An archaeological site in Israel's Negev Desert bears evidence of early transition to the Upper Paleolithic period in Eurasia, according to a study. The shift from the Middle to the Upper Paleolithic is marked by a change in lithic, or stone, tool production--a potential proxy for demographic changes from Neanderthals to Homo sapiens. Elisabetta Boaretto, Omry Barzilai, and colleagues determined the chronology of this shift in Eurasia through high-resolution dating of the Boker Tachtit archaeological site located in the Ein Avdat National Park in Israel. The site is known for its intact stratigraphic layers, highly preserved lithic tools, and charcoal remains. The authors used two dating methods--radiocarbon for charcoal dating and luminescence for dating quartz and feldspar grains--and found that the oldest layer, which contains evidence of the Emirian lithic industry, dates to 50,000 years ago. The authors note that this Upper Paleolithic industry chronologically overlaps with Middle Paleolithic industries at nearby sites. The next dated layer at the site was deposited around 47,000-44,000 years ago. According to the authors, Initial Upper Paleolithic and Late Middle Paleolithic populations likely coexisted, and, possibly, interacted in the Negev 50,000 years ago.
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Article # 20-14657: "The absolute chronology of Boker Tachtit (Israel) and implications for the Middle to Upper Paleolithic transition in the Levant," by Elisabetta Boaretto, et al.
MEDIA CONTACTS: Elisabetta Boaretto, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, ISRAEL; tel: +972 (0)54 4380925; email: < Elisabetta.Boaretto@weizmann.ac.il >; Omry Barzilai, Israel Antiquities Authority, Jerusalem, ISRAEL; email: < omry@israntique.org.il >
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences