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SUMMARY:Prehistory of the Upper Jordan River – the first Million Years -
  Professor Gonen Sharon (Tel Hai College)
DTSTART:20230303T163000Z
DTEND:20230303T180000Z
UID:TALK197992@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:106589
DESCRIPTION:*Abstract:*\nOn its course south of the Hula Valley\, the Jord
 an River cuts through sediments ranging in age from the Early Pleistocene 
 to the Holocene. A combination of tectonic movements\, volcanism\, and mas
 sive drainage activity exposed a uniquely long archaeological sequence doc
 umenting nearly 1\,000\,000 years of human presence in this northern segme
 nt 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 
 been covered by water since their accumulation\, creating anaerobic condit
 ions. These unique conditions resulted in exceptional preservation of orga
 nic remains\, particularly botanic remains\, such as pollen\, wood\, seeds
 \, and fruits. These remains hold important clues not only about prehistor
 ic human subsistence strategies but also about the paleoclimate of the reg
 ion. This talk will describe the current knowledge regarding the prehistor
 y of the Jordan River by describing the latest finds from excavations of t
 he important archaeological sites along the river. These sites include the
  key Acheulian 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 t
 o 60\,000 years BP and finds from the Epipaleolithic site of Jordan River 
 Dureijat (JRD). JRD is a fishing site whose layers date from 10\,000-20\,0
 00 years BP\, a period of dramatic shift from nomadic hunter-gatherer grou
 ps to permanent settlement. The Jordan River prehistoric sites are among t
 he most important sites in the prehistory of the Middle East and are under
  constant threat from drainage and development work. The aim of the talk i
 s to rouse awareness of these unique sites\, their contribution to our cul
 tural heritage\, and the importance of their preservation and protection.
LOCATION:McDonald Institute Seminar Room\, Department of Archaeology
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