Panel 8.15 – Crisis on the margins of the Byzantine Empire: Bio-archaeological approaches to resilience and collapse in the Negev Desert


Organiser/Chair:

  • Guy Bar-Oz (University of Haifa)
  • Lior Weissbrod (University of Haifa)

External Discussant:

  •   Achim Lichtenberger (Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster)

Speakers:

Panel abstract

Research funded by the European Research Council examines new approaches todocumenting collapse in ancient complex societies, looking into the case of Byzantinesettlement in the Negev Desert (4th-7th c. CE) across the Islamic conquest of the southernLevant. Unique contexts such as ancient urban landfills, sealed and abandoned residentialstructures, and relict agricultural fields provide rich data repositories, where information onboth cultural and environmental dynamics—internal and external processes for generatingchange—is superimposed. Early findings drawn from analyses of plant and animal remains,radiocarbon dates, material culture and sediments suggest a much more complicatedsequence of transformation from Byzantine to Islamic society than was previouslyappreciated. Proxies of societal decline and abandonment indicate a long and drawn-outsequence of events, beginning as early as a century before the Islamic conquest, anddemonstrating change at a higher-order level of social organization versus continuity at alower level. An integrated and high-resolution approach to synthesizing these data aims tolink the chain of societal events to a series of potential causal factors, including climatechange, plague, natural disaster, war and conflict, and human resilience to reachcomprehensive understanding of this historical trajectory.

Paper abstracts

1. Guy Bar-Oz and Lior Weissbrod (University of Haifa)

Introduction to Crisis on the margins of the Byzantine Empire: Bio-archaeological approaches to resilience and collapse in the Negev Desert
Research funded by the European Research Council examines new approaches to documenting collapse in ancient complex societies, looking into the case of Byzantine settlement in the Negev Desert (4th-7th c. CE) across the Islamic conquest of the southern Levant. Unique contexts such as ancient urban landfills, sealed and abandoned residential structures, and relict agricultural fields provide rich data repositories, where information on both cultural and environmental dynamics—internal and external processes for generating change—is superimposed. Early findings drawn from analyses of plant and animal remains, radiocarbon dates, material culture and sediments suggest a much more complicated sequence of transformation from Byzantine to Islamic society than was previously appreciated. Proxies of societal decline and abandonment indicate a long and drawn-out sequence of events, beginning as early as a century before the Islamic conquest, and demonstrating change at a higher-order level of social organization versus continuity at a lower level. An integrated and high-resolution approach to synthesizing these data aims to link the chain of societal events to a series of potential causal factors, including climate change, plague, natural disaster, war and conflict, and human resilience to reach comprehensive understanding of this historical trajectory.

 

2. Yotam Tepper and Guy Bar Oz (University of Haifa)

Towards solving the puzzle of Byzantine settlement archaeology in the Negev Desert
Issues of settlement continuity or significant interruption in different Byzantine sites of the Negev complicates interpretations of the end of the Byzantine period and the transition to the Early Islamic. Preliminary findings and observations from renewed surveys and excavations at the sites of Shivta, Halutza and Nitzana allow to fine-tune our understanding of the history of the sites and document processes of development and continuity in different archaeological contexts. We excavated several trenches in public buildings, domestic structures, open areas and trash middens. At Shivta, excavated contexts produced predominantly material from the Byzantine period (4th–7th centuries CE), whereas evidence for settlement in earlier periods, primarily the Early Roman (1st century CE; ‘Nabataean’) and from the Middle Roman periods (2nd-early 3rd centuries CE), are scarce and encountered only in middens on the outskirts of the site. Several public and domestic structures were abandoned prior to the Early Islamic period; some were collapsed by earthquake long after their abandonment. Remains of the Early Islamic period were found only in isolated contexts, indicating that in spite of apparent continuity in occupation Shivta may have begun to decline in the Late Byzantine period after having flourished and reached its zenith during the 5th–6th centuries CE. Supporting observations from Halutza and Nitzana are also discussed.

