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New relative sea-level (RSL) indications from the Eastern Mediterranean: Middle Bronze Age to the Roman period (~3800-1800 y BP) archaeological constructions at Dor, the Carmel coast, Israel.

ABSTRACT: This article presents new archaeological observations and multidisciplinary research from Dor, Israel to establish a more reliable relative sea level for the Carmel Coast and Southern Levant between the Middle Bronze Age and the Roman period (ca. 3500-1800 y BP). Our record indicates a period of low relative sea level, around -2.5 m below present, from the Middle Bronze Age to the Hellenistic period (ca. 3500-2200 y BP). This was followed by a rapid rise to present levels, starting in the Hellenistic period and concluding during the Roman period (ca. 2200-1800 y BP). These Roman levels agree with other relative sea-level indications from Israel and other tectonically stable areas in the Mediterranean. Several relative sea-level reconstruction models carried out in the current study provide different predictions due to their parameters and do not model the changes observed from field data which points to a non-isostatic origin for the changes. Long-term low stable Iron Age relative sea level can be seen in Dor, where Iron Age harbor structures remain around the same elevation between ca. 3100-2700 y BP. A similar pattern occurs at Atlit, the Iron Age harbor to the north used continuously from ca. 2900 y BP to the beginning of the Hellenistic period (ca. 2200 y BP). An examination of historical and archaeological sources reveals decline and occasional disappearance of Hellenistic sites along the coast of Israel at ca. 2200 y BP (2nd century BCE), as in the case of Yavneh Yam, Ashdod Yam, Straton's Tower, and tel Taninim. In Akko-Ptolemais, the large harbor installations built in the Hellenistic period were never replaced by a substantial Roman harbor. The conclusions of this research are thus relevant for the sea-level research community and for the historical analyses of the Israeli and South Levantine coastline.

SUBMITTER: Yasur-Landau A

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8189516 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:This study stems from the need for numismatics to establish whether there may be relationships between a group of 103 bronze coins from the Roman era found in archaeological excavations on the Cesén Mountain (Treviso, Italy) and a group of 117 coins kept at the Museum of Natural History and Archaeology in Montebelluna (Treviso, Italy). The chemists were delivered six coins with neither pre-agreements nor further information on the origin of the coins. Therefore, the request was to hypothetically assign the coins to the two groups on the basis of similarities and differences in their surface composition. Only non-destructive analytical techniques were allowed to be used to characterize the surface of the six coins taken blindly from the two sets. The elemental analysis of each coins' surface was carried out by µ-XRF. To better observe the morphology of the coins' surfaces, SEM-EDS was used. Compounds covering the coins coming from both corrosion processes (patinas) and the deposition of soil encrustations were also analyzed by means of the FTIR-ATR technique. The molecular analysis confirmed the presence of silico-aluminate minerals on some coins, unequivocally indicating a provenance from clayey soil. Some soil samples, collected from the archaeological site of interest, were analyzed to verify whether the encrusted layer on coins could contain chemical components compatible with them. This result, together with the chemical and morphological investigations, led us to subdivide the six target coins into two groups. The first group is made up of two coins coming from the set of coins from excavation (found in the subsoil) and from the set from open air finds (coins found in the top layer of the soil). The second group is made up of four coins that are devoid of characteristics corresponding to exposure to soil contact for long periods of time and, moreover, their surface compounds could suggest a different provenance. The analytical results of this study made it possible to correctly assign all six coins to the two groups of finds and support numismatics, which was unconvinced in considering all coins to come from the same finding site only on the basis of archaeological documentations.

Project description:The reproduction of archaeological corrosion patinas is a key issue for the reliable validation of conservation materials before their use on cultural objects. In this study, bronze disks were intentionally buried for 15 years in the soil of the archaeological site of Tharros, both in laboratory and in situ, with the aim of reproducing corrosion patinas typical of archaeological artifacts to be used as representative surfaces for testing novel cleaning gels. The microstructural, microchemical and mineralogical features of the patinas were analyzed by a multianalytical approach, based on optical microscopy (OM), field emission scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive spectrometry (FE-SEM-EDS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The patinas developed in 15 years were compared with an archaeological bronze recovered from the same site after about two thousand years of burial (referred as short-term and long-term interaction, respectively). Results revealed a similar corrosion behavior, especially in terms of chemical composition and corrosion mechanisms. XRD detected the ubiquitous presence of cuprite, copper hydroxychlorides and terrigenous minerals, while OM and FE-SEM-EDS analyses of cross-sections evidenced similar patinas' stratigraphy, identifying decuprification as driving corrosion mechanism. However, some differences related to the type of local environment and to the time spent in soil were evidenced. In particular, patinas developed in situ are more heterogeneous and rougher, while the archaeological one is thicker and presents a major amount of cuprite, terrigenous deposits and uncommon corrosion compounds. Based on our findings, the disks buried in situ were selected and used as disposable substrates to study the cleaning effect of a novel polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)-based gel loaded with a chelating agent (Na2EDTA · 2H2O). Results show that the gel is effective in removing disfiguring degradation compounds and preserving the stable and protective patina. Based on the conservation needs, the time of application can be properly tuned. It is worth noticing that after a few minutes the green corrosion products can be selectively removed. The EDS analysis performed on the gels after cleaning reveals that they are highly selective for the removal of copper(II) compounds rather than Cu(I) oxide or Cu(0) from bronze substrates.

Dataset Information

New relative sea-level (RSL) indications from the Eastern Mediterranean: Middle Bronze Age to the Roman period (~3800-1800 y BP) archaeological constructions at Dor, the Carmel coast, Israel.

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