Israel Hershkovitz
Datos Biográficos
| ID | 78669 |
|---|---|
| NOMBRE | Israel Hershkovitz |
| NOMBRES | Israel |
| APELLIDO | Hershkovitz |
| FIRMA | HERSHKOVITZ I |
| AFILIACIONES | Tel Aviv University |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-5841-6090 |
| VERIFICADO | Sí |
| TOTAL DE OBRAS | 128 |
| TOTAL DE CITAS | 1001 |
| TOTAL COMO AUTOR | 127 |
| TOTAL COMO EDITOR | 1 |
| PRIMER AÑO DE PUBLICACIÓN | 1979 |
| AÑO MÁS RECIENTE DE PUBLICACIÓN | 2026 |
| ÍNDICE H | 16 |
Evolutionary pathways to modern human bipedalism
Pondering Prehistory
Pondering Prehistory
Israel Hershkovitz, ישראל הרשקוביץ, Southern Levantine Homo populations’ dynamic during the Late Lower and Middle Paleolithic (400-50 ka) - הדינמיקה של אוכלוסיות האדם בדרום הלבנט בסוף התקופה הפליאוליתית התחתונה ובתקופה הפליאוליתית התיכונה (50-400 אלף שנים לפני זמננו), Mitekufat Haeven: Journal of the Israel Prehistoric Society / מתקופת האבן, כרך נ"ה (2025), pp. 171-213
A new analysis of the neurocranium and mandible of the Skhūl I child
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…
From Pigeons to Raptors
Avian exploitation during the Early Upper Paleolithic (EUP) is frequently interpreted as a marker of socioeconomic intensification across Europe and the Levant. However, the specific character of avian exploitation in the Levant has remained unexplored due to the scarcity of detailed zooarchaeological analyses. This study addresses this gap by analyzing bird remains from the well-stratified sequence at Manot Cave, Israel. The analysis focuses on …
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 …
Intra-site variability – Analysis, characterization, and cultural affiliation of the Upper Paleolithic sequence of Manot Cave (western Galilee, Israel)
The site of Manot Cave in western Galilee, Israel, has been a focus of research on the Levantine Upper Paleolithic since its discovery in 2008. Thick archaeological accumulations and good preservation of organic remains, including charcoal fragments, provided a stable base for the study of the Upper Paleolithic chrono-cultural sequence, alongside the paleoenvironmental conditions at the time of human occupations. Past research indicated the prese…
Hof Shahaf
The Last Natufian Inhabitants of el-Wad Terrace
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
Personal ornaments from Hayonim and Manot caves (Israel) hint at symbolic ties between the Levantine and the European Aurignacian
Situated at the crossroads of Africa and Eurasia, the Levant is a crucial region for understanding the origins and spread of Upper Paleolithic (UP) traditions associated with the spread of modern humans. Of the two local Early Upper Paleolithic technocomplexes, the Ahmarian and the Levantine Aurignacian, the latter appears to be unique in the endemic UP sequence, exhibiting greater similarity to the West European 'classic' Aurignacian than to the…
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…
Climatic and environmental conditions in the Western Galilee, during Late Middle and Upper Paleolithic periods, based on speleothems from Manot Cave, Israel
Introduction to special issue
In search of modern humans and the Early Upper Paleolithic at Manot Cave
Karst terrain in the western upper Galilee, Israel
The Marine Isotope Stage 3 landscape around Manot Cave (Israel) and the food habits of anatomically modern humans
The endocast of the late Middle Paleolithic Manot 1 specimen, Western Galilee, Israel
Preliminary observations on the Levantine Aurignacian sequence of Manot Cave
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 …
Before the massive modern human dispersal into Eurasia
The Last Natufian Inhabitants of el-Wad Terrace
Hyperostosis frontalis interna
Middle pleistocene dental remains from Qesem Cave (Israel)
This study presents a description and comparative analysis of Middle Pleistocene permanent and deciduous teeth from the site of Qesem Cave (Israel). All of the human fossils are assigned to the Acheulo‐Yabrudian Cultural Complex (AYCC) of the late Lower Paleolithic. The Middle Pleistocene age of the Qesem teeth (400–200 ka) places them chronologically earlier than the bulk of fossil hominin specimens previously known from southwest Asia. Three pe…
Musculoskeletal stress markers in Natufian hunter‐gatherers and Neolithic farmers in the Levant
This paper attempts to quantify the changes in activity patterns of early farming populations in the Levant through the musculoskeletal stress markers (MSM) of the upper limb as seen in skeletal remains. The transition to an agricultural way of life resulted in higher loads on the upper limb in Neolithic populations compared to the Natufian hunter‐gatherer populations that preceded them. The MSM pattern for males and females indicates a gender‐ba…
Qesem Cave
