Guy Bar-Oz - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Guy Bar-Oz
Keywords: Levant Early Upper Palaeolithic Aurignacian Manot Cave bone and antler technology Simpl... more Keywords: Levant Early Upper Palaeolithic Aurignacian Manot Cave bone and antler technology Simple-/massive-based projectile points a b s t r a c t The Early Upper Palaeolithic in the Levant plays an important role in understanding the emergence, dispersal, and adaptations of the first Anatomically Modern Human (AMH) populations in the Levant and Europe. The technical exploitation of osseous raw materials, represented by the new concepts applied to the antler working, is recognized as one of several innovations that occur both in the Levant and in Europe during this time. Here we present preliminary results of a technological analysis conducted on the Aurignacian bone and antler industry from the Early Upper Palaeolithic layers of Manot Cave, Israel. The industry displays several similarities with its European counterpart such as the choice of bone for making " domestic " tools (recurrent morpho-types like awls) while antler was used predominantly for hunting equipment (projectile points). The complex technical exploitation of antler, almost exclusively devoted to making hunting weapons, constitutes a major feature both in the European Early Aurignacian and in the Levantine Aurignacian. Nevertheless, while simple-based antler points are common in the Levantine Aurignacian, split-based antler points, characteristic of the European Early Aurignacian are only anec-dotally documented in the Levant. Unique to the Levantine industry is the common exploitation of fallow deer antler. While some of these particularities seem to be related to the different ecological niches exploited, others, such as the different type of hunting weapons, need to be assessed in light of different cultural contexts.
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Near Eastern Archaeology, 2014
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Near Eastern Archaeology, 2011
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Journal of Archaeological Science, 2016
In ancient DNA (aDNA) research, evolutionary and archaeological questions are often investigated ... more In ancient DNA (aDNA) research, evolutionary and archaeological questions are often investigated using the genomic sequences of organelles: mitochondrial and chloroplast DNA. Organellar genomes are found in multiple copies per living cell, increasing their chance of recovery from archaeological samples, and are inherited from one parent without genetic recombination, simplifying analyses. While mitochondrial genomes have played a key role in many mammalian aDNA projects, including research focused on prehistoric humans and extinct hominins, it is unclear how useful plant chloroplast genomes (plastomes) may be at elucidating questions related to plant evolution, crop domestication, and the prehistoric movement of botanical products through trade and migration. Such analyses are particularly challenging for plant species whose genomes have highly repetitive sequences and that undergo frequent genomic reorganization, notably species with high retrotransposon activity. To address this question, we explored the research potential of the grape (Vitis vinifera L.) plastome using targeted-enrichment methods and high-throughput DNA sequencing on a collection of archaeological grape pip and vine specimens from sites across Eurasia dating ca. 4000 BCEe1500 CE. We demonstrate that due to unprecedented numbers of sequence insertions into the nuclear and mitochondrial genomes, the grape plastome provides limited intraspecific phylogenetic resolution. Nonetheless, we were able to assign archaeological specimens in
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Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research, 2014
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Antiquity, 2011
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DESCRIPTION
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www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1504236112
Chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus) is today one of the most widespread domesticated species and i... more Chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus) is today one of the most widespread domesticated species and is a main source of protein in the human diet. However, for thousands of years exploitation of chickens was confined to symbolic and social domains such as cockfighting. The question of when and where chickens were first used for economic purposes remains unresolved. The results of our faunal analysis demonstrate that the Hellenistic (fourth–second centuries B.C.E.) site of Maresha, Israel, is the earliest site known today where economic exploitation of chickens was widely practiced. We base our claim on the exceptionally high frequency of chicken bones at that site, the majority of which belong to adult individuals, and on the observed 2:1 ratio of female to male bones. These results are supported further by an extensive survey of
faunal remains from 234 sites in the Southern Levant, spanning
more than three millennia, which shows a sharp increase in the
frequency of chicken during the Hellenistic period. We further argue that the earliest secure evidence for economic exploitation of chickens in Europe dates to the first century B.C.E. and therefore is predated by the finds in the Southern Levant by at least a century. We suggest that the gradual acclimatization of chickens in the Southern Levant and its gradual integration into the local economy, the latter fully accomplished in the Hellenistic period, was a crucial step in the adoption of this species in European husbandry some 100 y later.
