A STUDY of the PRESENCE of Lithicsffithesouthernlevant from the LATE NEOLITHIC to the END of the IRON AGE
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A STUDY OF THE PRESENCE OF LITHICSffiTHESOUTHERNLEVANT FROM THE LATE NEOLITHIC TO THE END OF THE IRON AGE A Thesis Submitted to the College of Graduate Studies and Research in Partial Fulfillment ofthe Requirements for the degree ofMasters ofArts in the Department ofArchaeology University ofSaskatchewan Saskatoon By Joanne McLean December 2004 Joanne McLean, 2004. All rights reserved. TABLE OF CONTENTS PERMISSION TO USE .i ABSTRACT ii ACKN"OWLEDGEMENTS iii LIST OF FIGURES .iv LIST OF TABLES v CHAPTER 1 - INTRODUCTION, BACKGROUND & RESEARCH METHODOLOGY•........•.....•.....•..•...............••...•.......•.........•.....•............1 1.1 rnTRODUCTION 1 1.2 RESEARCH STRATEGy 4 1.3 DATABASE FORMAT 5 1.4 LITHICS, CERAMICS AND METALS IN ARCHAEOLOGICAL ANALYSIS.. 11 CHAPTER 2 - THE ANALYSIS OF LITIDCS IN LEVANTINE ARCHAEOLOGy ·15 2.1 INTRODUCTION 15 2.2 LITHIC ANALYSIS TODAY 20 2.3 THE DECLINE OF LITHICS IN THE POST-POTTERY LEVANT 22 2.4 EXAMPLES OF ANALYSES OF LITHIC ASSEMBLAGES 26 CH.APTER 3 - SITE REPORTS 30 3.1 INTRODUCTION 30 3.2 PRE-POTTERY NEOLITHIC SITES .31 3.2.1 Jericho 32 3.2.2 Beidha · 37 3.2.3 'Ain Ghazal 42 3.3 COMPREHENSNE SITE 47 3.3.1 Tabaqat aI-Burna 47 3.3.2 Bab ehd-Dhra' 52 3.3.3 Hartuv ~ 59 3.4 SATISFACTORY SITES 64 3.4.1 Tell el-Hibr 64 3.4.2 Arad 71 3.4.3 Tell Jawa 75 3.5 LIMITED SITES 79 3.5.1 Megiddo 80 3.5.2 Tell es-Sa 'idiyeh 83 3.5.3 Beersheba Sites 85 CHAPTER 4 - RESULTS OF RESEARCH 90 CHAPTER 5 - SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS....••..•..••.•..•...••..•..••...•..••...•....•.•.106 REFERENCES CITED 109 Web Site References. ..: 115 APPENDIX A- DATABASE 116 Table 1 116 Table 2 117 Table 3 118 Table 4 119 Table 5 120 Sources Consulted For The Database 121 APPENDIX B- CHRONOLOGICAL PHASES OF THE LEVANT 137 APPENDIX C- PERSONAL EXPERIENCE 138 Permission to Use In presenting this thesis in partial fulfillments of the requirements for a Postgraduate degree from the University of Saskatchewan, I agree that the Libraries of this University may make it freely available for inspection. I further agree that permission for copying of this thesis in any manner, in whole or in part, for scholarly purposes may be granted by the professor or professors who supervised my thesis work or, in their absence, by the Head ofthe Department or Dean ofthe College in which my thesis was done. It is understood that any copying, publication, or use of this thesis or parts thereof for fmancial gain shall not be allowed without my written permission. It is also understood that due recognition shall be given to me and to the University of Saskatchewan in any scholarly use which may be made ofany material in this thesis. Requests for permission to copy or to make other use ofmaterial in this thesis in whole or in part should be addressed to: Head ofthe Department ofArchaeology 55 Campus Drive University ofSaskatchewan Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5B1 1 ABSTRACT Excavations in the Levant have exposed a broad range of occupational phases, complete with a wide variety of artifacts. Archaeological publications from sites dating to the Pottery Neolithic through the Iron Age suggest a rapid decline in lithic technology, coinciding with the introduction ofceramics and metallurgy into the region. An examination of46 sites from the southern Levant was conducted to determine to what degree lithics were present in sites dating from these periods. In order to organize the large amount of data required for this research a database was created. Nineteen fields were established in order to collect, compare and analyze data. Through the examination of the characteristics of these sites it became clear that lithic material continues to be present at sites dating from the Pottery Neolithic through the Iron Age. This analysis demonstrated that although lithic assemblages become smaller and more specialized, they are still present and should receive the same degree of treatment found at sites dating from Epipaleolithic through Pre-Pottery Neolithic sites. The combination ofa decline in lithic production and the introduction ofnew technologies in post-Neolithic periods have caused a decrease in attention given to lithic material. This lack of interest in post-Neolithic lithic analysis is clearly demonstrated through the inconsistent treatment ofthese lithic artifacts. It is suggested that the thorough investigation and publication of lithic material from Pre-Pottery Neolithic sites be applied equally to lithic material from sites in subsequent periods to ensure a more complete understanding of cultures in the Levant from the Pottery Neolithic through the Iron Age. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The writing ofthis thesis would not have been possible without the support ofmy thesis committee, Dr. Chris Foley, Dr. Urve Linnamae and Dr. Alison Maingon. I would like to thank my thesis advisor, Dr. Foley for sharing his extensive knowledge and understanding ofLevantine Archaeology with me. His guidance throughout the research process has been invaluable. Dr. Linnamae's insights into lithics technology provided a catalyst for my research. I would also like to thank Dr. Maingon for her willingness to provide feedback on the content and grammatical structure of my work. Their enthusiasm, encouragement and patience have been greatly appreciated. I am indebted to a number ofpeople who provided their help and support during this research. I would like to thank my dear friend, Ms. Pamela Whyte for her assistance with the creation ofa series ofmaps for this thesis. These maps enable the reader to view the locations ofthe sites discussed, as well as the geography ofthe Levant. I would also like to thank the staff ofthe University of Windsor's Leddy Library. Their warmth and assistance to a student who was not one oftheir own will always be remembered. Finally, I would like to express my thanks to my family and friends for the love and support over the last several years. My mother has always had the talent of rmding the right words to say just when I needed them. Her words of wisdom have always provided me with strength and the ability to persevere through the years. I would like to thank my husband Troy for his unending words or encouragement, for his ability to make me smile in any situation and for his participation in an international road trip in search of that one last book I needed. Thank You. iii LIST OF FIGURES FIGURE 1 Map ofAll Sites 2 FIGURE 2 Map ofMain Sites 6 FIGURE 3 Map ofTell Sites .38 FIGURE 4 Map ofWadi Sites 33 FIGURE 5 Map of'Ain Sites 43 FIGURE 6 Map ofJebel Sites 93 FIGURE 7 Map ofMudflats Sites 94 IV CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION, BACKGROUND AND RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 1.1 Introduction Humankind has utilized stone more extensively than any other material. Stone was the primary material used for tools for more than 2,000,000 years. Lithics did not disappear from the archaeological record with the introduction ofthe new technologies of ceramics and metals. However, in archaeological reports dealing with sites from the Pottery Neolithic through the Iron Age, lithic material frequently is ignored or disregarded. This thesis demonstrates not only that lithic artifacts continue to be present in the Levant during the Pottery Neolithic through to the Iron Age, but that lithic artifacts played an important role in these periods. The goal of this thesis is to investigate the reasons why lithics have not had a more prominent role in excavation, recovery and reports on these later periods. The thesis focuses on 46 sites from Jordan and Israel where lithics are present in the archaeological record from the Pottery Neolithic to the Iron Age. For the reader who is not familiar with Levantine archaeology maps have been provided for visual reference (Figure 1-7). There is also a limited examination of the Pre-Pottery Neolithic sites of Jericho, Beidha, and Ain Ghazal as the basis ofcomparison for the treatment oflithics at later sites. Studies of the Pottery Neolithic through the Iron Age shift attention from lithic assemblages to ceramic and metal artifacts. However, the absence of 1 detailed analyses in publications seems to suggest, contrary to actual fact, that lithic tools decline to a point where they are considered to be insignificant. Yet lithics did not simply disappear, although they were manufactured in smaller quantities. Publications from Levantine sites dating from the Pottery Neolithic to the Iron Age have produced limited information regarding lithic assemblages for several reasons. It has been assumed that lithics no longer played as important a role as previously in the more recent period sites. A lack of interest in lithics has created a situation where artifacts that could have provided important information were set aside for possible review later or simply discarded altogether. This is demonstrated by the assemblages from 'Ain el-Jammam, Dhuwelia, Nahal Besor, Tell esh-Shuna North, Tell Jawa and Wadi Shueib. Pottery has come to be a more useful cultural and chronologically diagnostic artifact. If an archaeologist is more interested in identifying ceramics or metal artifacts, lithics are more likely to be overlooked because of their capacity to blend into the environment. Recent archaeological practices have suggested that the artifacts that have suffered the fate ofbeing at the bottom ofpriority lists for sites from the Pottery Neolithic onward are lithics. Locus sheets which do not include lithic material as an artifact type used at some ofthese sites are a further indication ofthis practice. This thesis demonstrates that lithics did continue to exist and are able to contribute to the understanding of a site as a whole. There were many reasons why lithics continued to be manufactured, although in smaller numbers. The raw material for manufacturing was readily available.