Spatial organization of hominin activities at Gesher Benot Ya'aqov, Israel.
The spatial designation of discrete areas for different activities reflects formalized conceptualization of a living space. The results of spatial analyses of a Middle Pleistocene Acheulian archaeological horizon (about 750,000 years ago) at Gesher Benot Ya'aqov, Israel, indicate that hominins differentiated their activities (stone knapping, tool use, floral and faunal processing and consumption) across space. These were organized in two main areas, including multiple activities around a hearth. The diversity of human activities and the distinctive patterning with which they are organized implies advanced organizational skills of the Gesher Benot Ya'aqov hominins.
Alperson-Afil
Nira
N
Institute of Archaeology, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Mount Scopus, Jerusalem 91905, Israel. alperson@mscc.huji.ac.il
Sharon
Gonen
G
Kislev
Mordechai
M
Melamed
Yoel
Y
Zohar
Irit
I
Ashkenazi
Shosh
S
Rabinovich
Rivka
R
Biton
Rebecca
R
Werker
Ella
E
Hartman
Gideon
G
Feibel
Craig
C
Goren-Inbar
Naama
N
D000818:Animals; D000885:Anthropology, Physical; D001106:Archaeology; D005399:Fishes; D019015:Geologic Sediments; D015186:Hominidae; D007557:Israel; D008322:Mammals; D010944:Plants; D053001:Tool Use Behavior