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SUMMARY:Prehistory of the Upper Jordan River - the First Million Years - D
 r. Gonen Sharon (Tel-Hai College)
DTSTART:20230203T163000Z
DTEND:20230203T180000Z
UID:TALK196708@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:106589
DESCRIPTION:*Abstract:* On its course south of the Hula Valley\, the Jorda
 n River cuts through sediments ranging in age from the Early Pleistocene t
 o the Holocene. A combination of tectonic movements\, volcanism\, and mass
 ive drainage activity exposed a uniquely long archaeological sequence docu
 menting nearly 1\,000\,000 years of human presence in this northern segmen
 t of the Dead Sea Rift Valley. The Hula Valley has always flourished with 
 water and the sediments now exposed on the banks of the Jordan River had b
 een covered by water since their accumulation\, creating anaerobic conditi
 ons. These unique conditions resulted in exceptional preservation of organ
 ic remains\, particularly botanic remains\, such as pollen\, wood\, seeds\
 , and fruits. These remains hold important clues not only about prehistori
 c human subsistence strategies but also about the paleoclimate of the regi
 on. Talk will describe the current knowledge regarding the prehistory of t
 he Jordan River by describing the latest finds from excavations of the imp
 ortant archaeological sites along the river. These sites include the key A
 cheulian site of Gesher Benot Ya’aqov (GBY)\, dated to c. 780\,000 years
  before present\, and nearby contemporary Acheulian locations\, the Middle
  Paleolithic hunting site of Nahal Mahanayeem Outlet (NMO)\, dated to 60\,
 000 years BP and finds from the Epipaleolithic site of Jordan River Dureij
 at (JRD). JRD is a fishing site whose layers date from 10\,000-20\,000 yea
 rs BP\, a period of dramatic shift from nomadic hunter-gatherer groups to 
 permanent settlement. The Jordan River prehistoric sites are among the mos
 t important sites in the prehistory of the Middle East and are under const
 ant threat from drainage and development work. The aim of the talk is to r
 ouse awareness of these unique sites\, their contribution to our cultural 
 heritage\, and the importance of their preservation and protection.
LOCATION:McDonald Institute Seminar Room\, Department of Archaeology
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