Hila May
Biographic Data
| ID | 110684 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Hila May |
| GIVEN NAMES | Hila |
| FAMILY NAME | May |
| SIGNATURE | MAY H |
| AFFILIATIONS | Tel Aviv University |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-5256-2369 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 30 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 57 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 30 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2011 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 5 |
Reconstructing Lifeways and Social Differentiation in the Pre‐Pottery Neolithic B Population of Nahal Yarmuth 38, Central Israel
A mass grave of young children and infants from the Persian period in Tel Azekah and its importance for the understanding of burial practices of unweaned infants
During the excavations at Tel Azekah, a cistern was discovered on the tell’s lower plateau containing the remains of a minimum of 68 individuals, almost all of whom were infants and young children. The osteological analysis revealed that approximately 90% of the individuals were under five years of age, 70% even less than two years old. The burial seems to be primary, and the deposition of the remains was dated to the Persian period (ca. 5th cent…
Nahal Yarmuth 38
Death and Depths
Exploring and using remote segments of complex karst systems represents the incorporation of one of the wildest and most demanding natural environments into the cultural fabric of Neolithic-Chalcolithic village-based communities in the Levant. The unique preservation of an early fifth-millennium bce activity phase in Har Sifsof Cave in northern Israel allows for a detailed investigation of an early case of human interaction with the deep undergro…
Evidence from Tinshemet Cave in Israel suggests behavioural uniformity across Homo groups in the Levantine mid-Middle Palaeolithic circa 130,000-80,000 years ago
The south Levantine mid-Middle Palaeolithic (mid-MP; ~130-80 thousand years ago (ka)) is remarkable for its exceptional evidence of human morphological variability, with contemporaneous fossils of Homo sapiens and Neanderthal-like hominins. Yet, it remains unclear whether these hominins adhered to discrete behavioural sets or whether regional-scale intergroup interactions could have homogenized mid-MP behaviour. Here we report on our discoveries …
Animals' paleopathology
Animal domestication led to changes in the interaction between animals and humans, including new ways of exploitation, which could potentially leave lesions on the animals' bones. This study aims to examine changes in the prevalence of pathological manifestation following changes in human‐animal interactions as a result their domestication. For this purpose, we studied 19,565 animal remains recovered from archaeological excavations, dated from th…
La courbure et les propriétés biomécaniques de la diaphyse fémorale d'Homo neanderthalensis et d'Homo sapiens révèlent-elles des stratégies bio-mécaniques distinctes pour la bipédie
La courbure et le modèle de distribution corticale de la diaphyse fémorale sont des traits rapportés à la locomotion. Ils diffèrent cependant entre Homo sapiens et Homo neanderthalensis, malgré leurs similarités posturo-locomotrice : un renforcement cortical antéropostérieur plus prononcé chez H. sapiens, une courbure plus marquée chez H. neanderthalensis. L’objectif de cette étude est de déterminer si ces différences reflètent deux stratégies bi…
Metal prills in primary glass
Age estimation of archeological populations using secondary dentin analysis
Les sinus frontaux au cours de l'évolution humaine
Les sinus frontaux sont des cavités qui se situent à l’intérieur de l’os frontal, à la jonction entre le visage et la voûte crânienne, et à proximité du cerveau. Nous proposons l’étude la plus complète jamais réalisée de ces sinus, grâce à une méthodologie facile à mettre en œuvre et reproductible. La taille des sinus frontaux est corrélée à la taille du crâne, et en lien avec celle des reliefs osseux situés au-dessus des orbites, chez les chimpa…
Alone in a cave
The remains of a >50-years-old male, thus far representing the only complete skeleton dated to the Early Chalcolithic (Wadi Rabah) period in Israel, were recovered in a cave in the Judaean desert (Nahal Mishmar, F1-003). The old male suffered abscesses in the maxilla following tooth caries, and a well-healed trauma in the left tibial midshaft. Skull and mandibular morphology were described using plain measurements, indices and angles, and compare…
Defects of the femoral head‐neck junction
Femoral head‐neck defects (FHNDs) are commonly reported in the anatomical and anthropological literature. The best known types are Allen's fossa and Poirier's facet; however, their definition and etiology are still debated. The aims of this study were to revise the categorization and identification of FHNDs and to reveal their prevalence in a skeletal sample. The femora of 238 individuals (161 males and 77 females) aged between 21 and 93 years ol…
Rediscovering Geula Cave
The dental remains from the Early Upper Paleolithic of Manot Cave, Israel
Trends in Ancient Populations’ Osteobiography during the Holocene
The rapid changes in our surroundings during the Holocene challenge the human body. The current study, carried out on the terminal Pleistocene-Holocene populations of the Levant, presents several examples of how changes in the habitation and diet have affected the disease patterns and the gross morphology of long bones and mandibles. Our major findings were that the prehistoric Natufian (67%) and the protohistoric Chalcolithic (80%) populations e…
Early Upper Paleolithic human foot bones from Manot Cave, Israel
Unique foot posture in Neanderthals reflects their body mass and high mechanical stress
The endocast of the late Middle Paleolithic Manot 1 specimen, Western Galilee, Israel
Roman and Byzantine Burials at Yavneh-Yam
This paper discusses Roman and Byzantine tombs and burial caves at Yavneh-Yam (the harbor site of ancient Iamnia) excavated in the 1960s and 1980s. It focuses on the finds recovered during these excavations as a means to enhance our knowledge on the site’s social and religious history vis-à-vis the inhabited site’s recent excavations and studies. More specifically, the discussed funerary remains reflect the changes in the site’s social compositio…
Variation in Chin and Mandibular Symphysis Size and Shape in Males and Females
The chin is a unique anatomical landmark of modern humans. Its size and shape play an important role from the esthetic perspective. However, disagreement exists in the dental and anthropological literature regarding the sex differences in chin and symphysis morphometrics. The "sexual selection" theory is presented as a possible reason for chin formation in our species; however, many other contradictory theories also exist. This study's aims were …
Ear infection prevalence in prehistoric and historic populations of the southern Levant
Studying infectious diseases in ancient times is of significant importance to our understanding of past populations' ways of life. Otitis media (OM) is beneficial for this purpose because it is frequent and influenced by environmental conditions. The aims of the current study were to create a reliable criterion for identifying OM in skeletal material, and to follow trends regarding the prevalence of OM throughout the terminal Pleistocene-Holocene…
Before the massive modern human dispersal into Eurasia
Nahal Yarmuth 38
The earliest modern humans outside Africa
Earliest modern humans out of Africa Recent paleoanthropological studies have suggested that modern humans migrated from Africa as early as the beginning of the Late Pleistocene, 120,000 years ago. Hershkovitz et al. now suggest that early modern humans were already present outside of Africa more than 55,000 years earlier (see the Perspective by Stringer and Galway-Witham). During excavations of sediments at Mount Carmel, Israel, they found a fos…
Changes in mandible characteristics during the terminal Pleistocene to Holocene Levant and their association with dietary habits
Physical burden and lower limb bone structure at the origin of agriculture in the levant
The transition to food production in the southern Levant was accompanied by reduced physical stress and mobility, with the most marked effects occurring toward the end of the PPN with increasing sedentism. Deterioration of nutrition and health also occurred, but more continuously from the beginning of the PPN. Thus, environmental changes associated with the agricultural transition in this region of the world were gradual and prolonged, with direc…
Rediscovering Geula Cave
The dental remains from the Early Upper Paleolithic of Manot Cave, Israel
Unique foot posture in Neanderthals reflects their body mass and high mechanical stress
Before the massive modern human dispersal into Eurasia
Assyrian Attitude Towards Captive Enemies
The Assyrians, who ruled at the height of their power between Egypt and the Persian Gulf (745–630 BC), are known from historical records to have been cruel and unrelenting towards their enemies. However, osteological evidence for this behavior is scarce. We herein present a case of an adult male skeleton, dated to the Iron Age IIB period (second half of the 8th century BC), who manifests traumatic injuries to the skull, left forearm, vertebrae, a…
Early Upper Paleolithic human foot bones from Manot Cave, Israel
Ear infection prevalence in prehistoric and historic populations of the southern Levant
Studying infectious diseases in ancient times is of significant importance to our understanding of past populations' ways of life. Otitis media (OM) is beneficial for this purpose because it is frequent and influenced by environmental conditions. The aims of the current study were to create a reliable criterion for identifying OM in skeletal material, and to follow trends regarding the prevalence of OM throughout the terminal Pleistocene-Holocene…