AVI GOPHER, RAN BARKAI, RON SHIMELMITZ, MUHAMAD KHALAILY, CRISTINA LEMORINI, ISRAEL HESHKOVITZ, MARY STINER, Qesem Cave: An Amudian Site in Central Israel, Mitekufat Haeven: Journal of the Israel Prehistoric Society / מתקופת האבן, כרך ל"ה (תשס"ו / 2005), pp. 69-92
Dating the Lower to Middle Paleolithic transition in the Levant
Tooth wear and dental pathology at the advent of agriculture
Differences in patterns of diet and subsistence through the analysis of dental pathology and tooth wear were studied in skeletal populations of Natufian hunter‐gatherers (10,500–8300 BC) and Neolithic populations (8300–5500 BC, noncalibrated) from the southern Levant. 1,160 Natufians and 804 Neolithic teeth were examined for rate of attrition, caries, antemortem tooth loss, calculus, periapical lesions, and periodontal processes. While the Natufi…
The osseous industry from Manot Cave (Western Galilee, Israel)
New Subsistence Data and Human Remains from the Earliest Levantine Epipalaeolithic
Ohalo II H2
The discovery of well‐preserved human remains at the site of Ohalo II in the northern Jordan Valley substantially augments the meager fossil record of the Levantine late Upper Pleistocene. The Ohalo II H2 specimen, dated to ca. 19,000 B.P., is the most complete early Epipaleolithic hominid discovered in Israel and promises to contribute to the clarification of a number of problematic issues in the local evolution of anatomically modern humans. In…
New Middle Pleistocene dental remains from Qesem Cave (Israel)
Has the transition to agriculture reshaped the demographic structure of prehistoric populations? New evidence from the Levant
This paper presents the demographic changes that followed the transition from a hunting‐gathering way of life (Natufian) to an agricultural, food‐producing economy (Neolithic) in the southern Levant. The study is based on 217 Natufian (10,500–8,300 BC) skeletons and 262 Neolithic (8,300–5,500 BC) skeletons. Age and sex identification were carried out, and life tables were constructed. A five‐parameter competing hazard model developed by Siler ([ …
Comparative skeletal features between Homo floresiensis and patients with primary growth hormone insensitivity (Laron syndrome)
Comparison between the skeletal remains of Homo floresiensis and the auxological and roentgenological findings in a large Israeli cohort of patients with Laron Syndrome (LS, primary or classical GH insensitivity or resistance) revealed striking morphological similarities, including extremely small stature and reduced cranial volume. LS is an autosomal recessive disease caused by a molecular defect of the Growth Hormone (GH) receptor or in the pos…
The Qesem Cave hominin material (part 1)
The Qesem Cave hominin material (part 2)
Atlit-Yam
Atlit- Yam, a settlement 400 m off the Israeli shore, is the largest (60,000 sq m) and most deeply submerged (8–12 m bsl) prehistoric settlement ever uncovered along the Mediterranean coast. The architecture of the dwellings, the lithic tool assemblages, and radiocarbon dating indicate habitation during the late Pre-Pottery Neolithic (PPN) period) ca. 8100–7500 B.P. Floral and faunal remains suggest that the village economy was complex, based on …
Neolithic skeletal remains at Yiftahel, Area C (Israel)
The excavations carried out at the Pre-pottery Neolithic В village of Yiftahel (Area C) in the Lower Galilee, Israel, revealed seven human skeletons : two adult males, two young females and three infants. The present paper discusses the burial practices as well as the biological characteristics of the Yiftahel population
Personal ornaments from Hayonim and Manot caves (Israel) hint at symbolic ties between the Levantine and the European Aurignacian
Situated at the crossroads of Africa and Eurasia, the Levant is a crucial region for understanding the origins and spread of Upper Paleolithic (UP) traditions associated with the spread of modern humans. Of the two local Early Upper Paleolithic technocomplexes, the Ahmarian and the Levantine Aurignacian, the latter appears to be unique in the endemic UP sequence, exhibiting greater similarity to the West European 'classic' Aurignacian than to the…
Variables affecting dental fluctuating asymmetry in human isolates
The aims of the present study are to 1) determine and describe levels of dental fluctuating asymmetry (FA) in a highly endogamous human group; 2) evaluate the effects of various FA measures on perceived FA levels and their interrelationships; 3) study the connections between dental variables (tooth size, class, position, type, location and dimension) and FA levels; and 4) estimate the interrelationships between dental FA measures. The study was c…
Possible congenital hemolytic anemia in prehistoric coastal inhabitants of Israel
The spread of thalassemia among prehistoric populations of the Mediterranean Basin has been linked to the increased risk to early agriculturalists posed by the Plasmodium falciparum parasite. The diagnosis of the disease in human skeletal remains, however, has usually been based on a single pathological criterion, porotic hyperostosis. This paper reports on what we believe to be the earliest case of thalassemia yet identified in the prehistoric r…
Paleopathology and the origin of agriculture in the Levant
This study addresses changes in health which were consequential to the Neolithic transition in the southern Levant, judged on the basis of the study of specific and nonspecific stress indicators, trauma, and degenerative joint disease in 200 Natufian (hunter‐gatherer) skeletons (10,500–8300 BC) and 205 Neolithic (agricultural) skeletons (8300–5500 BC) from the southern Levant. The comparison of the health profiles of pre‐Neolithic (Natufian) and …
Evidence for a Separate Burial Ground at the Submerged Pottery Neolithic Site of Neve-Yam, Israel
Des fouilles de sauvetage et des observations de terrain à Neve-Yam, un village de la culture Wadi Rabah (Néolithique céramique, 2nde moitié du VIIIe millénaire cal. BP), submergé de la côte du Carmel, ont révélé des tombes en pierre aux caractéristiques particulières. Elles étaient concentrées dans un secteur spécifique du site, voué aux rituels funéraires. Il n’y avait pas d’habitations dans cette partie destinée aux inhumations, et aucune tomb…
Serpens endocrania symmetrica (SES)
This paper describes a phenomenon in the endocranial plate, which we have termed “serpens endocrania symmetrica” (SES), and discusses its value as a diagnostic tool. The affected discolored bone area exhibits disruption of the endocranial surface, lending it a maze‐like appearance. Histological sections demonstrate that the process is limited to the most superficial portion of the endocranium, with no diploic and ectocranial involvement (sinus ar…
Trabecular architecture in the thumb of Pan and Homo
OBJECTIVES: Humans display an 85-95% cross-cultural right-hand bias in skilled tasks, which is considered a derived behavior because such a high frequency is not reported in wild non-human primates. Handedness is generally considered to be an evolutionary byproduct of selection for manual dexterity and augmented visuo-cognitive capabilities within the context of complex stone tool manufacture/use. Testing this hypothesis requires an understanding…
Trauma to the Skull
Background: Although the southern Levant is commonly perceived as having been a violent region throughout history, few studies have explored the pattern and intensity of skull trauma through time in the general population. The aim of this study is to follow changes in traumatic injury patterns in the southern Levant, over an extensive period of 6,000 years. Methods: 783 archaeological skulls from the Tel Aviv University osteological collection we…
Remedy for an 8500 year-old plastered human skull from Kfar Hahoresh, Israel
Preliminary observations on the Levantine Aurignacian sequence of Manot Cave
Southern sinai bedouin tribes
Arensburg B., Hershkovitz I., Kobyliansky E., Micle S. Southern sinai bedouin tribes : preliminary communication on an anthropological survey / Les tribus bédouins du sud Sinaï ; communication préliminaire sur leur anthropologie ; considérations générales . In: Bulletins et Mémoires de la Société d'anthropologie de Paris, XIII° Série. Tome 6 fascicule 4, 1979. pp. 363-372
Coxa Vara in a Chalcolithic Population from the Sinai
The Orientation of Nawamis Entrances in Southern Sinai
The Orientation of Nawamis Entrances in Southern Sinai
Les nawamis du Sinai: structures bien conservees construites durant le IV millenaire par des populations pastorales. Fonction: tombes. Plan circulaire (3 a 6 m de diametre). Hauteur: deux metres environ. Murs doubles. Toit en encorbellement forme par la paroi interieure. Compte rendu d'une exploration de 21 champs de nawamis representant plus d'un millier de tombes. Recherche sur l'orientation de l'entree de ces tombes et sa signification. Possib…
Migration and biological isolation of human populations influencing range and variation of metric and non-metric traits of the skull and mandible
Metric and non-metric variation in three isolated bedouin populations of the negev and South Sinai deserts
Biocultural adaptation of cauterization in South Sinai Bedouin tribes
The Relationship between Nawamis Entrance Orientations and Sunset Direction
Observations on crania of bedouin children, by age group
Resumé. — Les observations métriques et morphologiques de 112 crânes d'enfants Bédouins, âgés de 1 à 18 ans, sont analysés et comparés aux crânes adultes en vue de préciser les modalités de la croissance et du développement. Des données sur la croissance des enfants Bédouins vivants sont aussi utilisées. Il ressort que le crâne s'accroît beaucoup en longueur et en hauteur, peu en largeur. Ce sont les dimensions de la face qui présentent les chang…
The dermatoglyphic characteristics of two isolated Bedouin groups from South Sinai
