Papers by Rachel Kalisher
International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, 2024
In the Iron Age IIA Philistine cemetery at Ashkelon (modern Israel), roughly 11% of individuals e... more In the Iron Age IIA Philistine cemetery at Ashkelon (modern Israel), roughly 11% of individuals exhibit severe and highly variable dental wear, which we explore here at two timescales: wear that accumulates over days and weeks (microwear) and wear that accumulates over months and years (macrowear).
Levant, 2023
The destruction of Iron I Megiddo in the early 10th century BCE was a momentous event in the hist... more The destruction of Iron I Megiddo in the early 10th century BCE was a momentous event in the history of the southern Levant. It marked an abrupt break in the long cultural development of the Middle and Late Bronze Ages. Despite extensive field research, essential questions related to this event remain unanswered, especially regarding the processes that took place in the city immediately before its destruction. In this article, findings from recent excavations in the southeastern sector of the mound, where a detailed Iron I stratigraphic sequence was explored, are reported. In addition, finds from two nearby areas previously excavated were re-evaluated, focusing mostly on contextual aspects of the osteological data. This study sheds light on the deterioration of the city in the decades preceding its final demise, and suggests that the event was caused by human agents rather than a natural disaster. It also hints that in its last days, Megiddo may have been besieged, which explains the peculiar reappearance of intra-mural burials at the site. The case of Iron I Megiddo provides a high-resolution snapshot of actions taken by the inhabitants of a Near Eastern city on the eve of a major crisis.
Archaeometry, 2023
Tel Megiddo is a major type-site for the Middle Bronze in the Levant. During this period a new bu... more Tel Megiddo is a major type-site for the Middle Bronze in the Levant. During this period a new burial custom appeared in which the dead were interred beneath occupied houses. This tradition is well attested in Area K at the site. Area H, near the palatial complex, revealed a monumental masonry-constructed chamber tomb. This article presents the results of residue analysis conducted on ceramic vessels placed in these tombs as burial offerings. Hundreds of intramural Middle Bronze tombs with ceramic offerings were excavated in the Levant, but this is the first time the content of the vessels is revealed.
PLOS ONE, 2023
Here we present the paleopathological profiles of two young adult males, identified as brothers t... more Here we present the paleopathological profiles of two young adult males, identified as brothers through ancient DNA analysis, who were buried together beneath the floor of an elite early Late Bronze Age I (ca. 1550–1450 BC) domestic structure at the urban center of Megiddo (modern Israel). Both individuals displayed uncommon morphological variants related to developmental conditions, and each exhibited extensive bone remodeling consistent with chronic infectious disease. Additionally, one brother had a healed fracture of the nose, as well as a large square piece of bone cut from the frontal bone (cranial trephination). We consider the potential etiologies for the appearance of the skeletal anomalies and lesions. Based on the bioarchaeological context, we propose that a shared epigenetic landscape predisposed the brothers to acquiring an infectious disease and their elite status privileged them enough to endure it. We then contextualize these potential illnesses and disorders with the trephination procedure. The infrequency of trephination in the region indicates that only selected individuals could access such a procedure, and the severity of the pathological lesions suggests the procedure was possibly intended as curative to deteriorating health. Ultimately, both brothers were buried with the same rites as others in their community, thus demonstrating their continued integration in society even after death.
Archaeometry, 2023
Tel Megiddo is a major type-site for the Middle Bronze in the Levant. During this period a new bu... more Tel Megiddo is a major type-site for the Middle Bronze in the Levant. During this period a new burial custom appeared in which the dead were interred beneath occupied houses. This tradition is well attested in Area K at the site. Area H, near the palatial complex, revealed a monumental masonry-constructed chamber tomb. This article presents the results of residue analysis conducted on ceramic vessels placed in these tombs as burial offerings. Hundreds of intramural Middle Bronze tombs with ceramic offerings were excavated in the Levant, but this is the first time the content of the vessels is revealed.
Biology Letters
Overcoming the non-specificity of histological accentuated growth lines in hard tissues is an ong... more Overcoming the non-specificity of histological accentuated growth lines in hard tissues is an ongoing challenge. Identifying season at death and reproductive events has profound implications for evolutionary, ecological and conservation studies. Dental cementum is a mineralized tissue with yearly periodicity that continues deposition from tooth formation until death, maintaining a record spanning almost the entire life of an individual. Recent work has successfully employed elemental analysis of calcified incremental tissues to detect changes in extrinsic conditions such as diet and climate and to identify two important life-history milestones: weaning and sexual maturity. Here, we employ field-emission scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray analysis to measure the relative concentrations of calcium, phosphorous, oxygen, magnesium and sodium in the cementum of 34 teeth from seven male and female rhesus macaques with known medical and life-history information. We fi...
Megiddo VI: The 2010-2014 Seasons, 2022
The excavation of the courtyard house of Level K-10 in Area K (Chapter 2.1) yielded a considerabl... more The excavation of the courtyard house of Level K-10 in Area K (Chapter 2.1) yielded a considerable number of intramural burials. Burying in this manner was a well-known practice in the southern Levant in general during this period and at Megiddo in particular. The Megiddo burials were installed under the floors of the domestic unit, and in two cases alongside its exterior wall, lowered into the brick framework of the Middle Bronze fortification. Ceramic and radiocarbon data suggest that some of the burials were dug only after the Level K-10 house was abandoned (and before the Level K-9 house was constructed), defining a late Level K-10 burial phase.
