scholarly journals Radiocarbon Chronology of the Holocene Dead Sea: Attempting a Regional Correlation

Radiocarbon ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 43 (3) ◽  
pp. 1179-1189 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amos Frumkin ◽  
Galit Kadan ◽  
Yehouda Enzel ◽  
Yehuda Eyal
Keyword(s):  
Dead Sea ◽  
Salt Diapir ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Sea Levels ◽  
The Holocene ◽  
Regional Correlation ◽  
Basin Scale ◽  
The Dead ◽  
Radiocarbon Chronology ◽  
High Level

Holocene sedimentary and geomorphic sequences from the Dead Sea region, Israel, are compared by correlation of more than 50 radiocarbon dates. The 14C dates provided the chronological basis that enabled us to detect basin-scale events that are hard to ascertain in single-site records. This paper is the first attempt to compare different Holocene records from several sites along the Dead Sea, based on their chrono-stratigraphy. Included is the first publication of the paleoclimatic record of the Nahal Darga ephemeral stream valley. Such a regional compilation is needed, because only the integration and comparative evaluation of several records can produce a reliable climatic history by establishing the height of former Dead Sea levels that may be complicated by tectonics and the rise of Mount Sedom. A relatively high level of the Holocene Dead Sea occurred during the mid-Holocene around 4400 BP or about 3000 cal BCE after calibration. The lake level fell sharply around 4000 BP, i.e. 2500 cal BCE, and later fluctuated close to early 20th century levels. The 14C-based correlation is also used to estimate the rising rates of the Mount Sedom salt diapir that are apparently smaller than 10 mm per year.

Controls on lake level in the early to mid Holocene, Hawes Water, Lancashire, UK

The Holocene ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 21 (7) ◽  
pp. 1061-1072 ◽  
Author(s):  
R.T. Jones ◽  
J.D. Marshall ◽  
E. Fisher ◽  
J. Hatton ◽  
C. Patrick ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lake Level ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Anthropogenic Activity ◽  
Lake Levels ◽  
Sea Levels ◽  
The Holocene ◽  
Rising Sea Levels ◽  
New Interpretation ◽  
Radiocarbon Chronology ◽  
High Level

This study presents a new interpretation of the evidence for Holocene lake-level changes from Hawes Water in NW England constrained by detailed stratigraphic data, radiocarbon chronology and palaeo-environmental evidence. Lake levels are seen to decline gradually from the start of the Holocene through to 9960 cal. yr BP, in response to lake infilling and the prevailing dry climatic conditions. Low lake levels then persist until 6000 cal. yr BP, punctuated by two transgressive phases. Rising sea levels during the Holocene high-level sea stand are thought to be responsible for a major rise in lake level at 6000 cal. yr BP driven by changes in the local water-table. The rise in lake level is coincident with a rise in anthropogenic activity across the site, possibly reflecting the migration of coastal Mesolithic communities inland in response to rising sea levels.

On the Education of Children in the Dead Sea Scrolls

2012 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
pp. 350-363 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cecilia Wassen
Keyword(s):  
Dead Sea Scrolls ◽  
Dead Sea ◽  
Reading And Writing ◽  
Level Of Education ◽  
Children's Education ◽  
Jewish Society ◽  
Damascus Document ◽  
Unknown Composition ◽  
The Dead ◽  
High Level

This article examines three passages from the Rule of the Congregation and the Damascus Document that pertain to the topic of children’s education. The education of children was considered important within the Qumran movement, which is evident in the curriculum in 1QSa and the fact that such a high-level official as the Examiner had a supervisory role over the teaching. In contrast to the level of education of children in Jewish society in general at the turn of the era, which appears to have been quite rudimentary and consisting mainly of memorization, it appears that children within the movement received a thorough education in both reading and writing. The content of the teaching focused on the laws of the Torah and the Book of Hagu, which is an unknown composition. It is likely that both boys and girls received some education. Cet article examine trois passages de la Règle de la Congrégation et le Document de Damas qui se rapportent au thème de l’éducation des enfants. L’éducation des enfants était considérée comme importante au sein du mouvement de Qumrân, importance qui est évidente dans le programme de 1QSa et le fait qu’un tel fonctionnaire de haut niveau que l’examinateur a eu un rôle de supervision sur l’enseignement. Contrairement au niveau de l’éducation des enfants dans la société juive en général au début de l’époque, qui semble avoir été assez rudimentaire et composé principalement de mémorisation, il semble que les enfants au sein du mouvement ont reçu une éducation complète en lecture et en écrit. Le contenu de l’enseignement a été axé sur les lois de la Torah et le Livre d’Hagu, qui est une composition inconnue. Il est probable que les garçons et les filles ont reçu une certaine éducation.

