Motza (Early PPNB)
Basic information
Sample name: Motza (Early PPNB)

Sample aka: Tel Motza

Reference: L. Sapir-Hen, G. Bar-Oz, H. Khalaily, and T. Dayan. 2009. Gazelle exploitation in the early Neolithic site of Motza, Israel: the last of the gazelle hunters in the southern Levant. Journal of Archaeological Science 36(7):1538-1546 [ER 3751]
Geography
Country: Israel



Coordinate: 31° 47' 40" N, 35° 9' 50" E
Coordinate basis: stated in text

Time interval: Holocene

Section: 3751

Unit number: 1

Unit order: below to above

Max Ma: 0.0105

Min Ma: 0.0101

Age basis: radiocarbon (calibrated)

Geography comments: "Motza is an Early to Middle Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (PPNB) site located in the Judean Mountains, 5 km west of Jerusalem".
"Layer VI, the Early PPNB stratum, has been dated to 10,500–10,100 cal. BP".

Environment
Lithology: not described

Taphonomic context: human accumulation,settlement

Archaeology: bone tools,hearths,stone tools,other artifacts

Habitat comments: "The Neolithic site of Motza was first noted in the 1920s when artefacts including arrowheads, sickle blades and bifaces, were collected during a cursory survey. The first in situ Neolithic remains were discovered in 2000 when a test trench was excavated at the southern margin of the site".
"There were no architectural features except for a few constructed small hearths. Tools, on the other hand, were abundant, including points, sickle blades, bone tools, and a remarkable hafted tool". Other flint tools (axes and knives), a figurine of an ox made of clay, a stone-carved human face, seeds, stone bracelets, and other objects have also been found from the site.

Methods
Life forms: carnivores,rodents,ungulates,other small mammals,lizards,turtles

Sampling methods: quarry,screenwash

Sample size: 4778 specimens

Years: 2002, 2003

Sampling comments: "Two PPNB strata were uncovered in two seasons of excavation (2002, 2003)".
"The excavation grid was 1 m2, with a depth of 10 cm. Sediment from floors was wet sieved through 1 mm mesh, and material recovered from other areas was dry sieved through 2 mm mesh. Zooarchaeological finds were packed in separate bags that were labelled with the archaeological context".

Metadata
Sample number: 3999

Contributor: Benjamin Carter

Enterer: Benjamin Carter

Created: 2022-10-07 14:18:07

Modified: 2023-05-30 01:58:30

Abundance distribution
18 species
1 singleton
total count 4778
geometric series index: 21.5
Fisher's α: 2.365
geometric series k: 0.6259
Hurlbert's PIE: 0.6088
Shannon's H: 1.4566
Good's u: 0.9998
Each square represents a species. Square sizes are proportional to counts.
Register
Gazella gazella288121 kg
also 1155 "Body size Gazelle"
Sus scrofa35854 kg herbivore
298 "Body size Sus"
Capra sp.144
also 57 Caprinae indet.
Bos primigenius100
also 50 "Body size Bos"
Dama dama mesopotamica362 kg
"Dama mesopotamica"
Capreolus capreolus222 kg browser
Vulpes vulpes5615.3 kg carnivore-insectivore
also 412 "Body size Vulpes"
Felis lybica1544.5 kg carnivore
"Felis silvestris": species assignment based on geography
Martes foina171.3 kg carnivore-frugivore
Canis lupus543 kg carnivore
Meles meles410 kg invertivore-herbivore
Panthera leo1147 kg carnivore
Testudo graeca313
Lepus capensis181
Sciurus sp.28
Spalax sp.3
Erinaceus europaeus16
Pseudopus apodus7
"Ophisaurus apodus"