 

3. Xin Yan (Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel) / Elisabetta Boaretto

Sub-century resolution for dating the end of the Byzantine period in the Southern Levant: the radiocarbon approach
The Byzantine florescence and subsequent decline in the Negev Desert of Israel is variably considered as the outcome of anthropogenic or natural causes, occurring within less than a hundred years (6th-7th c. CE). Determining cause and effect within this sequence depends on obtaining absolute and high-resolution time determinations, while controlling for potential diagenesis and mixing. In three different key Byzantine sites in the Negev: Elusa, Shivta and Nessana we applied a site-tailored strategy for sampling materials for radiocarbon dating, combined with detailed context characterization to determine in-situ deposition of datable materials.
Though the chronological framework and issues of synchronization within and across these sites continue to be studied, we present the field and lab methods of microarchaeology that we applied together with preliminary results. Samples for dating included both charred short-lived botanical remains and bones, collected from living surfaces within residential structures, activity areas (e.g. garbage dumps), other types of structures and agricultural insallations (e.g., dovecotes). Our preliminary data indicate continuous occupation in Shivta and Nessana from the Byzantine to Early Islamic period, whereas in the garbage dumps of Elusa, outside the city, dumping activities seem to have been halted or significantly slowed down after ca. 550 CE. Dovecotes near several of the Byzantine sites were only in use during the Byzantine period.

 

4. Tali Erickson-Gini (Israel Antiquities Authority)

New Horizons in the Study of Ceramic Evidence of the Byzantine Period from Recent Excavations in the Central Negev Sites of Shivta, Halutza and Avdat
In recent years, archaeological excavations in Shivta, Halutza and Avdat have uncovered new ceramic assemblages that shed light on developments in those sites in the Byzantine period. Excavations were conducted in a variety of contexts, emphasizing the study of biological and ceramic remains, including those present in trash dumps in Shivta and Haltuza, in a number of domestic structures and streets in Shivta, and inside buildings collapsed by earthquake in the Late Byzantine at Avdat. The ceramic material supports a division of the Byzantine into three definitive stages: Early period (350-450 CE), Middle (450-550 CE) and the Late (550-637 CE).
The Gaza wine jar, corresponding to Majcherek's Form 3, is the predominate vessel type in the Middle Byzantine period at Shivta and Halutza, making up nearly half of the studied assemblage from the city dumps in Halutza. The massive quantities of these jars evidence the widespread Byzantine wine production in the city. Locally produced wares of the Central Negev made up only a minority of the finds. Wares produced in Halutza were evident at Shivta in both the Middle and Late Byzantine periods. Here, the locally-produced type known as the bag-shaped jar outlived the Gaza wine jar well into the Umayyad period, presumably in wake of the demise of wine production following the Islamic conquest. Evidence from both Shivta and Avdat points to a significant shift towards the use of bag-shaped storage jars after the mid-6th cent. CE.

 

5. Nimrod Marom, Yotam Tepper and Guy Bar Oz (University of Haifa)

Archaeozoological Aspects of the Byzantine-Islamic Transition in the Negev
A comparative analysis of mammal and bird bone assemblages from the Negev sites of Haluza, Nizana and Shivta across the Byzantine/Islamic transition has revealed substantial changes that occurred in the 6th-7th centuries, including the cessation of pigeon keeping and changes in the representation of livestock animals such as sheep, goats, pigs and camels. These shifts shed light on both the cultural and the economic aspects of a period that marked the end of urban fluorescence in the region for more than a millennium.

 

6. Sina Lehnig (Johannes Gutenberg Universität Mainz)

Animal Husbandry and Trade in the Negev Town Elusa
Since 2015, the Archaeological Institute of the University of Cologne in cooperation with the Israel Antiquities Authority has been conducting archaeological research in the Nabataean and Byzantine town Elusa, located in the northern Negev Desert. The archaeozoological study of animal remains revealed three different components of Elusa´s food supply during this period:
1) Domestic livestock dominated by caprines and pigs points to herding activity and animal husbandry in the urban hinterland of the town
2) Remains of gazelle, ostrich, wild boar and deer indicate the exploitation of natural resources in the Negev Desert and possibly import of wild game from the mediterranean woodlands
3) Imported molluscs and fish place Elusa within a trading network with frequent access to the resources of the Nile River, the Red Sea and the Mediterranean
Butchery marks on the bones and large trash accumulations at the outskirts of the town testify evidence to the processes of final preparation, consumption and disposal of the food, centered around Elusa´s urban area.
This presentation will discuss how these different components were integrated within an environment which was characterized by aridity and high temperatures, and evolved in the context of an urban landscape surrounded by well-organized agriculture, and involved in trade networks.

