Manot Cave: In Search of Modern Humans

DOCUMENT Citation Only Lauren Davis. Omry Barzilai. Ofer Marder.

Area E of Manot Cave, Western Galilee, is found at the top of the western talus, close to the apparent natural opening of the cave, which was blocked approximately 30 kya. The area appears to be the natural end of the living surfaces, with the main living area possibly being closer to the natural entrance. Area E is composed of two sedementological Units; Unit 1, which is composed of topsoil and Unit 2, which contains the archaeological layers. Unit 2 in area E is divided into nine...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Omry Barzilai. Israel Hershkovitz. Ofer Marder.

Manot Cave is a unique relict karst cave located in the western Galilee, Israel. The cave was inhabited from the Late Middle Paleolithic through the Early Upper Paleolithic periods until its main entrance collapsed some 30 thousand years ago. The cave consists of an elongated main hall and two side chambers. The topography of the main hall is composed of a long steep talus (ca. 30 m long) inclining from the original entrance of the cave to the center; a leveled area at the lowermost point of the...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Daniella Bar-Yosef Mayer.

The Early Upper Palaeolithic (EUP) cave site of Manot, western Galilee, Israel yielded remains of the Ahmarian and Levantine Aurignacian technocomplexes. The malacofauna assemblages from the two technocomplexes were analyzed (NISP=1180). Dozens of ornamental shells, mostly deriving from the Aurignacian assemblages, include perforated Nassarius gibbosulus, Columbella rustica and Antalis spp. as well as two cowrie beads found in association with human bones. The comparison of the Manot assemblage...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Elisabetta Boaretto. Bridget Alex. Valentina Caracuta. Eugenia Mintz. Lior Regev.

The timing of Early Upper Paleolithic (EUP) traditions in the Levant bears significance for understanding modern human dispersals. Despite intensive research, the Levantine EUP chronology has not been resolved because most chronometric dates come from old excavations and outdated analytical methods. Here we report dates from Manot Cave, Israel, which constitute the largest series of EUP radiocarbon dates (n=55) from current excavations and state-of-the-art analytical methods. A new strategy in...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Meir Orbach.

Manot Cave is situated in the western Galilee hills of Israel. Excavations have been conducted since 2010 in 12 different areas, yielding a rich archaeological record attributed mainly to the Early Upper Paleolithic period (46-33ka). Area D is located in the main hall of the cave on top of the western talus less than 15 meters from the assumed cave entrance. The upper sedimentological layer is about 80 cm thick and contains flint items, bones, coprolites and stones. The Area D ungulate-dominated...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Valentina Caracuta. Bridget Alex. Lior Regev. Eugenia Mintz. Elisabetta Boaretto.

Since 2012, a series of investigations in Manot Cave recovered charcoal samples from archaeological layers in order to study the landscape around the site between the Upper and the Middle Palaeolithic (UP/MP). Samples of soils and loose charcoal were collected in different areas of the cave, while particular attention was paid to the sampling of the hearths found in Area E and I. Anatomical features of the charcoals were analyzed using a metallographic microscope in order to indentify tree...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Talia Abulafia. Ofer Marder. Omry Barzailai.

The lithic assemblages from Area C derive from a thick section composed reworked terra rossa soil of dark brown to reddish brown, loose clay to silty clay loam with abundant biogenic and anthropogenic materials subdivided into eight units. The depositional sequence of the units is in a chronological order as shown by radiocarbon and U-Th dates (Hershkovitz et al., 2015). A typotechnological analysis of the all units suggest a shift in industries though the sequence. Unit 2-3 are small...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Israel Hershkovitz. Bruce Latimer. Hila May. Rachel Sarig. Ofer Marder.

Manot is a nearly-sealed, active karstic cave located in the hilly landscape of the western Galilee, Israel. It contains abundant archaeological accumulations attributed to the early phase of the Upper Palaeolithic (UP) period as well as evidence for the Middle Palaeolithic (MP). During the initial survey of the cave (2008), a nearly complete calvaria (Manot 1) was found. The specimen was dated to ~55 ky by the U-Th method. In an earlier study, Hershkovitz et al 2015 described the...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Hila May. Bruce Latimer. Omry Barzilai. Ofer Marder. Israel Hershkovitz.

The Manot 1 calvaria demonstrates a mosaic of "archaic" and modern traits. Although the taxonomic significance of this combination of features is not clear, a similar combination of archaic and modern features exists in the fossil record across sub-Saharan African and the Middle East until after 35 kya. The aim of the current study is to examine the possibility that the Aduma skull, Ethiopia (60-90 kya) is the mother population that gave rise to the Manot Cave hominins. This was carried out by...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Mae Goder Goldberger. Talia Abulafia. Omry Barzilai. Israel Hershkovitz. Ofer Marder.

Manot Cave in situated within the Levantine Mediterranean region. The site has an extensive Upper Paleolithic sequence, including both Aurignacian and Ahmarian traditions. Several of the artifacts found within these assemblages belong to the Levallois technology. A small number of the artifacts, found in association with Upper Paleolithic occupational surfaces, have a double patina, possibly due to reuse. The majority are fresh suggesting the presence of a Middle Paleolithic occupation at the...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Francesco Berna. Elisabetta Boaretto. Stephen Weiner.

Manot Cave, represents today one of the richest Upper Palaeolithic assemblages in the Levant. The site has produced a 55,000 year old anatomically modern human skull, as well as Middle Paleolithic to Post-Aurignacian lithic and bone artifacts. The rich assemblage is found in an "unusual" situation, with an in situ occupation area at the top of a talus and close to a currently blocked entrance. The occupation area defined by in situ combustion features is replete with artifacts, and so is the...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Ron Lavi. Lauren Davis.

Area E is located close to the upper end of the main talus, at the NW side of the cave. It is built of sediments which originated outside the cave, mainly the local Terra-Rossa soil that was washed into the cave with rainwater, mixed with limestone rocks, some of them originating in the cave itself from decaying and falling roof and wall parts. Two main sedimentary units were observed so far: Unit 1 – Colluvium made of soil with limestone rocks in varying sizes. This colluvium contains very...

DOCUMENT Citation Only José-Miguel Tejero. Reuven Yeshurun. Omry Barzilai. Israel Hershkovitz. Ofer Marder.

The Early Upper Palaeolithic in the Levant plays an important role in understanding the emergence, dispersal, and adaptations of the first anatomically modern human populations in Eurasia. The exploitation of osseous raw materials for technical and conceptual behaviours is recognized as one of the several innovations that have occurred both in the Levant and in Europe during this time. Previous works demonstrated that the complex and innovative working of osseous materials in Europe is...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Rachel Sarig. Ofer Marder. Omry Barzilai. Bruce Latimer. Israel Hershkovitz.

The study on the partial calvarium discovered at Manot Cave, Western Galilee, Israel (dated to 54.7 ± 5.5 kyr BP, Hershkovitz et al. 2015), revealed close morphological affinity with recent African skulls as well as with early Upper Paleolithic European skulls, but less so with earlier anatomically modern humans from the Levant (e.g., Skhul). The ongoing fieldwork at the Manot Cave has resulted in the discovery of several new hominin teeth. These include a lower incisor (I1), a right lower...