Suembikya Frumin

• PhD
• Laboratory Manager at Bar Ilan University

Sedentary occupation of the southern Levantine coast spans from the Pre-Pottery Neolithic C to the Early Bronze Age Ib phase ( c. 7000–3100 BC). Sites dating to the Early Pottery Neolithic ( c. 6400–5500 BC) are scarce, however, potentially reflecting the effects of the 8.2ka climatic event. Here, the authors present the investigations at the subme...

The Philistine culture (Iron Age, ca. 1200-604 BCE) profoundly impacted the southern Levant's cultural history, agronomy, and dietary customs. Nevertheless, our knowledge of the Philistines’ cultic praxis and deities, is limited and uncertain. Here, we combine archaeological data with a meticulous study of plant use at two successive temples at Tel...

Societal Impact Statement Agrobiodiversity is central to sustainable farming worldwide. Cultivation, conservation and reintroduction of diverse plant species, including ‘forgotten’ and ‘underutilized’ crops, contribute to global agrobiodiversity, living ecosystems and sustainable food production. Such efforts benefit from traditional and historical...

The wild grapevine, Vitis vinifera subsp. sylvestris, grows naturally throughout the northern hemisphere, including the Mediterranean region. Wild grapevines have also been observed sporadically across the southern Levant and are considered a non-native feral plant. Nevertheless, no formal characterization has been conducted for wild grapevines in...

The wild grapevine, Vitis vinifera subsp. sylvestris grows naturally throughout the northern hemisphere, including the Mediterranean region. Wild grapevines were also observed sporadically across the southern Levant and have been considered a non-native feral plant. Nevertheless, no formal characterization was conducted for wild grapevines in this...

This study employs new macrobotanical evidence to discuss agricultural developments at the site of Tell es-Safi/Gath through Early Bronze Age II-III to Iron Age IIB periods. This was the time period of the Canaanite, Philistine and Judahite cultures’ development, flourishing and falls, a time of droughts and war, appearance of fortified cities and...

The wild grapevine, Vitis vinifera subsp. sylvestris grows naturally throughout the northern hemisphere, including the Mediterranean region. Wild grapevines were also observed sporadically across the southern Levant and has so far been considered as non-native feral plant. Nevertheless, no formal characterization was conducted for wild grapevines i...

The present study explores patterns in choices and use of staple cereals and fruits through the Late Bronze Age and Iron Ages to address the level of Philistine “commonality” with other populations in the region. Analysis of the relevant archaeobotanical data from 34 settlements shows that the Philistines exhibit cultural continuity in patterns of...

During the excavation works at ‘En Esur, conducted by Yitzhak Paz, Itai Elad and Dina Shalem from the Israel Antiquities Authority in 2017-2019, numerous charred seeds and fruits were recovered. Excavated soil samples from floors, industrial installations and presumable silos of this multi-period settlement, were routinely floated and sieved during...

The ongoing discussion on the nature of the organization of Early Bronze Age settlements and their social structure in an intensely settled part of the southern Levant (independent 'city-states' vs 'neither cities nor states') calls for data on which to base our understanding of shared economic patterns and regional connections. Here, we report the...

The aim of the current paper is to enlarge the data on the LB (ca. 1310–1250 BCE) plant assemblage of Tell eṣ-Ṣâfī/Gath and analyze plant ecology, in order to attempt a reconstruction of the diet, and agricultural intensity and practices. Analysis includes plant assemblages of 22 loci from the Area E originated from various surfaces/floors, garbage...

The Late Bronze Age was a period of massive inter-regional trade relationships in the eastern Mediterranean, when various staple crops and luxury food items were intensively transported. Here we present an attempt to reconstruct the food basket and agricultural economy in the region of the Shephelah during the Late Bronze Age, when the Southern Lev...

More than a century of study of the Philistines has revealed abundant remains of their material culture. Concurrently, our understanding of the origins, developmental processes, and socio-political matrix of this fascinating culture has undergone major changes. Among other facets, Philistine technology has been discussed, but in our opinion, a broa...

Dr. Alexander Eig is a figure of major importance in the history of botany in Israel. This paper attempts to evaluate, for the first time, personal contacts that influenced his academic development. Archival research reveals that his meeting with one of the greatest plant researchers of the 20 th century, N.I. Vavilov, in 1926 had a great impact up...

The following paper presents a database summarizing all available data on plant species observed at Tel Tzafit (Tell eṣ-Ṣâfī/Gath) and its immediate environment (Fig. 1).1 This work is part of our longlasting collaboration with Prof. Aren M. Maeir, who has encompassed a wide interdisciplinary approach, investing extensive time and effort in the arc...

The long history of settlement at Tell eṣ-Ṣâfi/Gath provides an opportunity to study changes in vegetation and its use in different cultures and periods, as well as aspects relating to local biodiversity over time. These changes may shed light on the local development of agriculture, on cultural changes, on ancient human migrations, and foreign inf...

Worldwide, human impact on natural landscapes has intensified since prehistoric times, and this is well documented in the global archaeological record. The period between the earliest hominids and the Industrial Revolution of the late 18-19 th centuries is known as the Paleo-Anthropocene. The current study reviews key geoarchaeological, floral and...

In July-August 2000, a salvage excavation was conducted at Or 'Aqiva (Permit No. A-3265; map ref. 1920-32/7131-42; Nagorsky 2003). The excavation, undertaken by the Israel Antiquities Authority, was directed by A. Nagorsky. It yielded a Roman-period mausoleum and fragments of sarcophagi and a hamra surface, probably a threshing floor, from the earl...

Pebble stone installations are commonly found at various Early Bronze Age sites in the southern Levant. However, their function is often assumed or unknown. Thirteen circular pebble installations were found scattered throughout a residential neighbourhood dating to the Early Bronze Age III at Tell es-Safi/Gath. Five such installations were recently...

This article proposes and tests a novel interdisciplinary method for reconstructing the ancient humans' environment by using plant imprints on pottery. Sherds with plant imprints may provide a valuable source for reconstructing certain components of the ancient vegetation, and the imprints may represent a link to the potter's immediate environment,...

Human migrations across geographic boundaries can facilitate the introduction of new husbandry practices and dispersal of plants and animals, resulting in changes in biodiversity. As previously demonstrated, the 12th century BCE Philistine migration-to the southern Levantine littoral, involved the transportation of pigs from Europe, engendering lon...

n 2002, Paul Crutzen coined the term Anthropocene as a human-made geological period. He asserted that it began in the 18th century CE with the Industrial Revolution, a period during which there were significant global changes including the extinction of animal and plant species, an increase in greenhouse gas emissions, and global warming. However,...

Here we present a case study using modern ecological data (collected over the period 1948-2014) to assess changes that took place in plant and animal occurrences in the 12th century BCE in Philistia – the southern coastal plain of Israel and the Judean foothills in its immediate hinterland, as a result of either shifts in anthropogenic behavior or...

Analysis of plant remains from archaeological sites offers the most direct means of recovering information on the inhabitants’ plant use and on the site’s natural resources. In this paper, we will present a preliminary analysis of the carbonized plant remains from the Early Bronze levels of Tell es-Safi/Gath. The EB levels are rich in plant remains...

A list of the type specimens of Anthemis (Compositae) housed in the type section of the Herbarium of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem is presented for the first time. The collection comprises 460 sheets of specimens representing 143 Anthemis taxa used by Eig (Eig, A. 1938. Taxonomic studies on the oriental species of the genus Anthemis. Palestine...

A new species of the extinct genus Mauldinia (Mauldinia hirsuta) is based on three-dimensionally preserved inflorescence fragments and flowers from the Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian-early Turonian) of the Sarbay Quarry, northwestern Kazakhstan, Central Asia. It is distinguished from previously described species of Mauldinia by its smaller size and th...

Cenomanian-Turonian sediments from the Sarbay locality in north-western Kazakhstan have yielded a rich assemblage of plant fossils including well preserved flowers, fruits, and seeds of angiosperms. This work describes fossil seeds assigned to theMagnoliaceae and theIlliciaceae. Three new species of the extinct magnoliaceous genusLiriodendroidea, L...

Three new species (Liriodendroidea alata, L. latirapha, and L. carolinensis) are established based on well-preserved seeds from the Late Cretaceous of Kazakhstan and eastern North America. The Kazakhstan material is Cenomanian-Turonian in age and represents the oldest well-supported occurrence of the Magnoliaceae in the Cretaceous. The North Americ...

The Cenomanian-Turonian Shet-Irgiz Formation of clay and sand is present in the iron quarries (Sokolovka and Sarbay). Among numerous plant remains are undoubted taxodiaceous seeds, Alapaja Dorof., and, possibly, Taxodiastrum Dorof. and Quasisequoia Friis. -Authors