Abstract
Remains of a natural cave that was used for burial were exposed north of Moshav Midrakh ‘Oz. Four strata were identified: Strata IV and II contained finds from the Late Chalcolithic and Early Bronze I periods respectively; Strata I and III were sterile. The majority of the finds comprise pottery vessels from both occupation periods, as well as skeletal remains of approximately 50 individuals. Stratum IV contained ossuary fragments, V-shaped bowls, a flint blade and beads. The finds in Stratum II included pottery vessels, a clay disk, beads, sickle blades, a dagger and human bones. This is the first Chalcolithic burial cave to be found in the Jezreel Valley, and it shows a considerable resemblance to other Late Chalcolithic burial sites in central and northern Israel. The cave was reused during EB I. The reuse of the burial cave, and the intentional separation between the Early Bronze Age burials and the previous ones, indicate a new population.
Keywords
cemetery, anthropology, skeletal remains, burial customs, ritual, tombstone, stone plaque, petrography, demography
Recommended Citation
Getzov, Nimrod; Nagar, Yossi Israel Antiquities Authority; and Cohen-Weinberger, Anat
(2015)
"A Burial Cave of the Late Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age I at Midrakh ‘Oz, Western Jezreel Valley (Hebrew, pp. 21*–46*, English summary, pp. 224–225),"
'Atiqot: Vol. 82, Article 7.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.70967/2948-040X.1635
Available at:
https://publications.iaa.org.il/atiqot/vol82/iss1/7
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