RADIOCARBON RESERVOIR AGES IN THE HOLOCENE DEAD SEA

Radiocarbon ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 62 (5) ◽  
pp. 1453-1473
Author(s):  
Nurit Weber ◽  
Boaz Lazar ◽  
Ofra Stern ◽  
George Burr ◽  
Ittai Gavrieli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dissolved Inorganic Carbon ◽  
Dead Sea ◽  
Climate Conditions ◽  
The Holocene ◽  
Radiocarbon Age ◽  
The Past ◽  
Organic Debris ◽  
The Dead ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Continuous Deposition

ABSTRACTThe sources and fate of radiocarbon (14C) in the Dead Sea hypersaline solution are evaluated with 14C measurements in organic debris and primary aragonite collected from exposures of the Holocene Ze’elim Formation. The reservoir age (RA) is defined as the difference between the radiocarbon age of the aragonite at time of its precipitation (representing lakeʼs dissolved inorganic carbon [DIC]) and the age of contemporaneous organic debris (representing atmospheric radiocarbon). Evaluation of the data for the past 6000 yr from Dead Sea sediments reveal that the lakeʼs RA decreased from 2890 yr at 6 cal kyr BP to 2300 yr at present. The RA lies at ~2400 yr during the past 3000 yr, when the lake was characterized by continuous deposition of primary aragonite, which implies a continuous supply of freshwater-bicarbonate into the lake. This process reflects the overall stability of the hydrological-climate conditions in the lakeʼs watershed during the late Holocene where bicarbonate originated from dissolution of the surface cover in the watershed that was transported to the Dead Sea by the freshwater runoff. An excellent correlation (R2=0.98) exists between aragonite ages and contemporaneous organic debris, allowing the estimation of ages of various primary deposits where organic debris are not available.

Late Quaternary Geological History of the Dead Sea Area, Israel

1993 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-67 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. Yechieli ◽  
M. Magaritz ◽  
Y. Levy ◽  
U. Weber ◽  
U. Kafri ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Late Quaternary ◽  
Thick Layer ◽  
Time Frame ◽  
Dead Sea ◽  
Polar Regions ◽  
Geological History ◽  
The Holocene ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Dead ◽  
Sea Area

AbstractA 34.5 m borehole, which was drilled near the Dead Sea coast (altitude -394 m) in the southern part of the fan delta of Wadi Zeelim, reveals the geological history of that area from the latest Pleistocene to present. The depositional time frame is based on six 14C dates and two U-Th dates. An erosional (or nondepositional) period is implied by the hiatus between 21,100 yr B.P. (U-Th age, depth 33 m) and 11,315 yr B.P. (14C age, depth 32 m). A subsequent arid phase is recorded by a 6.5-m-thick layer of halite; based on 14C dates this phase relates to the abrupt Younger Dryas cold period reported in temperate to polar regions. The fragility of the environment in this region is indicated by the fact that the region experienced such a severe, short aridification phase (less than 1000 yr), evidence of which is found widely in the desert fringes of the Middle East and North Africa. The aragonite found in most of the Holocene section indicates that the well site was covered by the lake for most of the Holocene. Exceptions are the intervals at 0-3 and 10-14 m depths which represent low stands of the lake.

scholarly journals Are the 14C Dates of the Dead Sea Scrolls Affected by Castor Oil Contamination?

Radiocarbon ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 44 (1) ◽  
pp. 213-216 ◽  
Author(s):  
Israel Carmi
Keyword(s):  
Detailed Analysis ◽  
Castor Oil ◽  
Dead Sea Scrolls ◽  
Dead Sea ◽  
Oil Contamination ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
The Dead

The paper “The effects of possible contamination on the radiocarbon dates of the Dead Sea Scrolls I: castor oil” by Rasmussen et al. (2001) is discussed. Detailed analysis of the extant dates of the Dead Sea Scrolls suggests that the pretreatment of the samples was adequate. Errors and omissions in the paper are discussed and the implications of the experiment of Rasmussen et al. (2001) are questioned.

A 45 kyr laminae record from the Dead Sea: Implications for basin erosion and floods recurrence

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicolas Waldmann ◽  
Yin Lu ◽  
Revital Bookman ◽  
Shmulik Marco
Keyword(s):  
High Frequency ◽  
Lake Level ◽  
Dead Sea ◽  
Last Deglaciation ◽  
The Holocene ◽  
Lamina Thickness ◽  
The Last Deglaciation ◽  
The Dead ◽  
Basin Erosion ◽  
The Last Glacial