The dermatoglyphics of the Muzeina and Gebeliya Bedouin tribes, two small biologically isolated populations, leading a similar nomadic life under the specific conditions of the Sinai desert, were studied. The differences found between the studied samples concern particularly the frequencies of palmar and finger pattern types. These differences are in agreement with data on the origin of the tribes, a Negro and/or European admixture being evident …
Neolithic skeletal remains at Yiftahel, Area C (Israel)
The excavations carried out at the Pre-pottery Neolithic В village of Yiftahel (Area C) in the Lower Galilee, Israel, revealed seven human skeletons : two adult males, two young females and three infants. The present paper discusses the burial practices as well as the biological characteristics of the Yiftahel population
Trephination
Directional dental asymmetry in South Sinai Bedouin isolates
Dental casts of 242 Bedouin children were used to study directional asymmetry (DA). Results of Student's t-test pair comparison showed that for permanent dentition, 4 out of 24 DA measures were statistically significant whereas for deciduous dentition, 8 out of 20 measures were significant (p less than 0.05). The magnitude of DA was on the average 1% of the total size of the tooth. No preference regarding dimension (buccolingual, mesiodistal) or …
Cremation, Its Practice and Identification
(1988). Cremation, Its Practice and Identification: A Case Study from the Roman Period. Tel Aviv: Vol. 15, No. 1, pp. 98-100
Cremation, Its Practice and Identification
Human Burials from Horvat Galil
This paper describes three burials from Horvat Galil, a PPNB site in the Western Galilee. The human remains and funerary practices are presented, and compared to other PPNB sites in the area. From this comparative study, a general cultural homogeneity emerges, indicating common beliefs and social ties between the southern Levant populations. However, variability in the treatment of the skulls can be discerned, separating the group located in the …
Cranial deformation and trephination in the Middle East
Arensburg B., Hershkovitz I. Cranial deformation and trephination in the Middle East. In: Bulletins et Mémoires de la Société d'anthropologie de Paris, XIV° Série. Tome 5 fascicule 3, 1988. pp. 139-150
People and Culture in Change, Parts i and ii: Proceedings of the Second Symposium on Upper Palaeolithic, Mesolithic and Neolithic Populations of Europe and the Mediterranean Basin
Paleodemography, Burial Customs, and Food-Producing Economy at The Beginning of the Holocene
ISRAEL HERSHKOVITZ, AVI GOPHER, Paleodemography, Burial Customs, and Food-Producing Economy at the Beginning of the Holocene: A Perspective from the Southern Levant, Mitekufat Haeven: Journal of the Israel Prehistoric Society / מתקופת האבן, כרך כג (תש"ן / 1990), pp. 9*-47
Year-old human remains on the sea floor near Atlit, Israel
Efficiency of cranial bilateral measurements in separating human populations
A set of 31 nonconventional paired cranial measurements, as well as six conventional nonpaired measures, were taken on 266 skulls, representing two related populations: Bedouins of the Israeli Negev Desert and Bedouins of the Sinai. The data were subjected to univariate and discriminant analyses to determine the relative efficacy of paired vs. conventional measures in sorting individuals according to tribal and sex affiliation. It was found that …
The morphological significance of the Homo I Skeleton from the PPNB submerged site at Atlit-Yam, Israel
Le site ď Atlit Yam est situé à 10 km au Sud de Haifa, en Israël, à une distance de plus de 200 m du rivage actuel et à une profondeur de 8 à 12 mètres. Il peut être rapporté au Néolithique pré-céramique В du Levant (PPNB), et une datation au Carbone 14 a donné un âge de 8140 +/- 120 ans. Parmi les vestiges osseux, la présence d'un squelette pour la première fois relativement complet permet de préciser les caractères morphologiques de cette popul…
The first identified case of thalassemia
Possible congenital hemolytic anemia in prehistoric coastal inhabitants of Israel
The spread of thalassemia among prehistoric populations of the Mediterranean Basin has been linked to the increased risk to early agriculturalists posed by the Plasmodium falciparum parasite. The diagnosis of the disease in human skeletal remains, however, has usually been based on a single pathological criterion, porotic hyperostosis. This paper reports on what we believe to be the earliest case of thalassemia yet identified in the prehistoric r…
New Subsistence Data and Human Remains from the Earliest Levantine Epipalaeolithic
Geography (77 obras) · Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology Studies (76 obras) · Archaeology (72 obras) · Medicine (48 obras) · Biology (43 obras) · Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology (40 obras) · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies (33 obras) · History (29 obras) · Cave (28 obras) · Anatomy (26 obras)