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Fig. . Sites from the Neolithic and Chalcolithic periods yielding horned figurines and ram statuettes, not drawn to scale (drawings by K. Streit after-: Amiran , pl. .A; : Amiran , pl. .D; : Amiran , pl. .B; : Amiran , pl. .C; : press release of the Israel Antiquities Authority).
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At the time of writing, fourteen horned figurines made of stone have been uncovered in eight archaeological sites of the Levant and southern Anatolia dating to the Pottery Neolithic and Chalcolithic periods (6th and 5th millennium cal BC). Their striking stylistic similarity, together with their low frequency, requires a detailed analysis. The figu...
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In this article, we study the role played by pottery production in the transition from Early Neolithic to Middle Neolithic in Western Iberia (∼4500–3300 cal BC) based on a critical analysis of the available empirical data. We establish a chronological and cultural sequence for this period, regarding which the historical problematic is still poorly...
Citations
... The identification of the artifacts in this assemblage as slingstones is strongly supported by their aerodynamic form, comparable to similar biconical sling projectiles archaeologically known from later periods, and from historic and ethnographic accounts worldwide, including Oceania and North America West Coast (York and York 2011;Skov 2013 (Kaplan 1958); anthropomorphic and zoomorphic imagery (Garfinkel 2003;Streit and Garfinkel 2015;Milevski et al. 2016); imported obsidian and chlorite vessels (Rosenberg, Getzov and Assaf 2010;Schechter et al. 2016); and the design of the sling projectiles. Throughout history, the sling was used for different purposes, most commonly as a weapon, as well as a hunting and herding tool. ...
This paper presents the slingstone assemblages recovered from two large-scale excavations at the Late Pottery Neolithic/Early Chalcolithic (c. 5800-4500 cal BCE) sites of 'En Ẓippori and 'En Esur. Based on contextual, morphometric and other archaeological data, we suggest that during this time, the slings and slingstones were used as weapons. The high number of slingstones found within the settlements, and the traits of systematic production they reflect (formalization, standardization and time-consuming manufacturing), point to an organized production of weapons, interpreted as an escalation in the preparations for war, alluding to the possible existence of local power centers in the region.
... The 'secondary products revolution' utilization of ovicaprids for traction, milk and hair, in addition to meat and pelts, is a widely accepted thesis (Greenfield 2010). The symbolic importance of ovicaprids in both the Neolithic and Chalcolithic is also apparent, along with the appearance of bovine iconography in at least some Chalcolithic regions (Epstein 1985;Kafafi et al. 2001;Streit and Garfinkel 2015). ...
... at both case-study sites and are the largest category throughout the PN. Some examples that could be found here are Levantine and southern Anatolian stone figurines and bucrania of caprids dated to the 6 th and 5 th millennium published byStreit and Garfinkel in 2015. Sites include Tell Kurdu, Ras Shamra and Domuztepe. ...
For the Neolithic in the Near East figurines are our primary, at times only, source of visual representations of humans and animals at many sites. More than purely utilitarian objects, figurines are thought to provide insight into the more intangible aspects of past life such as ritual, cosmology, identity and social processes. In most approaches, there has often been a focus on figurines as static images. However, placing prime importance on representation ignores the importance of interactions between people and materials. In this thesis it is argued that through an artefact and life biography approach we can more productively analyse figurines as a process; from production, use, to final deposition. Better insight into these aspects will allow us to more fully comprehend how figurines operated in their respective social contexts. Any statement on figurine practices needs to incorporate all types of figurines and furthermore a nuanced view on differences in figurine practices needs to be substantiated by analysis of different sites. Therefore, this thesis features the corpora of two Neolithic sites: Tell Sabi Abyad (Syria) and Çatalhöyük (Turkey) both inhabited through the 8th to 6th millennia. The different social settings at these sites make them an interesting case study to analyse differences in figurine practices. The result is a comprehensive overview of the complete life biographies of all clay figurines found at both sites, looking at material properties, production, use-wear traces and depositional contexts which are then compared between figurine types and analysed through time. Synthesising these findings yielded a detailed insight into figurine practices at the two case study sites, showing some common practices but also marked differences potentially linked to more household practices at Çatalhöyük and community practices at Tell Sabi Abyad. Furthermore, life biographies of figurines at the two sites are variable and changes through time are observed at both sites. This thesis not only offers a detailed and nuanced picture of figurine practices at these two sites, but it also exemplifies that generalised statements about figurine practices in the Near East need to be reassessed through intra-site, artefact approach studies.
