Yoav Avni

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Papers by Yoav Avni

A conceptual model of multi-scale formation processes of open-air Middle Paleolithic sites in the arid Negev desert, Israel

Quaternary Research

Open-air surface accumulations and scatters of material cultural remains often are perceived as l... more Open-air surface accumulations and scatters of material cultural remains often are perceived as less-reliable archaeological archives, where it is difficult to distinguish anthropogenic versus geogenic formation processes or to assess their specific effects on the integrity of archaeological records. Here we analyze the depositional histories of three Middle Paleolithic open-air sites in the Negev desert of Israel, combining archaeological and geomorphological methods to create a conceptual model of multi-scale effects on the archaeological remains. Relying on the long research history in archaeology and geomorphology in the Negev, we show that integration of archaeological and geomorphological methodologies provides nuanced insights to our understanding of the archaeological record. The links established between regional and local geomorphic processes and lithic taphonomy by applying such a multi-scale analysis further allow back-tracking environmental processes from flint taphonom...

The utilization and extinction of Juniper trees from the Negev desert (Israel) - Data from a late 6th–5th millennia site of Har Harif

Journal of Arid Environments

Sources, Timing, Environmental and Tectonic Implications of Epigenetic Mineralization Along the Arabian‐African Plate Boundary

Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems

The formation of divergent plate boundaries involves the opening of continental basins and uplift... more The formation of divergent plate boundaries involves the opening of continental basins and uplift of plate margins accompanied by seawater ingression and the reorganization of surface and groundwater drainage systems. These processes drive water‐rock reactions, resulting in the deposition of epigenetic minerals in the country rock adjacent to the plate boundary. Here, we study the isotopic geochemical record of epigenetic dolomite and ferric‐oxide minerals that occur along tectonic lines in the Negev (southern Israel), which border the Cenozoic rift system that developed between the African and Arabian plates. The observed ranges of new and published O, C, Sr, Mo, Fe, and Pb isotope compositions indicate mixing between the country rock, seawater and deep‐seated groundwater source‐solutions. We suggest that mineralization occurred as brines migrated from their marine source, mixed with groundwater in a deep siliciclastic aquifer environment, and subsequently upwelled along tectonic l...

Migration and localization of faulting near the intersection of the Dead Sea Fault and the Carmel−Gilboa−Faria Fault System

GSA Bulletin

Crustal deformation and seismicity in the Levant region are mainly related to the plate-boundary ... more Crustal deformation and seismicity in the Levant region are mainly related to the plate-boundary Dead Sea Fault (DSF) and the intraplate Carmel−Gilboa−Faria Fault System (CGFS). The intersection between these two major fault systems is generally treated as a ∼35-km-wide deformation belt stretched between the Faria and Gilboa Faults. Here, we present spatial and temporal analysis of faulting near this intersection. Our analysis is based on new geological mapping, new high-resolution airborne light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data, and seismic reflection profiles and indicates northward migration and localization of the intersection over time since the early Miocene. We discovered and mapped outcrops of Miocene, Pliocene, and Pleistocene rock units as well as faults and reconstructed the evolution of deformation. Three main tectonic phases were identified in this area covering the following periods: the early−middle Miocene, the late Miocene−Pliocene, and the Quaternary. During the ...

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High resolution elemental characterization of prehistoric flint sources in southern Israel: Implications for archaeological provenance studies

Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports

Two millennia of soil dynamics derived from ancient desert terraces using high resolution 3-D data

EGU General Assembly Conference Abstracts, Apr 1, 2017

Expansion of eastern Mediterranean Middle Paleolithic into the desert region in early marine isotopic stage 5

Scientific Reports, 2022

Marine Isotopic Stage 5 is associated with wetter climatic conditions in the Saharo-Arabian deser... more Marine Isotopic Stage 5 is associated with wetter climatic conditions in the Saharo-Arabian deserts. This stage also corresponds to the establishment of Middle Paleolithic hominins and their associated material culture in two geographical provinces in southwest Asia—the Eastern Mediterranean woodland and the Arabian Peninsula desert. The lithic industry of the Eastern Mediterranean is characterized by the centripetal Levallois method, whereas the Nubian Levallois method characterizes the populations of the Arabian desert. The Negev Desert, situated between these regions is a key area to comprehend population movement in correlation to climatic zones. This investigation addresses the nature of the Middle Paleolithic settlement in the Negev Desert during MIS 5 by studying the site of Nahal Aqev. High resolution chronological results based on luminescence dating and cryptotephra show the site was occupied from MIS 5e to MIS 5d. The lithic industries at Nahal Aqev are dominated by centr...

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Rocks, climate and the survival of human societies in hyper-arid and arid environments - Are the human civilization in deserts at a permanent risk of collapse?

