Auswahl der wissenschaftlichen Literatur zum Thema „Human remains (Archaeology) – Israel – Lachish“

Traditional archaeological approaches in the central Negev Desert used to employ excavation techniques in post-prehistoric periods in which stratigraphy is based on architecture, while material culture forms the basis for dating assessment and chronology. Such an approach was understandable, as it focused on the most visible remains of past human habitation. However, the detailed habitation record is in the soil rather than in the walls. Moreover, ceramics and stone tools in desert cultures often have limited time resolution in terms of absolute chronology. The rural desert site of Horvat Haluqim in the central Negev yielded 2 habitation periods with the traditional methodology: (1) Roman period, 2nd–3rd centuries CE; (2) Iron Age IIA, 10th century BCE. We have conducted at Horvat Haluqim initial excavations in small building remains that were never excavated before. Our excavation methodology focuses on detailed examination of the archaeological soil in building structures, coupled with accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) radiocarbon dating for chronology, and micromorphology of undisturbed soil samples to study stratigraphy and soil contents at the microscopic scale. Here, we report preliminary results, concentrating on the 14C dates. These suggest a much longer habitation history at the site during the Iron Age. The 14C dates obtained so far from these building remains cover Iron Age I, II, III, and the Persian period. The oldest calibrated date (charred C4 plants) in a rectangular building structure (L100) is 1129–971 BCE (60.5%, highest relative probability). The youngest calibrated date in a round building structure (L700) is 540–411 BCE (57.9%, highest relative probability). This excavation methodology provides additional “eyes” to look at past human habitation in the Negev Desert, seeing more periods and more detail than was possible with traditional schemes and ceramic dating.

The southern Levant is a Mediterranean climate zone of complex variability in which uncertainty remains in regional palaeoclimate reconstruction. In spite of the proven value of diatoms in circum-Mediterranean palaeoenvironmental research, their potential remains largely unexplored in the southern Levant region. In this study, we generate a new, high-resolution multi-proxy record for the last ca. 9000 cal. yr BP, supported by diatom data and key biological, mineralogical and geochemical indicators preserved in a 17.8-m-long sediment sequence recovered from Lake Kinneret (the Sea of Galilee), Israel. During the Holocene, well-correlated shifts in the diatom, minero-geochemical and palynological data indicate marked lake-level variation over time as well as changes in the trophic state of Lake Kinneret. Our results are particularly important in improving the reconstruction of Holocene lake-level variation, and thus past moisture availability. Diatom-inferred lake-level oscillations correlate well with the output from climatic models from the Levantine region and clarify previous uncertainty concerning regional variation in moisture availability. The Early Holocene (from ca. 9000 to 7400 cal. yr BP) was characterized by lake-level shifts due to fluctuating dry-wet climate conditions. During the mid-Holocene (from 7400 to 2200 cal. yr BP), a stable, deep lake-level phase persisted due to high humidity. The lake level of modern Lake Kinneret not only fluctuates seasonally with available moisture, but has also been influenced for ca. 2000 years by the impacts of water abstraction for human consumption and agriculture. Over the last 9000 cal. yr BP, the trophic state of Lake Kinneret has changed from an oligotrophic to a meso- to eutrophic environment, mainly triggered by increased human impact from around 2200 cal. yr BP onwards. The lake’s ecosystem status was not strongly affected by the documented major changes in human occupation patterns during the mid-Holocene, when a relatively stable environment persisted.

AbstractThe Moringa Cave within Pleistocene sediments in the En Gedi area of the Dead Sea Fault Escarpment contains a sequence of various Pleistocene lacustrine deposits associated with higher-than-today lake levels at the Dead Sea basin. In addition it contains Chalcolithic remains and 5th century BC burials attributed to the Persian period, cemented and covered by Late Holocene travertine flowstone. These deposits represent a chain of Late Pleistocene and Holocene interconnected environmental and human events, echoing broader scale regional and global climate events. A major shift between depositional environments is associated with the rapid fall of Lake Lisan level during the latest Pleistocene. This exposed the sediments, providing for cave formation processes sometime between the latest Pleistocene (ca. 15 ka) and the Middle Holocene (ca. 4500 BC), eventually leading to human use of the cave. The Chalcolithic use of the cave can be related to a relatively moist desert environment, probably related to a shift in the location of the northern boundary of the Saharo-Arabian desert belt. The travertine layer was U–Th dated 2.46"0.10 to 2.10"0.04 ka, in agreement with the archaeological finds from the Persian period. Together with the inner consistency of the dating results, this strongly supports the reliability of the radiometric ages. The 2.46–2.10 ka travertine deposition within the presently dry cave suggests a higher recharge of the Judean Desert aquifer, correlative to a rising Dead Sea towards the end of the 1st millennium BC. This suggests a relatively moist local and regional climate facilitating human habitation of the desert.

Due to the nature of war, persons are killed with various types of weapons. Throughout the history of humanity, weapons were used in this regard and these weapons left injuries on the victims that are distinguishable. The type of force conveyed by the ancient weapons effected injuries that enable modern-day bioarchaeologists to extrapolate which weapons caused which injuries. The Assyrians depicted their wars and battles on reliefs. An analysis of these depictions, with an extrapolation of the lesions expected in skeletal remains, could contribute to better understanding of the strategies of war in ancient times. This dissertation will discuss how the evaluation of human remains in comparison to Assyrian reliefs may contribute to the chronological knowledge of war and warfare in the Iron Age Ancient Near East – especially at Lachish. A discourse of the approaches available to researchers regarding access to data in the forensic bioarchaeological field will be presented.
Biblical and Ancient Studies
M.A. (Biblical Archaeology)

This dissertation deals with the study of ancient diseases mentioned in the historical period of the Scriptures in the region of Syro-Palestine. The definition, history, methodology and etymology of the terms relating to biblical diseases are discussed. Leprosy, syphilis, plague and anaemia amongst other diseases leave skeletal signs and lesions. Paleopathologists may reveal these diseases by studying skeletal remains of the population of Syro-Palestine. Criticisms and recommendations are offered for the practical paleopathologist, anthropologist or archaeologist. More interest should be taken in the study of coprolite in every new discovery of human remains. The scarcity of skeletal remains in the region is well known. The past and present law structure, the Halakah, may partly be to blame. The future of paleopathology worldwide is undisputedly the biochemical science of DNA analysis. With this new science the role for macromorphological examination may diminish. The diseases mentioned in the Bible are finding it increasingly difficult to hide behind the words in the Scriptures.
Old Testament and Ancient Near Eastern Studies
MA (Biblical Archaeology)