New excavations at the Tabun Cave, Mount Carmel, Israel, 1967-1972: a preliminary report

• Autores: Arthur Jelinek, William R. Farrand, Georg Haas, A. Horowitz, Paul Goldberg
• Localización: Paléorient, ISSN 0153-9345, Vol. 1, Nº. 2, 1973, págs. 151-183
• Idioma: francés
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• Resumen

  • New excavations were undertaken in the Tabun Cave on Mount Carmel between 1967 and 1972 in an attempt to refine the geological and cultural history of the site. Current results indicate that the structure of the deposits is much more complex than had been believed, with over 60 discernable stratigraphie units and an important hiatus between the deposition of Layers Ñ and D as designated by Professor Garrod. Pollen and sedimentary studies suggest that the lowest deposits in the site date to an interglacial interval equivalent to the Riss/Wurm of Western Europe, and that the deposits of uppermost Layer E and Layer D correspond to a cooler interval when the sea was at a greater distance from the cave. This is confirmed by the limited sample of faunal material from Layer D. Layer Ñ and the overlying deposits appear to have accumulated relatively rapidly, coincident with the opening of the chimney in the inner chamber and during a somewhat warmer interval. The faunal changes observed by Miss Bate at this level seem to be best explained by a partial mixing of material from Layers Ñ and D in the original excavation, and from the use of the cave as a natural trap rather than a place of habitation following the deposition of Layer Ñ.

    The industrial sequence thus far analyzed is generally comparable to Garrod's succession with several specific exceptions. The deepest layers sampled precede the hiatus marked by the opening of the "swallow-hole" in the outer chamber and contain an industry that shows features of both Layers F and G. The lower portions of Layer E, which are possibly separated from the upper portions by a disconformity, contain very abundant artifacts, some in a dense concentration which may be natural in origin. Amudian artifacts seem most concentrated near the junction of Layers Ea and Eb, as reported by Garrod. The industry of Layer D, which seems to follow E without a significant time gap, is distinctive in its high concentrations of Levallois blades and points. Layer C, which was deposited following an extensive collapse of sediments in the inner chamber, is essentially as described by Garrod. However, in earlier levels it shows heavier artifact concentrations, including manufacturing debris, and a thin scatter of artifacts in later levels as roof-fall from the chimney becomes more abundant.