Rivka Chasan

• Doctor of Philosophy
• post-doc at University of Turin

Research on ancient adhesives from the South African Stone Age is expanding, driven by excellent preservation conditions of adhesives and the potential to address diverse archaeological questions. These adhesives are primarily characterized through microscopic and chemical analysis. Despite geographic variability, a consistently identified componen...

One of the most interesting aspects of the Late Chalcolithic period in the southern Levant (c. 4500–3900 cal BC), a period marking notable societal transformations and developments in economy, craft and cult, was the appearance of ivory objects. Ivory, originating from the tusks of elephants and hippopotamuses, suddenly appeared in this period in l...

Evidence of different compound resin-based adhesives is present in South Africa from at least 77000 years ago. Ancient glue production is considered one of the oldest known highly complex technologies, requiring advanced technological and mental abilities. However, our current knowledge of adhesive materials, recipes, and uses in South Africa is li...

Birch bark tar was used extensively throughout human history. While later ceramic-based production technologies are known, prehistoric aceramic techniques leave little to no archaeological evidence. Experimental tar production attempts to fill this gap and suggest potential techniques. However, their archaeological relevance is unclear. Through an...

A recently excavated early Pottery Neolithic (PN) site, Tel Izhaki (Jezreel Valley, Israel) revealed clear evidence for the collecting and recycling of Pre-Pottery Neolithic B blades. This technological behavior, common during the period, occurred along with some on-site production of bidirectional blades, the latter a technological feature charact...

Tel Tsaf is a Middle Chalcolithic (ca. 5200-4700 cal BC) site located in the central Jordan Valley, Israel. The site reflects increasing long-distance trade, organized cereal crop cultivation and possibly olive horticulture. Organic residue analysis of lipids recovered from 100 pottery vessels and three stone vessels and comparison to the botanical...

Foodways in the late prehistoric southern Levant evolved alongside changes in the social and economic organization of the communities occupying the region. In this paper, we present a comprehensive study of culinary practices from the Pottery Neolithic to the Late Chalcolithic period (ca. 6,400–3,800 cal. BC). The research examines changes and cont...

Beehive products have a rich global history. In the wider Levantine region, bees had a significant role in Egypt and Mesopotamia, and intensive beekeeping was noted in Israel during the Biblical period when apiaries were first identified. This study investigates the origins of this extensive beekeeping through organic residue analysis of pottery fr...

One of the most characteristic aspects of the Late Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age periods in the southern Levant is the appearance of large assemblages of basalt vessels. These vessels, frequently meticulously made, appear sometimes a considerable distance from the raw material sources and are found mainly at habitation sites. While these and th...

How hunter-gatherers manipulated and utilised their natural surroundings is a widely studied topic among anthropologists and archaeologists alike. This focuses on the Natufian culture of the Late Epipalaeolithic period ( c. 15–11.7 kyr), the last Levantine hunter-gatherer population, and specifically on the earliest composite tools designed for har...

en Evidence of fishing is rare at most Late Chalcolithic sites in the southern Levant, reflecting the region's economy and preferences. The minimal incorporation of fish into the diet is striking especially as some sites are near the Mediterranean Sea, the Jordan River, the Sea of Galilee, the Hula swamps, and perennial streams. This article discus...

TheNatufiancultureisthefirstculturalentityinthesouthernLevant to have large graveyardsand a wide array of symbolicexpressions. Hundreds of Natufian burials have been discovered and studied; at some Natufian sites the presence of stone slabs within the graves has been recorded. One interesting yet rare phenomenon documented is the slabs bearing clea...

TheNatufiancultureisthefirstculturalentityinthesouthernLevant to have large graveyardsand a wide array of symbolicexpressions. Hundredsof Natufian burials have been discovered and studied; at some Natufian sites the presence of stone slabs within the graves has been recorded. One interesting yet rare phenomenon documented is the slabs bearing clear...

The Late Chalcolithic site 66B is located in the northern Negev on the eastern bank of Nahal Besor about 30 km west of some of the renown Late Chalcolithic sites of the Beer Sheva basin. While the site is known for nearly 90 years, discovered by E. Macdonald, revisited by F. Burian and E. Friedman and finally incorporated into the Urim Map by D. Ga...

The Late Chalcolithic period of the Southern Levant is marked by increased regional behaviour. Despite this, there is an increased production and distribution of finely made basalt vessels. These were frequently adorned with a single row of incised triangles along the rim. This motif is widely distributed throughout the Southern Levant and was form...

The Late Chalcolithic period in the southern Levant shows a marked increase in symbolic expression. While most Late Chalcolithic basalt bowls are undecorated, notable amounts of these were adorned, and their decorations typically conform to a few canonized conventions. A small amount of the decorated Late Chalcolithic basalt bowls are further incis...

The production of prestige objects is one of the hallmarks of the Early Bronze Age period in the southern Levant. The manufacture of notable numbers of highly invested basalt vessels during this time span forms an important aspect of the prestige good industries. The present paper deals with one of the facets of this prestige industry, the appearan...

The Late Chalcolithic of the southern Levant is in part characterized by increased formalized ritual behavior, specifically in the form of burial caves. These caves feature a high variety of utilitarian and prestige grave goods. One of the notable finds in some of the burial caves are basalt vessels, which are considered a hallmark of the Chalcolit...

Material remains of the Wadi Rabah culture, first defined by Jacob Kaplan's pioneering studies in the early fifties of the last century, were found at scores of sites in Israel, Jordan and Lebanon. Studies of this culture in more recent decades have shown the richness and diversity of its material culture complexes and shed light on possible cultur...

One of the hallmarks of the Late Chalcolithic of the southern Levant is the production and exchange of basalt bowls. It is commonly accepted that these vessels were produced by specialists in distinct and still unidentified basalt quarries and production sites in Israel, Jordan, Lebanon and/or Syria and were exchanged among local communities in the...