Chalcolithic Dwelling Remains, Cup Marks and Olive (Olea europaea) Stones at Nevallat

During recent excavations alongside a tributary of Nahal Nevallat (grid ref. 146.524154.188),1 c. 20 km. south-east of Tel Aviv, Chalcolithic settlement remains were recovered. A brief presentation of the site is followed by a discussion of the analysis results of some of the botanical remains found in association with the dwelling remains.2 The site is situated in the foothills region, on the western flank of the mountainous Shomron anticline, c. 100 m. above sea-level. Excavations were carried out on a terrace, situated on the north-west slope of a hill overlooking the now dry channel of Nahal Nevallat (Fig. 1). Several archaeological features were uncovered on this terrace, including a partially collapsed carstic cave structure (12 8 3 m.), which was apparently used during two separate phases in the Chalcolithic period. It must have caved in long before the first Chalcolithic settlers arrived at the site. Cave deposits consist of two major fills, one covering the central area of the collapsed cave down to bedrock level and consisting of fist-sized pebbles/gravel mixed with appreciable amounts of Chalcolithic pottery and basalt vessel fragments (L 117), and the other consisting of medium-sized rocks filling a very deep sinkhole (a natural, pit-like feature often found in carstic caves) and also mixed with Chalcolithic pottery fragments. The stones used for both fills must have derived from quarrying activities in the immediate surroundings of the cave,3 an observation corroborated, for example, by the presence of a deep shaft dug during the Chalcolithic, situated slightly to the east, on the same terrace. The interspersed ceramic and basalt fragments most likely derived from the contemporary settlement remains nearby (see below). It would appear, therefore, that the cave area was filled in by man