Radiocarbon chronology of Iron Age Jerusalem reveals calibration offsets and architectural developments.

Reconstructing the absolute chronology of Jerusalem during the time it served as the Judahite Kingdom's capital is challenging due to its dense, still inhabited urban nature and the plateau shape of the radiocarbon calibration curve during part of this period. We present 103 radiocarbon dates from reliable archaeological contexts in five excavation areas of Iron Age Jerusalem, which tie between archaeology and biblical history. We exploit Jerusalem's rich past, including textual evidence and vast archaeological remains, to overcome difficult problems in radiocarbon dating, including establishing a detailed chronology within the long-calibrated ranges of the Hallstatt Plateau and recognizing short-lived regional offsets in atmospheric 14C concentrations. The key to resolving these problems is to apply stringent field methodologies using microarchaeological methods, leading to densely radiocarbon-dated stratigraphic sequences. Using these sequences, we identify regional offsets in atmospheric 14C concentrations c. 720 BC, and in the historically secure stratigraphic horizon of the Babylonian destruction in 586 BC. The latter is verified by 100 single-ring measurements between 624 to 572 BC. This application of intense 14C dating sheds light on the reconstruction of Jerusalem in the Iron Age. It provides evidence for settlement in the 12th to 10th centuries BC and that westward expansion had already begun by the 9th century BC, with extensive architectural projects undertaken throughout the city in this period. This was followed by significant damage and rejuvenation of the city subsequent to the mid-eight century BC earthquake, after which the city was heavily fortified and continued to flourish until the Babylonian destruction.

The Marine Isotope Stage 3 landscape around Manot Cave (Israel) and the food habits of anatomically modern humans: New insights from the anthracological record and stable carbon isotope analysis of wild almond (Amygdalus sp.).

The excavation of Manot Cave (Israel) reveals intensive occupation during the Early Upper Paleolithic and provides the first continuous set of anthracological data available for the Ahmarian, Levantine Aurignacian and post-Levantine Aurignacian periods. The paper aims to study the vegetal landscape around Manot Cave in the context of climate changes that characterized the last part of the Marine Isotope Stage 3 (MIS 3) and to address the issue of firewood and food procurement among Paleolithic hunter-gatherers. Charcoal samples recovered from the archaeological layers at Manot Cave shed light on the fuel and food procurement strategies while radiocarbon dating and stable carbon isotope analysis (Δ13C) of selected charcoals provide information about the ancient climate. The results show that five woody taxa were exploited at the site; Amygdalus sp. was the most common species, whereas Quercus ithaburensis, Tamarix sp., Pomoideae indet., and Pistacia atlantica were relatively rare. The representations of the recovered wooden species suggest that an open forest of almonds and oaks existed in the area during MIS 3. Radiocarbon dating of Amygdalus sp. charcoals, coupled with stable carbon isotope analysis (Δ13C) of modern and archaeological Amygdalus sp. clearly indicate variations in rainfall that could have decreased the density of tree cover. These analyses provide high-resolution data on the climate changes affecting the surroundings of Manot Cave between ∼46 and 28 ka cal BP and indicate two drier phases corresponding to the Ahmarian and post-Levantine Aurignacian cultures while a more humid period identified during the Levantine Aurignacian.

Sub-annual bomb radiocarbon records from trees in northern Israel.

Spatial and temporal variations in the atmospheric bomb radiocarbon make it a very useful tracer and a dating tool. With the introduction of more atmospheric bomb radiocarbon records, the spatial and temporal changes in bomb radiocarbon are becoming clearer. Bomb radiocarbon record from a pine tree in the northern Israel region shows that the Δ14C level in the region is closer to the northern hemisphere zone (NH) 1 as compared to the northern hemisphere zone (NH) 2. A comparison of this pine's Δ14C record with a nearby olive tree's Δ14C values also highlights changes in the growing season of the olive wood from one year to the other. The observation suggests that olive wood 14C ages can show offset compared to the IntCal curve, and thus they should be interpreted cautiously.

DNA analysis of a 30,000-year-old Urocitellus glacialis from northeastern Siberia reveals phylogenetic relationships between ancient and present-day arctic ground squirrels.

In contrast to the abundant fossil record of arctic ground squirrels, Urocitellus parryii, from eastern Beringia, only a limited number of fossils is known from its western part. In 1946, unnamed GULAG prisoners discovered a nest with three mummified carcasses of arctic ground squirrels in the permafrost sediments of the El'ga river, Yakutia, Russia, that were later attributed to a new species, Citellus (Urocitellus) glacialis Vinogr. To verify this assignment and to explore phylogenetic relationships between ancient and present-day arctic ground squirrels, we performed 14C dating and ancient DNA analyses of one of the El'ga mummies and four contemporaneous fossils from Duvanny Yar, northeastern Yakutia. Phylogenetic reconstructions, based on complete cytochrome b gene sequences of five Late Pleistocene arctic ground squirrels and those of modern U. parryii from 21 locations across western Beringia, provided no support for earlier proposals that ancient arctic ground squirrels from Siberia constitute a distinct species. In fact, we observed genetic continuity of the glacialis mitochondrial DNA lineage in modern U. parryii of the Kamchatka peninsula. When viewed in a broader geographic perspective, our findings provide new insights into the genetic history of U. parryii in Late Pleistocene Beringia.

Radiocarbon chronology of Manot Cave, Israel and Upper Paleolithic dispersals.

The timing of archeological industries in the Levant is central for understanding the spread of modern humans with Upper Paleolithic traditions. We report a high-resolution radiocarbon chronology for Early Upper Paleolithic industries (Early Ahmarian and Levantine Aurignacian) from the newly excavated site of Manot Cave, Israel. The dates confirm that the Early Ahmarian industry was present by 46,000 calibrated years before the present (cal BP), and the Levantine Aurignacian occurred at least between 38,000 and 34,000 cal BP. This timing is consistent with proposed migrations or technological diffusions between the Near East and Europe. Specifically, the Ahmarian could have led to the development of the Protoaurignacian in Europe, and the Aurignacian in Europe could have spread back to the Near East as the Levantine Aurignacian.