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The Early Upper paleolithic deposit of Mughr el-Hamamah (Jordan): Archaeobotanical taphonomy and site formation processes
Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium.
Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana (CENIEH), Spain;Université Bordeaux Montaigne, France.
University of Pennsylvania, USA;Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, USA.
University of Liverpool, UK.ORCID iD: 0000-0002-0905-7594
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2024 (English)In: Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, ISSN 2352-409X, E-ISSN 2352-4103, Vol. 55, p. 104471-104471, article id 104471Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

With a rich, well-dated Early Upper Palaeolithic layer, the Mughr el-Hamamah cave site is key for understanding the Middle-Upper Palaeolithic transition in the Levant. The archaeological deposit consists of two units. Layer A resulted from pastoral activities during the 20th century and Layer B dated between 44.5 and 40.0 ky BP. During Layer A’s formation, shepherds disturbed Layer B, redepositing Early Upper Palaeolithic sediments and lithic artefacts in Layer A matrix. Activity from Layer A’s formation also resulted in spatially patchy percolation and bioturbation, leaving microarchaeological traces such as dung spherulites in some areas in Layer B. In contrast, contemporaneous chemical diagenetic processes from Layer B’s primary formation caused spatially uneven post-depositional dissolution of animal bone. In this article we present a multi-proxy microarchaeological approach to investigate the post-depositional processes in Layer B, focussing on possible impacts on the plant archaeological record. The identification of intrusive spherulites from shepherds’ activities define the limits of disturbance in Layer B. Micromorphological analyses have identified four intact micro-facies in Layer B, representing an interplay of natural and anthropogenic factors. Micromorphological details in bedded combustion features favour the interpretation that associated phytoliths represent fuel traces. Dicot fruit phytoliths occur in the western area of the cave, where well-preserved charred wood and seeds were also found. Grass-diagnostic phytoliths correspond to C3 and C4 taxa, indicating an overall humid environment with dry spells. Microarchaeological analysis identifies traces of both bedded and dispersed hearth materials, mixed with variable plant resources for food, fuel, and possibly other uses. This strengthens the interpretation of Mughr el-Hamamah Layer B as a dense, complicated palimpsest of recurring activities, formed over many millennia.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Elsevier, 2024. Vol. 55, p. 104471-104471, article id 104471
Keywords [en]
Early Upper Palaeolithic, Post-depositional processes, Micromorphology, Phytoliths, FTIR, Spherulites, Cave archaeology
National Category
Archaeology
Research subject
Humanities, Archaeology
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:lnu:diva-128556DOI: 10.1016/j.jasrep.2024.104471ISI: 001220737300001Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85187504162OAI: oai:DiVA.org:lnu-128556DiVA, id: diva2:1848766
Available from: 2024-04-04 Created: 2024-04-04 Last updated: 2024-05-28Bibliographically approved

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Nilsson Stutz, Liv

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