Nahal Yarmuth 38
Evidence from Tinshemet Cave in Israel suggests behavioural uniformity across Homo groups in the Levantine mid-Middle Palaeolithic circa 130,000-80,000 years ago
The south Levantine mid-Middle Palaeolithic (mid-MP; ~130-80 thousand years ago (ka)) is remarkable for its exceptional evidence of human morphological variability, with contemporaneous fossils of Homo sapiens and Neanderthal-like hominins. Yet, it remains unclear whether these hominins adhered to discrete behavioural sets or whether regional-scale intergroup interactions could have homogenized mid-MP behaviour. Here we report on our discoveries …
Animals' paleopathology
Animal domestication led to changes in the interaction between animals and humans, including new ways of exploitation, which could potentially leave lesions on the animals' bones. This study aims to examine changes in the prevalence of pathological manifestation following changes in human‐animal interactions as a result their domestication. For this purpose, we studied 19,565 animal remains recovered from archaeological excavations, dated from th…
Age estimation of archeological populations using secondary dentin analysis
The endocast of the late Middle Paleolithic Manot 1 specimen, Western Galilee, Israel
Changes in mandible characteristics during the terminal Pleistocene to Holocene Levant and their association with dietary habits
Hyperostosis frontalis interna
Objectives: To examine whether the prevalence and severity of hyperostosis frontalis interna (HFI) has significantly changed during the past 100 years. Methods: Two female populations, 100 years apart, were studied; 992 historic and 568 present day females. Detection of HFI was carried out via direct observation or CT images (Brilliance 64, Philips Medical Systems, Cleveland, Ohio). HFI was graded according to Hershkovitz et al.'s (1999) 4‐scale …
Intracranial volume, cranial thickness, and hyperostosis frontalis interna in the elderly
OBJECTIVES: According to the "brain reserve hypothesis," a larger premorbid brain protects against the development of dementia. The aim of this study was to reveal a possible pathophysiology of brain degenerative diseases by studying intracranial bone lesions that act to reduce intracranial volume (ICV), such as hyperostosis frontalis interna (HFI). METHODS: Three hundred and eighty postmenopausal females (aged 60+) who had undergone a head compu…
Levantine cranium from Manot Cave (Israel) foreshadows the first European modern humans
Assyrian Attitude Towards Captive Enemies
The Assyrians, who ruled at the height of their power between Egypt and the Persian Gulf (745–630 BC), are known from historical records to have been cruel and unrelenting towards their enemies. However, osteological evidence for this behavior is scarce. We herein present a case of an adult male skeleton, dated to the Iron Age IIB period (second half of the 8th century BC), who manifests traumatic injuries to the skull, left forearm, vertebrae, a…
Physical burden and lower limb bone structure at the origin of agriculture in the levant
The transition to food production in the southern Levant was accompanied by reduced physical stress and mobility, with the most marked effects occurring toward the end of the PPN with increasing sedentism. Deterioration of nutrition and health also occurred, but more continuously from the beginning of the PPN. Thus, environmental changes associated with the agricultural transition in this region of the world were gradual and prolonged, with direc…
The earliest modern humans outside Africa
Earliest modern humans out of Africa Recent paleoanthropological studies have suggested that modern humans migrated from Africa as early as the beginning of the Late Pleistocene, 120,000 years ago. Hershkovitz et al. now suggest that early modern humans were already present outside of Africa more than 55,000 years earlier (see the Perspective by Stringer and Galway-Witham). During excavations of sediments at Mount Carmel, Israel, they found a fos…
Changes in mandible characteristics during the terminal Pleistocene to Holocene Levant and their association with dietary habits
Before the massive modern human dispersal into Eurasia
Nahal Yarmuth 38
Roman and Byzantine Burials at Yavneh-Yam
This paper discusses Roman and Byzantine tombs and burial caves at Yavneh-Yam (the harbor site of ancient Iamnia) excavated in the 1960s and 1980s. It focuses on the finds recovered during these excavations as a means to enhance our knowledge on the site’s social and religious history vis-à-vis the inhabited site’s recent excavations and studies. More specifically, the discussed funerary remains reflect the changes in the site’s social compositio…