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We report here the results of our renewed, and continuing, excavations of the Natufian horizon on... more We report here the results of our renewed, and continuing, excavations of the Natufian horizon on el-Wad Terrace. The original excavation conducted by Garrod was restricted to the cave and terrace in front of the cave's entrance and our project was initiated further to the NE in order to develop a more comprehensive view of the Natufian settlement and we have been able to document that Natufian remains extended along most of the slope in front of the cave. The interdisciplinary research presented deals with the Late Natufian remains
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We report here the results of our renewed, and continuing, excavations of the Natufian horizon on... more We report here the results of our renewed, and continuing, excavations of the Natufian horizon on el-Wad Terrace. The original excavation conducted by Garrod was restricted to the cave and terrace in front of the cave's entrance and our project was initiated further to the NE in order to develop a more comprehensive view of the Natufian settlement and we have been able to document that Natufian remains extended along most of the slope in front of the cave. The interdisciplinary research presented deals with the Late Natufian remains
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Antiquity
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PloS one, 2015
The invention and development of next or second generation sequencing methods has resulted in a d... more The invention and development of next or second generation sequencing methods has resulted in a dramatic transformation of ancient DNA research and allowed shotgun sequencing of entire genomes from fossil specimens. However, although there are exceptions, most fossil specimens contain only low (~ 1% or less) percentages of endogenous DNA. The only skeletal element for which a systematically higher endogenous DNA content compared to other skeletal elements has been shown is the petrous part of the temporal bone. In this study we investigate whether (a) different parts of the petrous bone of archaeological human specimens give different percentages of endogenous DNA yields, (b) there are significant differences in average DNA read lengths, damage patterns and total DNA concentration, and (c) it is possible to obtain endogenous ancient DNA from petrous bones from hot environments. We carried out intra-petrous comparisons for ten petrous bones from specimens from Holocene archaeological...
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Before Farming, 2009
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Journal of Archaeological Science, 2015
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International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, 2013
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Before Farming, 2009
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Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research, 2014
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Keywords: Levant Early Upper Palaeolithic Aurignacian Manot Cave bone and antler technology Simpl... more Keywords: Levant Early Upper Palaeolithic Aurignacian Manot Cave bone and antler technology Simple-/massive-based projectile points a b s t r a c t The Early Upper Palaeolithic in the Levant plays an important role in understanding the emergence, dispersal, and adaptations of the first Anatomically Modern Human (AMH) populations in the Levant and Europe. The technical exploitation of osseous raw materials, represented by the new concepts applied to the antler working, is recognized as one of several innovations that occur both in the Levant and in Europe during this time. Here we present preliminary results of a technological analysis conducted on the Aurignacian bone and antler industry from the Early Upper Palaeolithic layers of Manot Cave, Israel. The industry displays several similarities with its European counterpart such as the choice of bone for making " domestic " tools (recurrent morpho-types like awls) while antler was used predominantly for hunting equipment (projectile points). The complex technical exploitation of antler, almost exclusively devoted to making hunting weapons, constitutes a major feature both in the European Early Aurignacian and in the Levantine Aurignacian. Nevertheless, while simple-based antler points are common in the Levantine Aurignacian, split-based antler points, characteristic of the European Early Aurignacian are only anec-dotally documented in the Levant. Unique to the Levantine industry is the common exploitation of fallow deer antler. While some of these particularities seem to be related to the different ecological niches exploited, others, such as the different type of hunting weapons, need to be assessed in light of different cultural contexts.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Near Eastern Archaeology, 2014
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Near Eastern Archaeology, 2011
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Journal of Archaeological Science, 2016
