The Pre-Pottery Neolithic Site of Atlit-Yam

Submerged Prehistoric Settlements

Several Neolithic settlements dating from the 9th to the 7th millennium
BP (uncalibrated C14) have been exposed on the seabed along
the Carmel coast. The sites include a Pre-Pottery Neolithic C
(PPNC) settlement called Atlit-Yam, and five Pottery-Neolithic
(PN) settlements belonging to the Wadi Rabah culture.

Atlit-Yam

Megalithic structure - after excavation

The site of Atlit-Yam is situated some 200-400 m offshore, at a depth of 812 m and extends over an area of ca. 40000 m2. Radiocarbon dates for
the site gave a range of 8180-7550 years BP (uncalibrated). The
architectural finds consist of stone-built water-wells, foundations of
rectangular structures, series of long unconnected walls, round
installations, ritual installations and stone-paved areas. In addition, 65
human skeletons were discovered in both primary and secondary burials.
In at least four of the male individuals, an inner ear pathology - auditory
exostosis - caused by diving in cold water, was observed.
Faunal remains consisted of bones of wild and domesticated animals,
including domesticated sheep/goat, pig and dog and cattle on the verge of
domestication, as well as numerous remains of marine fish. The fish
remains included more than 6000 bones, most of them belonged to
Balistes carolinesis, (the grey trigger fish), and a few to Serranidae,
Sparidae, Sciaenidae, Mugillidae and other fish families. Artifacts made of
stone, bone, wood and flint were also recovered, as well as large
quantities of botanical remains, including seeds of domesticated wheat,
barley, lentil and flax. Some of the artifacts and plant remains may be
associated with fishing. The archaeological material indicates that the
economy of the site was complex and was based on the combined
utilization of terrestrial and marine resources involving plant cultivation,
livestock husbandry, hunting, gathering and fishing. The Atlit-Yam site

provides the earliest known evidence for an agro-pastoral-marine

subsistence system on the Levantine coast.
Megalithic Installations

Artist's Reconstruction of Megalithic Structure

A ritual installation of megaliths was found at the Atlit-Yam site. It consists
of seven stones (1-2.1 m long), six of which are still standing upright,
forming a circle (diameter ca. 2.5 m) open to the northwest. The bases of
the standing stones are covered with gray travertine attesting to the
presence of fresh water in the past. Close to the standing stones to the
west, a few flat stone slabs (0.7-1.2 m long) were found lying horizontally.
On some of them were hewn shallow cup-marks. It is suggested that
these features formed part of a ritual structure, perhaps associated with a
fresh-water spring that may have existed at the site. Another installation
consists of three oval stones (1.6-1.8 m), two of which are circumscribed
by grooves forming schematic anthropomorphic figures.
Stone-built well from Atlit-Yam

Stone-Built Water Well, Atlit-Yam

The well was excavated down to its bottom (5.5 m below sea bottom, 15.5 m below sealevel); the sediments fill contained animal bones, stone, flint, wood and bone artifacts, in
addition to charcoal and waterlogged botanical remains. The finds indicate that in its final
stage, it ceased to function as a water-well and was used instead as a desposal pit. The change
in function was probably related to salinization of the water due to a rise in sea-level. The
wells from Atlit-Yam had probably been dug and constructed in the earliest stages of

occupation (the end of the 9th millennium BP) and were essential for the maintenance of a
permanent settlement in the area.