 

7. Rachel Blevis and Guy Bar Oz (University of Haifa) / Irit Zohar (Oranim Academic College)

From Sea to Desert platter- the Role of Fish in the Byzantine Negev
During the Roman and Byzantine periods (1st–6th centuries A.D.), we find evidence for major expansion of agriculture in the Negev. Recent excavation of some of the major sites: Halutza, Shivta and Nitzana, included application of systematic sieving with fine mesh. Surprisingly, among the vertebrate remains fish were highly abundant.
Here we present preliminary analyses of ca. 7000 fish remains recovered from garbage dumps and abandoned houses of Shivta (NISP=5,000 ) and Elusa (NISP=1380), dated to the Late Byzantine and Early Islamic periods. The preponderance of fish remains exhibits, for the first time that fish played a major role in the diet of the sites inhabitants, as well as in the economy and trade relations with neighboring areas. We find evidence that the fish originated from diverse and separated aquatic habitats including the Red Sea, Mediterranean Sea, Nile, and freshwater. All were exported through the Negev sites and were used for personal consumption or as trading goods. The information obtained from the fish remains, can significantly contribute to the debate regarding the impact of climate versus social and political shifts towards the end of the Byzantine period.

 

8. Daniel Fuks and Ehud Weiss (Bar Ilan University, Israel)

Seeds of collapse: Archaeobotanical investigations of Byzantine and Islamic contexts
Macrobotanical remains are a central component of the refuse middens investigated by the Byzantine Bio-Archaeology Research Program of the Negev (BYBAN). Such finds allow us to examine the timing, causes, and nature of the Byzantine-Early Islamic transition through archaeobotanical proxies for diet, cultivation, trade, and the natural vegetation. Regional comparison of finds from three sites: Shivta, Nitzana and Halutza, will allow us to situate our findings within a broader reconstruction of local economic and environmental diversity. Chronological variations will provide evidence for transformation of the region’s society, economy and environment, illuminating broad historical questions in the wider region. These include the effects of historical climate change versus those of societal transformation on settlement decline between the Byzantine and Early Islamic periods, the decline of Mediterranean trade, the urban transition “from polis to madina”, and the supposed Islamic green revolution. Here we present some preliminary conclusions gleaned from the plant remains.

 

9. Mordechay Benzaquen and Dafna Langgut (Tel Aviv University)

Dendroarchaelogical Investigations of the Byzantine Negev
Taxonomic identification was conducted for charcoal samples retrieved from the Elusa excavations. All of the analyzed specimens were found to be native elements of the local Israeli flora with a vast majority being characteristic of the current vegetation surrounding Elusa. This suggests that during the Byzantine period a broadly similar arid environment typified the vicinity of the site. Particularly, desert flora such as tamarisk and boxthorn were the main wood sources used within Elusa. While the presence of both species likely represents fuel use, tamarisk is considered a mediocre source whereas boxthorn, with its high wood density, is considered a superior one. Between the early to middle Byzantine period a marked increase in tamarisk is observed together with a decrease in boxthorn, suggesting a possible depletion of quality firewood between the two periods. This inference is also supported by the exclusive presence of other select fuel sources such as white broom during the early phase of the Byzantine period. Regarding Mediterranean flora, it was seen to be more abundant in the Early Byzantine phase. While Mediterranean tree species such as cypress, Aleppo pine, Kermes oak, buckthorn and terebinth must have been transported from neighbouring regions for use in construction and crafts, the occurrence of fruit crops such as common fig, Sycomore fig and olive within the carbonized wood assemblage likely attests to local agricultural endeavours in the Byzantine Negev.

