Fascinating archaeology from Eynan Mallaha [Ain Mallaha] in Upper Galilee — a Natufian site occupied roughly 14,300 to 11,900 years ago along Lake Hula. Builders constructed semi-subterranean circular homes from undressed limestone, some 7m wide. One early structure was coated in red lime plaster! Roofs used wooden frames with reed thatch, and interiors held stone hearths alongside flint-working areas. Walls still stand 1m tall after 12,000+ years.
Natufian settlement architecture and construction at Ain Mallaha/Eynan
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Key facts
- Ain Mallaha (also known as Eynan) is located in Upper Galilee on the shores of Lake Hula, Israel
- Radiocarbon dating shows early Natufian occupation dating to around 14,300 years ago, with the latest occupation around 11,900 years ago
- The settlement was constructed to the south of an active natural spring in marshland rich in animal and plant life
- Buildings were semi-subterranean with circular or semi-circular walls, some still standing 1 m in height after more than 12,000 years
- Earliest Natufian houses had a diameter of around 7 m; the latest structures were 3.5 m across
- Walls were constructed of raw undressed limestone blocks applied against a vertical surface cut into the slope of the land
- One early Natufian building was coated with red painted lime plaster
- Wooden frame roofs were covered mainly with reeds, confirmed by pollen analysis
- Each building contained a stone-built hearth set on a floor partially paved with slabs of rock or pebbles
- Internal spaces were organized with flint-working areas, flint debris on floors, and large stones interpreted as possible seating
Sources
hadashot-esi.org.il
Linked in video description
Eynan Mallaha [Ain Mallaha]vici.org
Ain Mallaha-Eynan was an Epipalaeolithic settlement belonging to the Natufian culture, settled ca 10,000–8,000 BC. It is an example of the transition period ...
Eynan/Ain Mallaha (10000–8200 B.C.)metmuseum.org
The site of Eynan/Ain Mallaha, situated between the hills of Galilee and Lake Hula in the Levant, was inhabited during the Natufian period.
Eynan (Ain Mallaha)shs.hal.science
by F Valla · 2017 · Cited by 49 — Later, during the. Natufian period, the site was one of the main human settlements in the Levant, intermittently inhabited for several ...
A New Look at Shelter 131/51 in the Natufian Site of Eynan ...pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
by G Haklay · 2015 · Cited by 36 — The site of Eynan is located about 200m south to the spring of Eynan, the largest spring of the Hula Valley in the northern Jordan rift.
ʿAin Mallahaen.wikipedia.org
This site is located in the Hula Valley of northern Israel, 25 kilometres (16 mi) north of the Sea of Galilee,
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