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An Early Pleistocene (1.9-1.7 Ma) lake-wetland sequence in southern Israel: greening the path for initial African dispersal of Homo

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Magnetostratigraphy and Paleoenvironments of the Kuntila Lake Sediments, Southern Israel: Implications for Late Cenozoic Climate Variability at the Northern Fringe of the Saharo-Arabian Desert Belt

Frontiers in Earth Science, 2020

Magnetochronology of the Kuntila Sediments Desert concurred, regardless of the age correlation, w... more Magnetochronology of the Kuntila Sediments Desert concurred, regardless of the age correlation, with periods of lake expansion in East Africa and clusters of short-lived expansions of the savannah throughout much of the Sahara. This would have facilitated the biogeographic connection between Africa and Eurasia, greening the path for the initial out-of-Africa dispersal of Homo. Further research on the Kuntila Lake sediments will be necessary to better determine the timing, extent and significance of such biogeographic connection.

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Olive tree survival and adaptation to the harsh growing conditions in the arid desert environment of the Negev Highlands, Southern Israel

Israel Journal of Plant Sciences, 2018

Twenty-three olive trees were found to grow in traditional orchard sites in the Negev Highlands d... more Twenty-three olive trees were found to grow in traditional orchard sites in the Negev Highlands desert, southern Israel. Their location was marked on maps, and their growth, morphology, biology, preservation and survival was monitored. Some of them are presently maintained by the Bedouin population of the Negev, whereas others seemed to have survived from earlier periods. The average annual rainfall in this region is 90–130 mm. Most of the orchards were deliberately planted in pre-existing agricultural plots, built during the Byzantine and Early Muslim era (3rd–8th centuries CE). They were irrigated by harvesting runoff water. The Byzantine era was the most populated period in the Negev Highlands, when wine and olive oil were the main horticultural products. A variety of domesticated fruit trees are found in the present abandoned orchards: olive, fig, grapevine, pomegranate, almond, date palm, carob, pistachio and bitter orange. The trees have not been artificially irrigated for at ...

The Formation of Terraced Landscapes in the Judean Highlands in Israel, and its Implications for Biblical Agricultural History

Hebrew Bible and Ancient Israel, 2016

The construction of terraces for dry farming constitutes a major technological innovation in the ... more The construction of terraces for dry farming constitutes a major technological innovation in the history of agriculture, allowing for the exploitation of previously uncultivated slopes and expanding the carrying capacity of the land. The terracing of the highlands of Judea and Samaria is traditionally associated with the settlement of the "Israelites". In this article we present the results of a terrace dating project in the highlands of Jerusalem and show that they become a dominant agricultural feature only in classical times. We also discuss the implication of the results for understanding the realia behind some of the biblical text.

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Soil Erosion Effects as Indicators of Desertification Processes in the Northern Negev Desert

Soil Erosion

... Yitzchak Gutterman, Blaustein Institute of Desert Research, Ben Gurion University, Israel; Dr... more

A comprehensive characterization of ancient desert agricultural systems in the Negev Highlands of Israel

Journal of Arid Environments, 2012

Abstract Ancient agricultural systems based on runoff harvesting techniques are abundant in the N... more Abstract Ancient agricultural systems based on runoff harvesting techniques are abundant in the Negev Highlands. The current study examined traditional classification and investigated the distribution of ancient agricultural systems around the Roman-Byzantine “Negev Towns” Avdat and Shivta, and across the terrain located between these sites and Makhtesh Ramon in the south. It led to an elaboration of the traditional classification of runoff agricultural systems in the Negev desert of southern Israel. We found that the key factors for building these types of agricultural systems were the geological and geomorphological characteristics of the specific site locations and the geographic distance from nearby towns and roads. Depending on these factors, a multitude of types of agricultural systems were constructed in accordance with the physical characteristics of the local desert environment. This clearly indicates the continuation of the current desert climate throughout historical times. Furthermore, the large diversity of agriculture installations indicates that they were constructed by local farmers and not by an external plan imposed by the central government.

Aggradation–incision transition in arid environments at the end of the Pleistocene: An example from the Negev Highlands, southern Israel

Geomorphology, 2016

One of the most significant environmental processes that occurred at the transition from the last... more One of the most significant environmental processes that occurred at the transition from the last glacial phase into the present inter-glacial phase in arid regions was the shift from aggradation to incision in the drainage systems. This is evident by the sharp transition from a fluvial regime depositing fine-grained sediment within the wadis to intensive incision which formed gullies and narrow channels that dissected the late Pleistocene sediments. In order to investigate this transition, we studied three small-scale basins in the arid region of the Negev Highlands, southern Israel. Although the selected basins drain toward different base levels, their geomorphological parameters, particle size distribution of alluvial units and their OSL ages are similar. Sediments from the penultimate glacial cycle are found in patches in the bigger catchments. Fluvial loess was widely deposited since at least 67 ka until after 28 ka, covering valleys and slopes. Between~28 and~24 ka, loess was washed from the slopes into the channels, exposing the underlying colluvium. At~24 ka erosion began with the transport of slope colluvium as gravels into the valleys that eroded the underlying loess sediments. Incision became dominant at~12 ka and is still ongoing and intensifying. Dust and reworked loess continued to be deposited during the main incision stages. It is proposed that the transition from aggradation to incision was controlled by rates of loess supply and removal. Until~24 ka dust choked the drainage system and only after reduction in dust supply was erosion and incision possible. It began first on the slopes and then in the channels. Our results show that an increase in precipitation is not a prerequisite for initiation of incision as is often assumed. Similar processes are described in other arid zones around the world.