Variation in Chin and Mandibular Symphysis Size and Shape in Males and Females
The chin is a unique anatomical landmark of modern humans. Its size and shape play an important role from the esthetic perspective. However, disagreement exists in the dental and anthropological literature regarding the sex differences in chin and symphysis morphometrics. The "sexual selection" theory is presented as a possible reason for chin formation in our species; however, many other contradictory theories also exist. This study's aims were …
Ear infection prevalence in prehistoric and historic populations of the southern Levant
Studying infectious diseases in ancient times is of significant importance to our understanding of past populations' ways of life. Otitis media (OM) is beneficial for this purpose because it is frequent and influenced by environmental conditions. The aims of the current study were to create a reliable criterion for identifying OM in skeletal material, and to follow trends regarding the prevalence of OM throughout the terminal Pleistocene-Holocene…
Defects of the femoral head‐neck junction
Femoral head‐neck defects (FHNDs) are commonly reported in the anatomical and anthropological literature. The best known types are Allen's fossa and Poirier's facet; however, their definition and etiology are still debated. The aims of this study were to revise the categorization and identification of FHNDs and to reveal their prevalence in a skeletal sample. The femora of 238 individuals (161 males and 77 females) aged between 21 and 93 years ol…
Rediscovering Geula Cave
The dental remains from the Early Upper Paleolithic of Manot Cave, Israel
Trends in Ancient Populations’ Osteobiography during the Holocene
The rapid changes in our surroundings during the Holocene challenge the human body. The current study, carried out on the terminal Pleistocene-Holocene populations of the Levant, presents several examples of how changes in the habitation and diet have affected the disease patterns and the gross morphology of long bones and mandibles. Our major findings were that the prehistoric Natufian (67%) and the protohistoric Chalcolithic (80%) populations e…
Early Upper Paleolithic human foot bones from Manot Cave, Israel
Unique foot posture in Neanderthals reflects their body mass and high mechanical stress
The endocast of the late Middle Paleolithic Manot 1 specimen, Western Galilee, Israel
Metal prills in primary glass
Age estimation of archeological populations using secondary dentin analysis
Les sinus frontaux au cours de l'évolution humaine
Les sinus frontaux sont des cavités qui se situent à l’intérieur de l’os frontal, à la jonction entre le visage et la voûte crânienne, et à proximité du cerveau. Nous proposons l’étude la plus complète jamais réalisée de ces sinus, grâce à une méthodologie facile à mettre en œuvre et reproductible. La taille des sinus frontaux est corrélée à la taille du crâne, et en lien avec celle des reliefs osseux situés au-dessus des orbites, chez les chimpa…
Alone in a cave
The remains of a >50-years-old male, thus far representing the only complete skeleton dated to the Early Chalcolithic (Wadi Rabah) period in Israel, were recovered in a cave in the Judaean desert (Nahal Mishmar, F1-003). The old male suffered abscesses in the maxilla following tooth caries, and a well-healed trauma in the left tibial midshaft. Skull and mandibular morphology were described using plain measurements, indices and angles, and compare…
Animals' paleopathology
Animal domestication led to changes in the interaction between animals and humans, including new ways of exploitation, which could potentially leave lesions on the animals' bones. This study aims to examine changes in the prevalence of pathological manifestation following changes in human‐animal interactions as a result their domestication. For this purpose, we studied 19,565 animal remains recovered from archaeological excavations, dated from th…
La courbure et les propriétés biomécaniques de la diaphyse fémorale d'Homo neanderthalensis et d'Homo sapiens révèlent-elles des stratégies bio-mécaniques distinctes pour la bipédie
La courbure et le modèle de distribution corticale de la diaphyse fémorale sont des traits rapportés à la locomotion. Ils diffèrent cependant entre Homo sapiens et Homo neanderthalensis, malgré leurs similarités posturo-locomotrice : un renforcement cortical antéropostérieur plus prononcé chez H. sapiens, une courbure plus marquée chez H. neanderthalensis. L’objectif de cette étude est de déterminer si ces différences reflètent deux stratégies bi…
Archaeology (21 works) · Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology Studies (21 works) · Geography (21 works) · Biology (12 works) · Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology (12 works) · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies (11 works) · Cave (10 works) · Paleontology (9 works) · Population (9 works) · Anatomy (8 works)