<p>Recording and analyzing how climate change impacts flood recurrence, basin erosion, and sedimentation can improve our understanding of these systems. The aragonite-detritus laminae couplets comprising the lacustrine formations that were deposited in the Dead Sea Basin are considered as faithful monitors of the freshwater supply to the lakes. We count a total of ~5600 laminae couplets deposited in the last 45 kyr (MIS3-MIS1) at the Dead Sea depocenter, which encompass the upper 141.6 m of the ICDP Core 5017-1. The present study shows that aragonite and detritus laminae are thinner and occur at high frequency during MIS 3-2, while they are much thicker and less frequent during MIS 1. By analyzing multiple climate-connected factors, we propose that significant lake-level drops, enhanced dust input, and low vegetative cover in the drainage basin during the last deglaciation (22-11.6 ka) have considerably increased erodible materials in the Dead Sea watershed. We find a decoupling existed between the significant lake-level drop/lake size reduction and lamina thickness change during the last deglaciation. We argue that during the last glacial and the Holocene, the variation of lamina thickness at the multiple-millennium scale was not controlled directly by the lake-level/size change. We interpret this decoupling implying the transport capacity of flash-floods is low and might be saturated by the oversupply of erodible materials, and indicating a transport-limited regime during the time period. We suggest that the observed thickness and frequency distribution of aragonite-detritus laminae points to the high frequency of small-magnitude floods during the last glacial period, in contrast to low frequency, but large-magnitude floods during the Holocene.</p>

Dead Sea Levels during the Bronze and Iron Ages

Radiocarbon ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 57 (2) ◽  
pp. 237-252 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisa Joy Kagan ◽  
Dafna Langgut ◽  
Elisabetta Boaretto ◽  
Frank Herald Neumann ◽  
Mordechai Stein
Keyword(s):  
Bronze Age ◽  
Iron Age ◽  
Lake Level ◽  
Dead Sea ◽  
Sea Levels ◽  
The Past ◽  
Organic Debris ◽  
Ancient Israel ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Dead

The history of lake-level changes at the Dead Sea during the Holocene was determined mainly by radiocarbon dating of terrestrial organic debris. This article reviews the various studies that have been devoted over the past 2 decades to defining the Dead Sea levels during the Bronze and Iron Ages (≃5.5 to 2.5 ka cal BP) and adds new data and interpretation. In particular, we focus on research efforts devoted to refining the chronology of the sedimentary sequence in the Ze'elim Gully, a key site of paleoclimate investigation in the European Research Council project titled Reconstructing Ancient Israel. The Bronze and Iron Ages are characterized by significant changes in human culture, reflected in archaeological records in which sharp settlement oscillations over relatively short periods of time are evident. During the Early Bronze, Intermediate Bronze, Middle Bronze, and Late Bronze Ages, the Dead Sea saw significant level fluctuations, reaching in the Middle Bronze an elevation of ≃370 m below mean sea level (bmsl), and declining in the Late Bronze to below 414 m bmsl. At the end of the Late Bronze Age and upon the transition to the Iron Age, the lake recovered slightly and rose to ≃408 m bmsl. This recovery reflected the resumption of freshwater activity in the Judean Hills, which was likely accompanied by more favorable hydrological-environmental conditions that seem to have facilitated the wave of Iron Age settlement in the region.

Stable isotopes of a subfossil Tamarix tree from the Dead Sea region, Israel, and their implications for the Intermediate Bronze Age environmental crisis

2009 ◽  
Vol 71 (3) ◽  
pp. 319-328 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amos Frumkin
Keyword(s):  
Stable Isotopes ◽  
Bronze Age ◽  
Nitrogen Isotopes ◽  
Dead Sea ◽  
Environmental Crisis ◽  
Salt Diapir ◽  
Isotopic Enrichment ◽  
Carbon And Nitrogen ◽  
The Dead

AbstractTrees growing on the Mt. Sedom salt diapir, at the southern Dead Sea shore, were swept by runoff into salt caves and subsequently deposited therein, sheltered from surface weathering. A subfossil Tamarix tree trunk, found in a remote section of Sedom Cave is radiocarbon dated to between ∼ 2265 and 1930 BCE. It was sampled in 109 points across the tree rings for carbon and nitrogen isotopes. The Sedom Tamarix demonstrates a few hundred years of 13C and 15N isotopic enrichment, culminating in extremely high δ13C and δ15N values. Calibration using modern Tamarix stable isotopes in various climatic settings in Israel shows direct relationship between isotopic enrichment and climate deterioration, particularly rainfall decrease. The subfossil Tamarix probably reflects an environmental crisis during the Intermediate Bronze Age, which subsequently killed the tree ∼ 1930 BCE. This period coincides with the largest historic fall of the Dead Sea level, as well as the demise of the large regional urban center of the 3rd millennium BCE. The environmental crisis may thus explain the archaeological evidence of a shift from urban to pastoral culture during the Intermediate Bronze Age. This was apparently the most severe long-term historical drought that affected the region in the mid-late Holocene.

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