Chronology of Ahmarian and Levantine Aurignacian occupations of Manot Cave, Israel

Summary

Recent excavations of Manot Cave, in the Western Galilee, Israel, have revealed abundant Upper Paleolithic finds, including modern human fossils, in situ hearths, shell beads, bone and stone tools, and faunal remains. The two major Early Upper Paleolithic traditions of the Levant—the Ahmarian and the Levantine Aurignacian—are well represented at Manot Cave. The Ahmarian is thought to have developed from local Initial Upper Paleolithic traditions, while the Levantine Aurignacian may represent a back migration of peoples and/or ideas from Europe. At Manot, a Levantine Aurignacian assemblage overlies an Ahmarian assemblage. Here we present the challenges, methodology, and results of radiocarbon dating at Manot Cave. The dating of over 40 identified charcoals suggests that the Levantine Aurignacian tradition was present between 39- 35 kcalBP and Ahmarian occupations occurred between 46- 42 kcalBP.

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This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 80th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (2015)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage