New archaeological finds challenge ideas of prehistoric Israel

Haaretz ^ | Iyyar 18, 5775 | Nir Hasson

[SunkenCiv]

Remains from three prehistoric periods were found in the dig. The oldest have been dated to about 7,000 years ago. during the Pottery Neolithic period. Archaeologists from the Israel Antiquities Authority also found a fired ceramic clay figurine of a full-figured woman.

The discovery brings the number of sites at which similar figures from the period have been found to nine, mostly around Sha'ar Hagolan. Of the 163 such figurines found so far, two were found elsewhere -- one in Lod and the other at Horvat Ptora, a site near Kiryat Gat and the one found now as said, in Revadim, near Gedera.

These figures are mostly attributed to what is known as the Yarmukian culture that flourished mostly in northern Israel about 7,500 years ago. This is a different culture than has been found in digs close to Beit Hilkia, such as at Revadim, known as "Jericho 9."

The differences between the cultures are best seen in the pottery they made. If in the past, archaeologists thought Jericho 9 replaced the Yarmukian culture, the more accepted theory today is that the two cultures existed at the same time, but in different areas: the Yarmukian in the north and Jericho 9 in the south.

The discovery of the figurines -- clearly Yarmukian -- accompanied by the other two found in the region raises the question of the relationship between the two cultures...

The archaeologists are now planning to conduct chemical tests of the statue to determine the source of the clay -- whether it is from the north or south of Israel.

[Robert DeLong]

She’s wearing a hat?

[Gadsden1st]

Let’s see if Laz would hit it.

[mountainlion]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFHwKmHfdo8

This will cause you to scratch you head.

[SunkenCiv]

About people who take it seriously, yes.

[fatez]

Actually, that is exactly how archaeologist measure change at a site. It is called 'seriation' and both ceramics and stone tools are cataloged and dated this way. But overall, the product is stable over small increments of time and small geographic locations. Archaeologist study the pottery in minute detail and build catalogs that document the changes over time and between sites and map them to the strata / time level they were recovered in. This is how most relative time sequences are mapped out. These related time sequences / styles are called assemblages and are then compared regionally and even inter-regionally to see how that idea / culture / technology spread.

You have asked an excellent question...

[Leep]

Hmmm.she has cankles? can we surmise anything from that?

[SunkenCiv]

The prehistoric shaman liked ‘em? ;’)

[colorado tanker]

I don’t have a subscription and haven’t read the entire article, but how does this change thinking? We’ve seen similar fertility goddesses from other very early Neolithic settlements.

[SunkenCiv]

Not clear, is it? Gotta pull in readers I suppose.

To read the whole thing without subscription (this was pointed out to me a week or so ago), do a search, and use that resulting link — it’s the same URL, but because of the source of the jump-from, it loads the whole thing more often than not.

http://www.google.com/search?q=New+archaeological+finds+challenge+ideas+of+prehistoric+Israel

[SunkenCiv]

Basically, the Jericho 9 and the Yarmoukian cultures were contemporary and not geographically isolated; until now it was thought they were isolated, and before that, that Jericho 9 was later and took over the same areas from the Yarmoukian.

[colorado tanker]

Thanks!

It may not be knowable, but it would be interesting to know if these figurines resembled the mature women of the day or if this was some kind of exaggerated, ritualized view of female fertility.

[BroJoeK]

Colorado tanker: "it would be interesting to know if these figurines resembled the mature women of the day or if this was some kind of exaggerated, ritualized view of female fertility."

Assuming the male brain in those days was similar to ours, you have to think those were idealized visions of feminine pulchritude.
Sure, fashions change, but what were those old guys thinking about?

[Covenantor]

I’ve never been convinced that figures such as this and the Willmendorf Venus represent idealized feminine beauty or godesses. A beer fueled discussion long ago resulted in a consensus that they were all mother-in-law representations, embodying all of the negative attributes of an elder woman controlling the social life of younger couples.

One observation ended the discussion. It was noted that almost all of these mother goddess figures fit comfortably to hand and suitable as projectiles to ward off human and animal predators and supernatural terrors because of the sheer ugliness.

What enemy would attack a second time if they thought your best women looked like those figures?

[colorado tanker]

They were living at the dawn of the agricultural revolution and the guys were probably thinking I need a woman to give me lots of kids to run this place.

[SunkenCiv]

I think we’re looking at the art of a culture where the art wasn’t all that great. :’) Or, maybe they just liked ‘em with a little more junk in the trunk. Or, and this is my favorite theory about most prehistoric cultural remains, the statues were produced by teen boys.

[SunkenCiv]

:’)

[ConservativeMind]

Now, that’s funny.

[Covenantor]

Well, you make some good points...and the interwebz does seem to support the proto-porn thesis.

On a serious note, the web has provided higher quality photographs of the Willmendorf Woman, nee Venus. The newer photos provide greater detail over the blurry black and white images in the Art History texts I last saw some 40 years ago.

The level of detail is pretty amazing. The headwear appears to strongly suggest a knit or woven cap. At odds with that detailing is the absence of any facial features. More questions.

SC, thanks for the post and the impetus to revisit old impressions and seek newer information.

[SunkenCiv]

Hey, who needs facial features? Whoops, I mean, yeah, looks more like a hat than a hairstyle, but could be either.

[Covenantor]

Paperbags hadn’t been invented at the time.