Prehistory (1,000,000 to 3150 B.C.)

Prehistory is the general term for the periods before written records. All the better, then, to start digging and make discoveries that will change our understanding of the Paleolithic (1,000,000-8300 B.C.), Neolithic (8300-4500 B.C.) and the Chalcolithic (4500-3150 B.C.) periods.

The Paleolithic Period, marked by the emergence of human technology, derives its name from the Greek words paleos (“old”) and lithos (“stone”). The Neolithic Period (neo meaning “new”) is distinguished by the cultivation of crops and the use of domesticated animals. The Chalcolithic (chalcos, “copper”) is the first time that man uses copper (although he doesn’t give up stone tools altogether).

Of the digs covered here, the Har Karkom excavation in the southern Negev, directed by Emmanuel Anati, explores the earliest periods of history. The area has been identified by Anati as a holy site from, possibly, the time of the Exodus; it may be the Biblical Mt. Sinai. Other scholars, however, consider it a popular place for ancient nomads. The site has produced great amounts of pottery, altars, standing stones, campsites and gravesites.

Another dig in the Prehistory era is Tel Tsaf (Late Neolithic to Chalcolithic periods) near Beth-Shean in the Jordan Valley. The excavation, led by Yosef Garfinkel of the Hebrew University, explores a little known time period in the archaeology of Israel and promises key finds in the upcoming excavation seasons.

Oded Borowski directs the excavation at Tell Halif, where the Judean hills and northern Negev meet in southern Israel. People have occupied the site since the Chalcolithic period; the strata being excavated date to the late Chalcolithic period and the Early Bronze Age.