In ancient DNA (aDNA) research, evolutionary and archaeological questions are often investigated ... more In ancient DNA (aDNA) research, evolutionary and archaeological questions are often investigated using the genomic sequences of organelles: mitochondrial and chloroplast DNA. Organellar genomes are found in multiple copies per living cell, increasing their chance of recovery from archaeological samples, and are inherited from one parent without genetic recombination, simplifying analyses. While mitochondrial genomes have played a key role in many mammalian aDNA projects, including research focused on prehistoric humans and extinct hominins, it is unclear how useful plant chloroplast genomes (plastomes) may be at elucidating questions related to plant evolution, crop domestication, and the prehistoric movement of botanical products through trade and migration. Such analyses are particularly challenging for plant species whose genomes have highly repetitive sequences and that undergo frequent genomic reorganization, notably species with high retrotransposon activity. To address this question, we explored the research potential of the grape (Vitis vinifera L.) plastome using targeted-enrichment methods and high-throughput DNA sequencing on a collection of archaeological grape pip and vine specimens from sites across Eurasia dating ca. 4000 BCEe1500 CE. We demonstrate that due to unprecedented numbers of sequence insertions into the nuclear and mitochondrial genomes, the grape plastome provides limited intraspecific phylogenetic resolution. Nonetheless, we were able to assign archaeological specimens in
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research, 2014
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Antiquity, 2011
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DESCRIPTION
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
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www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1504236112
Chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus) is today one of the most widespread domesticated species and i... more Chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus) is today one of the most widespread domesticated species and is a main source of protein in the human diet. However, for thousands of years exploitation of chickens was confined to symbolic and social domains such as cockfighting. The question of when and where chickens were first used for economic purposes remains unresolved. The results of our faunal analysis demonstrate that the Hellenistic (fourth–second centuries B.C.E.) site of Maresha, Israel, is the earliest site known today where economic exploitation of chickens was widely practiced. We base our claim on the exceptionally high frequency of chicken bones at that site, the majority of which belong to adult individuals, and on the observed 2:1 ratio of female to male bones. These results are supported further by an extensive survey of
faunal remains from 234 sites in the Southern Levant, spanning
more than three millennia, which shows a sharp increase in the
frequency of chicken during the Hellenistic period. We further argue that the earliest secure evidence for economic exploitation of chickens in Europe dates to the first century B.C.E. and therefore is predated by the finds in the Southern Levant by at least a century. We suggest that the gradual acclimatization of chickens in the Southern Levant and its gradual integration into the local economy, the latter fully accomplished in the Hellenistic period, was a crucial step in the adoption of this species in European husbandry some 100 y later.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
We report here the results of our renewed, and continuing, excavations of the Natufian horizon on... more We report here the results of our renewed, and continuing, excavations of the Natufian horizon on el-Wad Terrace. The original excavation conducted by Garrod was restricted to the cave and terrace in front of the cave's entrance and our project was initiated further to the NE in order to develop a more comprehensive view of the Natufian settlement and we have been able to document that Natufian remains extended along most of the slope in front of the cave. The interdisciplinary research presented deals with the Late Natufian remains
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
We report here the results of our renewed, and continuing, excavations of the Natufian horizon on... more We report here the results of our renewed, and continuing, excavations of the Natufian horizon on el-Wad Terrace. The original excavation conducted by Garrod was restricted to the cave and terrace in front of the cave's entrance and our project was initiated further to the NE in order to develop a more comprehensive view of the Natufian settlement and we have been able to document that Natufian remains extended along most of the slope in front of the cave. The interdisciplinary research presented deals with the Late Natufian remains
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Antiquity
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PloS one, 2015
The invention and development of next or second generation sequencing methods has resulted in a d... more The invention and development of next or second generation sequencing methods has resulted in a dramatic transformation of ancient DNA research and allowed shotgun sequencing of entire genomes from fossil specimens. However, although there are exceptions, most fossil specimens contain only low (~ 1% or less) percentages of endogenous DNA. The only skeletal element for which a systematically higher endogenous DNA content compared to other skeletal elements has been shown is the petrous part of the temporal bone. In this study we investigate whether (a) different parts of the petrous bone of archaeological human specimens give different percentages of endogenous DNA yields, (b) there are significant differences in average DNA read lengths, damage patterns and total DNA concentration, and (c) it is possible to obtain endogenous ancient DNA from petrous bones from hot environments. We carried out intra-petrous comparisons for ten petrous bones from specimens from Holocene archaeological...
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Before Farming, 2009
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Journal of Archaeological Science, 2015
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International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, 2013
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Before Farming, 2009
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Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research, 2014
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