 

10. Meirav Meiri (Tel Aviv University) / Nathan Wales / Nimrod Marom / Elisabetta Boaretto / Yotam Tepper / Tom Gilbert / Guy Bar Oz

Dendroarchaelogical Investigations of the Byzantine Negev
It has long been thought that widespread cultivation of grapes and production of wine in the arid Negev in southern Israel (<150 mm per annum precipitation) flourished during the Byzantine period and possibly extended into the beginning of the Islamic period. During the 5th and 6th centuries the port city of Gaza gained a reputation as a producer of a vintage exported to the west and Gaza wine was highly popular with evidence for extensive demand for it across the Byzantine Empire. Archaeological findings relating to this large-scale industry, including large wine presses, abound near settlements across the Negev during this period. In this study we use ancient DNA including Next Generation techniques to reveal the grape genome during Byzantine and early Islamic periods. By comparing grape ancient DNA to that of a range of modern varieties found in the southern Levant as well as in other relevant regions we aim to reconstruct the ancient grape varieties, their origin and cultivation processes.

 

11. Don Butler, Zach Dunseth and Ruth Shahack-Gross (University of Haifa)

Microarchaeological Investigations of Waste Management at Byzantine-Early Islamic Settlements in the Negev
Much of what is known about past human adaptations in the Negev Desert of Israel is based on architecture and archaeological excavations within city walls. While these data have been put to excellent use in defining lifeways in the region, microarchaeological studies of sediments are currently making significant contributions to clarifying subsistence strategies. As a part of the Byzantine Crisis project, our research moves beyond the confines of settlement walls to investigate the sediments of hinterland trash mounds for evidence of economic dynamics. Focusing on trash mounds near the Byzantine-Early Islamic (5th-10th centuries C.E.) sites of Shivta, Elusa, and Nessana, we consider how microarchaeological evidence for different types of refuse and its management can improve our understanding of economic stability and change. Analyses of stratigraphy, mineralogy, and micro-remains suggest that construction materials comprise the majority of the Byzantine portions of mounds at Elusa and Shivta, with interspersed mixtures of burned wood and dung likely representing dumped fireplace ashes. A different scenario is emerging at the Early Islamic portion of a mound at Nesanna. The mound appears to have been burned several times. Sediment analyses suggest that dung was burned at the disposal site. This type of refuse management may indicate shifts in the importance of pastoralism and agriculture, a key feature to understanding resilience within the Negev Byzantine settlement system.

 

12. Petra Vaiglova (University of Haifa) / Gideon Hartman (University of Conneticut)

Isotopic proxies for disentangling environmental and societal change at Halutza and Nitzana, urban settlements in the Negev Desert
This paper will present the preliminary findings of isotopic analysis of tooth enamel carbonate and dentine collagen of domestic caprines and wild bovids from Halutza and Nitzana. The analysis aims to reconstruct animal management patterns across the Byzantine and Early Islamic periods in order to understand possible climatic and/or societal shifts across this historical transition. Patterns in animal feeding habits, interpreted through sequential enamel carbonate δ13C and δ18O values and tooth dentine δ13C and δ15N values, will be used to reconstruct local herding practices and l shed light on seasonal availability of vegetation in the surrounding arid landscape. Additionally, measurement of 87Sr/86Sr ratios will provide information about the animals’ origin of birth and possible movement along the trade networks. Contextualization of the stable isotope data with the matching radiocarbon sequence will enable an examination of chronological shifts leading up to the abandonment of the Byzantine settlements in the Negev desert.

 

13. Sára Lantos (University of Haifa)

Imported Fish, Exported Wine: An Economy of Production and Trade
During the Byzantine period there existed a flourishing urban society in the Negev Desert. Two significant activities in these settlements consisted of agriculture and trade. One of the most famous wines of the period came from the Gaza area, and it is possible that a major portion of the exported wine was in fact produced in the Negev and distributed throughout the Mediterranean by means of the harbor of Gaza and arguably also that of Ascalon.
The ancient routes that connected the Red Sea and the Mediterranean crossed directly through the Negev, and would have served for positioning the local settlements within the extended networks of both Seas and beyond, offering enhanced connectivity on both micro- and macro-regional scale. This latter feature is further accentuated by evidence for the intense importation of goods to the Negev. Remains of fish from the Red Sea were discovered in the excavations, most distinctly of the luxurious parrot fish.
These indicators for production and trade offer a valuable insight into the social and economic conditions of the Negev micro region. Gauging the intensity of their appearance might offer an understanding of processes of continuity and change during the passage from the Byzantine to the Early Muslim period.