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Abstract

Tel Yavne is located in the inner part of the southern coastal plain, on the northern edge of the kurkar ridge (sandstone with carbonate aeolianite), east and north of Naḥal Soreq. The Naḥal Soreq valley was filled with sediments, some of which developed into grumusol-type soils. Today, Naḥal Soreq is a perennial stream, but it is likely that its riverbed, located some 250 m north of Tel Yavne, had conveyed a steady flow of water when the site was inhabited, serving as a source of water for the settlement and the industrial area at its foothill. The salvage excavations at the site, surrounding the mound from the northeast, east and southeast, are located on two morphological strips: one, at the bottom of the mound’s mild colluvial slope, and the other, on the plain extending from its base. A wide variety of sediments was observed in the excavation trenches and squares located at the base of the mound; these provided samples that were dated using luminescence methods. The samples underwent analytical and sedimentological analyses to identify the composition of the sediments and their origin, and to distinguish between natural and human causes. This study revealed the characteristics of the environment, including the climate and the raw materials available near the settlement. The colluvial base of the mound comprises weathered kurkar bedrock and several types of sand sediments. The weathered kurkar served as a natural, stable infrastructure for the construction of buildings and industrial installations. The sand units appear to be colluvial sediments, originating from the kurkar ridge, some of which have undergone development into soil to varying degrees. The base of the mound lies at the edge of the flood plain of Naḥal Soreq. This plain expanded and within it, sediments of a few meters thick had accumulated from the beginning of the Holocene until after the Byzantine period. The flood plain of the stream contains mainly clayey sediments, mixed with sand sediments, sometimes arranged as laminae. In the winter, after heavy rains and a strong flow of water, the sediments would turn into mud. Thus, it seems that the flood plains of the stream were exploited mainly for agriculture and burial. The ancient industries were located at the foot of the mound, above sands that mostly accumulated on the flood plains of Naḥal Soreq. The sandy substratum was well-drained, serving as an excellent building material. The population at the site exploited the local sediments and used them as raw materials in a variety of ways. Clay-rich sediments were incorporated into the sandy substratum beneath the walls; kurkar stones were used as building material; and shells, probably from the sandy beach in the Yavne-Yam area, were used in the plaster industry. After the site was abandoned, the finds in the flood plain were covered with alluvial sediments of Naḥal Soreq and colluvial sediments, including artifacts and anthropogenic soil (anthrosol) that was swept from the slopes of the mound and the site.

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