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Oligocene regional denudation of the northern Afar dome: Pre- and syn-breakup stages of the Afro-Arabian plate

Geological Society of America Bulletin, 2012

A regional truncation surface developed during the Oligocene in the northern Red Sea and southern... more A regional truncation surface developed during the Oligocene in the northern Red Sea and southern Levant as a result of the combined effects: (1) the formation of an ∼3000 km × 1500 km crustal dome affecting the northeastern sector of the Afro-Arabian continent above the Afar plume, and (2) widespread fluvial erosion that truncated the northern edge of this dome. The regional truncation surface separates two main stratigraphic divisions: (1) middle Eocene–early Oligocene prerift clastics preserved below the regional truncation surface and (2) late Oligocene–Holocene Red Sea Supergroup deposited after the regional truncation surface developed. The prerifting sequence is composed of two major units: (1) Eocene marine intraformational debris flows (Themed clastics), and (2) fluviolacustrine continental conglomerates, most of them monomictic (Mahatardi Conglomerate). The Red Sea Supergroup is composed of polymictic conglomerates, which include fragments of older rock units, down to the Precambrian. The reconstructed regional truncation surface and its subcrop map shed new light on the initial stages of the Afro-Arabian breakup, indicating two principal phases: (1) an Oligocene slow crustal doming, with reactivation of preexisting faults and the development of the regional truncation surface, all triggered by the upwelling of the Afar plume; and (2) late Oligocene–early Miocene rifting of the Red Sea and Suez rift, which refaulted the region, including the initiation of the Dead Sea Transform along a preexisting suture line. This two-stage model indicates the mutual genetic relationship between the early Oligocene phase of tectonic development following the penetration of the Afar plume and the post-Oligocene rifting and continental breakup of the Afro-Arabian continent.

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The Emergence of Terrace Farming in the Arid Zone of the Levant—Past Perspectives and Future Implications

Land

Terrace farming installations occupy vast desert areas in the Southern Levant. Their construction... more Terrace farming installations occupy vast desert areas in the Southern Levant. Their construction in harsh environments raises critical questions focusing on the natural, political, and economic circumstances promoting their construction and operation. The present review, based on new observations and previously published materials, focused on three different arid regions located across the Southern Levant, namely the Eastern Marmarica of Northwestern Egypt, the Negev Desert of Israel, and the Petra region in Jordan. The comparison between the regions allows us to uncover the forces behind this vast phenomenon, and to draw conclusions on the relevance of these arid zones to past and present agricultural productivity. The results of this study showed that the environmental conditions in the Southern Levant provided soil and water throughout the entire Holocene, and that terrace farming was a well-known method to the early inhabitants of the region. However, the actual implementation ...

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Magnetochronology of Early Pleistocene lacustrine sedimentation in the hyperarid Negev Desert, southern Israel: Implications for the initial out-of-Africa dispersal of Homo

AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts, Dec 1, 2020

The structural and landscape evolution of the western Ramon structure

Israel Journal of Earth Sciences, 1993

Variations in Hillslope Runoff as Detected Using Geological Strata Coupled with Vegetation Patterns- Implications on Spatially Distributed Desert Runoff Agriculture

Journal of Landscape Ecology, 2017

Sparsely vegetated bedrock slopes in deserts coincide with slope parameters, thus they have impor... more Sparsely vegetated bedrock slopes in deserts coincide with slope parameters, thus they have important implications on biological, chemical, hydrological and geomorphological processes. Spatial variations in these vegetation patterns, density and communities indicates on relatively humid habitats, which correspond with sinks for high runoff. Relations between the bedrock runoff generation and vegetation patterns may imply on the spatial locations of Byzantine – Early Muslim (400-1000 C.E.; 1600-1000 y BP) agriculture installations. These installations are widespread in the Negev Desert, Israel, utilized sophisticated runoff harvesting techniques by the ancient farmers. Applying a multi-disciplinary approach, we tested vegetation patterns as a precursor for runoff generation along bedrock slopes in the Negev Desert Highlands, and correlated them to the spatial distribution of the Byzantine – Early Muslim runoff agriculture installations. Integrating vegetation patterns, geological sub...

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