... Further connections to the north are attested by a pot with anthropomorphic relief decoration from Ein el-Jarba (Streit 2015a) that has parallels from a huge area from the Balkans in the west, via Anatolia to the Caucasus in the east ( Figure 4). In turn, a few stone figurines depicting horned ovicaprines reflect links between communities in the southern Levant and populations in southeastern Anatolia and Upper Mesopotamia, their appearance allegedly reflecting the increased importance of herding at this time (Streit and Garfinkel 2015). The mid-6th millennium CAL B.C. also witnessed the development of relations between the Wadi Rabah culture and populations of Lower Egypt, as attested by common pottery forms, decorative elements, stone tools, spinning technology, and a similar shift to ovicaprine herding (Streit 2017). ...
... As to whether access to these exotic goods and practices was employed in a similarly strategic manner to facilitate integration or to create a hierarchical distinction amongst members of the Wadi Rabah culture is difficult to say. It may be that access to these exchange networks was unequal, with certain southern Levantine characters establishing preferential positions through their ability to host feasts (e.g. via larger flocks/herds [Streit and Garfinkel 2015]) for emissaries, traders, or itinerant specialists from the north. Ideally, we would like to see detailed contextual analyses of how obsidian and other notional prestige items were distributed amongst these EC communities to shed light on this issue; alas, Ein el-Jarba cannot provide such nuanced insights. ...
This paper details the characterization of 48 obsidian artifacts from Ein el-Jarba, an Early Chalcolithic site of the southern Levantine Wadi Rabah culture (6th millennium cal b.c.). By melding sourcing data from energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy with the artifacts’ techno-typological specifics, we contrast Ein el-Jarba’s obsidian consumption practices with those of broadly contemporary and earlier communities in the context of the period’s emergent transregional character. The results attest to a major reconfiguration of long-term traditions, with well-known Cappadocian and Lake Van region source materials now supplemented by obsidian from the Caucasus, such material’s most southerly distribution. These diverse resources are believed to have circulated within the same exchange networks, mediated by communities of the Halaf culture to the north. Most of Ein el-Jarba’s obsidian was in the form of pressure blades from a common technical tradition, the implements likely procured ready-made from the well-connected site of Hagoshrim.
... Gophna and Sadeh 1988;Kafafi 1988;Garfinkel 1995;Holland 1982;Rollefson 2000;Commenge et al. 2006;Freikman and Garfinkel 2009;Garfinkel, Ben-Shlomo, and Korn 2010;Gopher and Eyal 2012), diminishing in abundance as they are replaced by representations of domestic animals (e.g. Helmer, Gourichon, and Stordeur 2004;Rollefson 2008;Streit and Garfinkel 2015). ...
This paper investigates a corpus of Neolithic clay bovine figurines recovered from archaeological sites in the Central and Southern Levant. Despite numerous investigations, their function as utilitarian versus ritual objects is still unclear. In order to assess this issue, the depositional contexts and physical characteristics of just over 500 figurines were examined. The results reveal formalized and repetitive contextual data for the majority of the figurines studied, as well as commonality in their form and modifications. With reference to analogues from later Mesopotamian anti-witchcraft texts, support is found for the identification of the bovine figurines as objects associated with acts of ritualization, especially sacrifice, tied to the veneration of aurochs in Pre-Ceramic Neolithic periods. Furthermore, a symbolic structure linking bulls, sun, fire, ash, purification, fertility and rebirth was identified, possibly tying the bovine figurines to later fire rituals that are celebrated worldwide.
From past few years cloud computing has become an IT slang. It is the grassland of computing that is spreading briskly day-by-day in scholastic and business in form to accomplish conditions of final users. Cloud computing in real sense is achieving any duty by building use of assistance that are granted by cloud providers. It empowers an ample dimension of customer to access Shared, Ascendable, and Virtualized resources on top of the World Wide Web. It is a chunk of shared computing. It is currently arriving grassland by dint of its act, towering opportunity, and small price. With the brisk rise of internet computing machinery there is a big requirement for data storage security on cloud. There endure many cloud data storage security techniques now a days. In this paper, we are declaring some of these current techniques, literature review, and comparison between them. From the given comparison table of various current cloud computing data security approaches, it is concluded that the best approach for cloud data storage security must be taken and considered. We believe that there exist many more approaches for cloud data storage security and among them the best approach must be chosen.KeywordsCloud computingEncryptionDecryptionCryptographySteganographyData security
This paper discusses a unique vessel of the Early Chalcolithic Wadi Rabah tradition of the 6th millennium BC, uncovered at Ein el-Jarba, Israel. Technical skill and iconographic language set this hole-mouth jar apart from other decorated vessels of the period. While the shape of the vessel fits well with the typology of the Wadi Rabah assemblage, its iconographic motifs can be traced back to ceramic traditions of northern Levant, and, we argue, even Caucasia and southeastern Europe. The Ein el-Jarba hole-mouth jar adds a further layer to the still poorly understood trans-regional interaction between the Early Chalcolithic societies of the southern Levant and other cultural entities, indicating that its creator was familiar with the aesthetic traditions of distant communities.
