Qesem cave
מערת קסם | |
Location | near the arab city Kafr Qasim |
---|---|
History | |
Periods | Lower Paleolithic |
Qesem cave is a Lower Paleolithic archaeological site near the city of Kafr Qasim in Israel. Early humans were occupying the site by 400,000 until c. 200,000 years ago.
The karst cave attracted considerable attention in December 2010 when reports suggested Israeli and Spanish archaeologists had found the earliest evidence yet of modern humans. Science bloggers pointed out that the media coverage had inaccurately reflected the scientific report.[1]
Selective large-game hunting was regularly done followed by butchery of desired carcass parts for transport back to a residence for food sharing and cooking.
Description
The cave exists in Turonian limestone in the western mountain ridge of Israel between the Samaria Hills and the Israeli coastal plain.[2][3] It is 90m above sea level and about 12 kilometers from the east coast of Mediterranean Sea.[4]
Deposits at the site are 7.5 m (25 ft) deep, and are divided into two layers: the upper is about 4.5 m (15 ft) thick, and the lower 3 m (10 ft). The upper forms a step on the lower one. The deposits contain
The cave was found in October 2000 when road construction destroyed its ceiling. This led to two rescue excavations in 2001. At present the site is protected, covered and fenced and subject to on-going excavations.[5]
Dating
Qesem Cave was occupied from about 420–220 ka,
Artifacts
Qesem Cave stone tools are made of
Using the concentration of cosmic ray created Beryllium-10 it has been argued that the flint used at Qesem Cave was surface-collected or only dug from shallow quarries. This is in contrast to flint of the same period from Tabun Cave nearby that originated two or more metres below the surface, probably after being mined.[15]
A 2020 study led by researcher Ella Assaf from
Fire
The Qesem Cave contains one of the
10–36% of identified bone specimens show signs of burning and on unidentified bone ones it could be up to 84%. Such heat reached 500 degrees C.[18]
A 300,000-year-old hearth was unearthed in a central part of the cave. Layers of ash was discovered in the pit, and burnt animal bones and flint tools used for carving meat were found near the hearth, suggesting it was used repeatedly and was a focal point for the people living there.[19]
"These were a very sophisticated, very clever people whose toolmaking was advanced, who hunted skillfully, could produce fire at will, and of course ate well, we believe it would have been a fairly small group of people staying here”, said Tel Aviv University archaeologist Ran Barkai.[20][4][21]
A 2020 study concluded that hominins living in Qesem cave managed to heat their flint to different temperatures before knapping it into different tools, for instance, blades were heated at 259 °C (498 °F) and flakes at 413 °C (775 °F) .[22]
Hunted prey
The faunal assemblages consist of 14 taxa.[21][4] Bones from 4,740 prey animals have been identified. These are mostly large mammals such as fallow deer (Dama, large-bodied form, 73–76% of identified specimens), aurochs (Bos), horse (Equus, caballine type), wild pig (Sus), wild goat, roe deer, wild ass and red deer (Cervus). Tortoise (Testudo) and a rare rhinoceros remains have also been found but no gazelle bones.[23]
These animal bones show marks of butchery, marrow extraction and burning from fire. Analysis of the orientation and anatomical placements of the cut marks suggest meat and connective tissue were cut off in a planned manner from the bone.[23]
Deer remains are limited to limb bones and head parts without remains of vertebrae, ribs, pelvis, or feet suggesting that butchery was selective in regard to the body parts that had been carried to the cave following initial butchery of the animal carcasses elsewhere.[23]
Moreover, the presence of fetal bones and the absence of deer antlers implies that much of the hunting took place in late winter through early summer. At that time the need for additional fat in the diet would have made those animals particularly important prey. The excavators described this as "prime-age-focused harvesting, a uniquely human predator–prey relationship".[23]
See also
- Archaeological sites in Israel
- Mugharet el-Zuttiyeh
- List of fossil sites
- Control of fire by early humans
- Skhul and Qafzeh hominins
References
- . Retrieved 16 November 2013.
- ^ S2CID 4415446.
- ^ a b c Gopher A, Barkai R, Shimelmitz R, Khalaily M, Lemorini C, Heshkovitz I, et al., (2005). Qesem Cave: An Amudian Site in Central Israel. Journal of The Israel Prehistoric Society, 35:69-92
- ^ a b c d Hirst, K. Kris. "Qesem Cave - Middle and Lower Paleolithic Site in Israel". ThoughtCo. Retrieved 2020-09-03.
- ^ Qesem Cave Project Excavations
- ^ ISSN 1040-6182.
The Qesem Cave...site...has yielded...teeth associated to the...(AYCC) and dated to about 420-220 ka.
- ^ ISSN 1040-6182.
420-200 ka...closer to 220 ka.
- ISSN 1040-6182.
All archaeological finds at Qesem Cave have been assigned to the Acheulo-Yabrusian Cultural Complex (AYCC) of the late Lower Paleolithic.
- ISSN 1040-6182.
The site of Qesem Cave...consists of AYCC layers only.
- ^ ISSN 1871-1014.
- ISSN 0305-4403.
- ISSN 1040-6182.
- S2CID 148900875.
- ISSN 1040-6182.
- PMID 15148365.
- PMID 32271815.
- ^ David, Ariel (2020-04-14). "Israeli Archaeologists Solve Mystery of Prehistoric Stone Balls". Haaretz. Retrieved 2020-04-15.
- PMID 17572475.
- ^ Gannon, Megan (2014-01-28). "Ancient Hearth Found In Israel Dates Back 300,000 Years, Scientists Say". Huffington Post. Retrieved 28 January 2014.
- PMID 31633015.
- ^ a b "Oldest Known Hearth Found in Israel Cave". National Geographic News. 2014-01-29. Archived from the original on May 9, 2020. Retrieved 2020-09-03.
- S2CID 222160202.
- ^ PMID 19666542.
32°07′N 34°59′E / 32.11°N 34.98°E
External links
- Hardy, Karen; Radini, Anita; Buckley, Stephen; Sarig, Rachel; Copeland, Les; Gopher, Avi; Barkai, Ran (2016). "Dental calculus reveals potential respiratory irritants and ingestion of essential plant-based nutrients at Lower Palaeolithic Qesem Cave Israel". Quaternary International. 398: 129–135. .