Revadim Quarry
Basic information
Sample name: Revadim Quarry
Reference: O. Marder, G. Gvirtzman, H. Ron, H. Khalaily, M. Wieder, R. Bankirer, R. Rabinovich, N. Porat, and I. Saragusti. 1998. The Lower Paleolithic site of Revadim Quarry, preliminary finds. Journal of the Israel Prehistoric Society 28:21-53 [ER 3869]
Geography
Country: Israel
Coordinate: 31° 47' N, 34° 49' E
Coordinate basis: based on nearby landmark
Time interval: Middle Pleistocene
Min Ma: 0.403
Age basis: OSL
Geography comments: in an active quarry "on the Jerusalem-Beer Sehva road, 1.5 kilometers north of Kibbutz Revadim" at an elevation of 71 - 73 m (coordinate extrapolated from Revadim)
"Palaeomagnetic measurements show a normal polarity, suggesting an age younger than the Brunhes-Matuyama boundary", so the maximum age is exactly the base of the Middle Pleistocene
six OSL dates on two samples are "minimum ages", the oldest being 403 +/- 27 ka
the tool "assemblage may be assinged to the Middle/Late Acheulian"
"Palaeomagnetic measurements show a normal polarity, suggesting an age younger than the Brunhes-Matuyama boundary", so the maximum age is exactly the base of the Middle Pleistocene
six OSL dates on two samples are "minimum ages", the oldest being 403 +/- 27 ka
the tool "assemblage may be assinged to the Middle/Late Acheulian"
Environment
Lithology: sandstone
Taphonomic context: paleosol
Archaeology: stone tools
Habitat comments: "A few flint artifacts" are from local Unit 2, but most artifacts and all the fossils are from the underlying Unit 3, a "gray brown to red brown, loamy sand to sandy loam" with "abundant calcareous nodules from elongated calcified roots" that is interpreted as a subaerial surface later covered by "sand dunes"
the taphonomic discussion is indecisive on the point of whether transport was more than "minimal" and does not indicate accumulation agents, but there were "human and animal occupations" at the site
"stone artifacts include flake tools and handaxes" and there were 1232 items, 714 being debris and the others being tools
the taphonomic discussion is indecisive on the point of whether transport was more than "minimal" and does not indicate accumulation agents, but there were "human and animal occupations" at the site
"stone artifacts include flake tools and handaxes" and there were 1232 items, 714 being debris and the others being tools
Methods
Life forms: carnivores,rodents,ungulates,snakes
Sampling methods: quarry,screenwash
Sample size: 69 specimens
Years: 1996
Sampling comments: "in the summer of 1996, a salvage excavation was conducted" for two weeks
"All sediments were dry sieved in a 5 mm mesh. Wet sieving was carried out" on some of the sediments
"All sediments were dry sieved in a 5 mm mesh. Wet sieving was carried out" on some of the sediments
Metadata
Sample number: 4244
Contributor: John Alroy
Enterer: John Alroy
Created: 2023-04-22 13:03:57
Modified: 2023-04-22 03:03:57
Abundance distribution
11 species
6 singletons
total count 69
geometric series index: 35.3
Fisher's α: 3.691
geometric series k: 0.7028
Hurlbert's PIE: 0.6370
Shannon's H: 1.3910
Good's u: 0.9143
Each square represents a species. Square sizes are proportional to counts.
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Register
| †Palaeoloxodon antiquus | 23 | |
| †Bos cf. primigenius | 1 | |
| Cervus cf. elaphus | 1 | 142 kg browser-grazer |
| Capreolus cf. capreolus | 1 | 22 kg browser |
| plus two more indeterminate cervids | ||
| Dama sp. | 2 | |
| Sus sp. | 1 | |
| Equus sp. | 1 | |
| Felis lybica | 1 | 4.5 kg carnivore |
| "Felis silvestris": species assignment based on geography | ||
| Microtus guentheri | 34 | |
| Nannospalax ehrenbergi | 2 | |
| "Spalax ehrenbergi" | ||
| Serpentes indet. | 2 | |
| "Ophidia" | ||