake Kinneret showed an increasing trend of 0.7 °C  decade−1.


Author(s):  
Courtney Magill ◽  
Frank Matero

Beginning in the summer of 2015, research was conducted on protective wood coatings and accelerated weathering testing methods for architectural log and timber. A rack for supplementary natural weathering testing of hydrophobic and ultraviolet protective surface treatments for logs was also erected as a subsequent phase at Grand Teton National Park. This laboratory and field research is part of an ongoing project to develop an appropriate treatment for historic log structures in the region that will preserve their original fabric while maintaining the intended historic appearance of the buildings, i.e., unpainted. The weathering rack will be in place for upwards of five years to verify the lab-based results from Phase I and to determine the long-term durability of the chosen treatments on already aged materials in situ. This report addresses the methods and materials for preparation of the weathering rack and samples as well as the methods being used to monitor their progress and initial results. Readings will be taken yearly to monitor the effects of weathering on each treatment.


Author(s):  
Rachel M. Jeffreys ◽  
Marc S.S. Lavaleye ◽  
Magda J.N. Bergman ◽  
Gerard C.A. Duineveld ◽  
Rob Witbaard ◽  
...  

The Holocene ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 27 (9) ◽  
pp. 1273-1280
Author(s):  
Klement Rejšek ◽  
Jan Turek ◽  
Valerie Vranová ◽  
Roman Hadacz ◽  
Lenka Lisá

This paper deals with a possible interpretation value of biochemical methods in comparison with the classic tools of geoarchaeology for the evaluation of formation processes. Organic rich layers from the archaeological site Brandýs nad Labem-Vrábí were tested with the aim to determine the origin of several different types of soil organic material by analyzing the content of different sugars. The studied soil body showed signs of cultural layer, redeposited soils, and in situ developed soil. The analysis of different sugars was highlighted: soil samples taken from these layers were analyzed to assess the ratios of mannose + galactose to arabinose + xylose, and of rhamnose + fucose to arabinose + xylose, content of Corg and different nitrates, as well as different rates of absorbance. The results show that the interpretation values of polysaccharides evaluation didn’t bring significant results itself, but in combination with classical tools of geoarchaeology may bring interpretable and new results.


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