In this chapter, 15 graves and a total of 21 individuals are presented.
T&T Clark Handbook of Food in the Hebrew Bible and Ancient Israel, 2022
Cell, 2020
https://www.cell.com/cell/pdf/S0092-8674(20)30487-6.pdf?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsev... more https://www.cell.com/cell/pdf/S0092-8674(20)30487-6.pdf?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS0092867420304876%3Fshowall%3Dtrue
We report genome-wide DNA data for 73 individuals from five archaeological sites across the Bronze and Iron Ages Southern Levant. These individuals, who share the “Canaanite” material culture, can be modeled as descending from two sources: (1) earlier local Neolithic populations and (2) populations related to the Chalcolithic Zagros or the Bronze Age Caucasus. The non-local contribution increased over time, as evinced by three outliers who can be modeled as descendants of recent migrants. We show evidence that different “Canaanite” groups genetically resemble each other more than other populations. We find that Levant-related modern populations typically have substantial ancestry coming from populations related to the Chalcolithic Zagros and the Bronze Age Southern Levant. These groups also harbor ancestry from sources we cannot fully model with the available data, highlighting the critical role of post-Bronze-Age migrations into the region over the past 3,000 years.
Conference Presentations by Rachel Kalisher
During the 2013-2016 field seasons of the Leon Levy Expedition to Ashkelon, approximately 231 ind... more During the 2013-2016 field seasons of the Leon Levy Expedition to Ashkelon, approximately 231 individuals have been recovered from the Philistine cemetery dating to the Iron Age IIA period, providing for the first time the opportunity to study the stature of the Philistines. Stature has often been directly correlated with both health and socioeconomic status. Rather than apply inappropriate formulae for reconstructing the living stature of the individuals from the Philistine cemetery at Ashkelon, the maximum lengths (crown-heel) of a sample of complete, supine and extended skeletons of 16 adults (8 males and 8 females) were measured with an anthropometer, GIS software, or both. No significant differences were found between the types of measurements. The mean stature of males is 154.6 cm with a range of 144.9 cm – 164.5 cm. The mean stature of females is 147.2 cm with a range of 136.8 cm to 152.8 cm. Not surprisingly, Student’s T-tests reveal statistically significant (p<0.05) differences in the statures between the sexes at the Philistine cemetery at Ashkelon. Despite this finding, 4.7% sexual dimorphism in stature is low suggesting stress among individuals at the site. Comparisons in stature with the human skeletal remains from earlier Canaanite contexts at Ashkelon are inconclusive due to the small sample size. Contrary to the stature of the most famous Philistine, the giant Goliath, the results of this study indicate that the Philistines were relatively short in stature. (Study led by Sherry Fox.)
Edited Books by Rachel Kalisher
This is the fifth final report of the Megiddo Expedition’s work. The first four reports presented... more This is the fifth final report of the Megiddo Expedition’s work. The first four reports presented the results of the excavations in the 1992–1996, 1998–2002, 2004–2008 and 2010–2014 seasons (Finkelstein, Ussishkin and Halpern 2000; 2006; Finkelstein, Ussishkin and Cline 2013; Finkelstein and Martin 2022, respectively). This volume strays from the regular seasonal reports to focus specifically on two tombs excavated in Area H during the 2016 seasons, Burial 16/H/45 and Tomb 16/H/50. Both burials were excavated under rare circumstances, being unusually rich as well as undisturbed and therefore were excellent candidates for extensive scientific and archaeological analysis. In addition, the two burials are closely related temporally, spatially, and contextually and, therefore, benefit from being analyzed and published together.
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Papers by Rachel Kalisher
In this chapter, 15 graves and a total of 21 individuals are presented.
We report genome-wide DNA data for 73 individuals from five archaeological sites across the Bronze and Iron Ages Southern Levant. These individuals, who share the “Canaanite” material culture, can be modeled as descending from two sources: (1) earlier local Neolithic populations and (2) populations related to the Chalcolithic Zagros or the Bronze Age Caucasus. The non-local contribution increased over time, as evinced by three outliers who can be modeled as descendants of recent migrants. We show evidence that different “Canaanite” groups genetically resemble each other more than other populations. We find that Levant-related modern populations typically have substantial ancestry coming from populations related to the Chalcolithic Zagros and the Bronze Age Southern Levant. These groups also harbor ancestry from sources we cannot fully model with the available data, highlighting the critical role of post-Bronze-Age migrations into the region over the past 3,000 years.
Conference Presentations by Rachel Kalisher
Edited Books by Rachel Kalisher
In this chapter, 15 graves and a total of 21 individuals are presented.
We report genome-wide DNA data for 73 individuals from five archaeological sites across the Bronze and Iron Ages Southern Levant. These individuals, who share the “Canaanite” material culture, can be modeled as descending from two sources: (1) earlier local Neolithic populations and (2) populations related to the Chalcolithic Zagros or the Bronze Age Caucasus. The non-local contribution increased over time, as evinced by three outliers who can be modeled as descendants of recent migrants. We show evidence that different “Canaanite” groups genetically resemble each other more than other populations. We find that Levant-related modern populations typically have substantial ancestry coming from populations related to the Chalcolithic Zagros and the Bronze Age Southern Levant. These groups also harbor ancestry from sources we cannot fully model with the available data, highlighting the critical role of post-Bronze-Age migrations into the region over the past 3,000 years.