Explores south Levantine ground stone tool traditions focusing on tool designs, morphometrics, and functionality. We also analyze discard patterns and use contexts of ground stone tools and the possible social and symbolic significance that they carried and conveyed amongst their producers, owners, and users.
Related publications:
Ashkenazi, H. and Rosenberg, D. 2022. Resistance and authority at the beginning of urbanism: The case of Tel Bet Yerah broken maceheads. Oxford Journal of Archaeology 41(2):136–151.
Chasan, R. and Rosenberg, D. 2018. Basalt vessels in Chalcolithic burial caves: Variations in prestige burial offerings during the Chalcolithic period of the southern Levant and their social significance. Quaternary International 464:226–240.
Chasan, R. and Rosenberg, D. 2019. Getting into shape: The significance of decorated basalt vessels during the Chalcolithic period of the southern Levant. Paléorient 45(1):53–68.
Chasan, R., van den Brink, E.C.M., and Rosenberg, D. 2019. “Crossing the lines” – Elaborately decorated Chalcolithic basalt bowls in the southern Levant. Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research 381:145–162.
Groman-Yaroslavski, I., Rosenberg, D., Yeshurun, R., Kaufman, D., and Weinstein-Evron, M. 2016. The function of Early Natufian grooved basalt artefacts from el-Wad Terrace, Mount Carmel, Israel: Preliminary results of a use-wear analysis. Journal of Lithic Studies 3(3):221–242.
Hruby, K. and Rosenberg, D. forthcoming. Urbanizing food: New perspectives on food processing tools in the Early Bronze Age villages and early urban centers of the southern Levant. Journal of Anthropological Archaeology.
Hruby, K., Bar, S., and Rosenberg, D. 2023. Why painted? The decorated stone tools from Fazael 4, an Early Bronze Age I site in the Jordan Valley. Jerusalem Journal of Archaeology 4:69–86.
Hruby, K., Cendrowska, M., Chasan, R., Groman-Yaroslvski, I., and Rosenberg, D. 2021. The function of the south-Levantine Late Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age basalt vessels bearing circumferential depressions: Insights from use-wear analyses. PLoS ONE 16(6):e0252535.
Hruby, K., Paz, S., Rotem, Y., Iserlis, M., and Rosenberg, D. 2022. Tracing social dynamics of the Khirbet Kerak Ware diaspora and local Early Bronze Age III Jordan Valley communities: Food processing and other ground stone tools as cultural markers. Journal of the Israel Prehistoric Society 52:115–154.
Liu, L., Wang, J., Rosenberg, D., Zhao, H., Lengyel G., and Nadel, D. 2018. Fermented beverage and food storage in 13,000 y-old stone mortars at Raqefet Cave, Israel: Investigating Natufian ritual feasting. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports 21:783–793.
Nadel, D. and Rosenberg, D. 2016. A grid-like incised pattern inside a Natufian bedrock mortar, Raqefet Cave, Israel. Journal of Lithic Studies 3(3):337–357.
Rosenberg, D. 2004. The Pestle: Characteristics and Changes of Stone Pounding Implements in the Southern Levant from the Early Epipalaeolithic through the Pottery Neolithic Period. Unpublished M.A. Thesis. Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv. (Hebrew with English summary)
Rosenberg, D. 2008. Serving meals making a home – The PPNA limestone vessel industry of the southern Levant and its importance to the Neolithic Revolution. Paléorient 34(1):23–32.
Rosenberg, D. 2009. Flying stones – The slingstones of the Wadi Rabah culture of the Southern Levant. Paléorient 35(2):99–112.
Rosenberg, D. 2010. Early maceheads in the southern Levant: A “Chalcolithic” hallmark in Neolithic context. Journal of Field Archaeology 35(2):204–216.
Rosenberg, D. 2021. “Paved with stones“: Ground stone tools during the Late Epipalaeolithic–Early Neolithic transition in the southern Levant. In: Hansen, S. and Klimscha, F. (eds.), Prehistoric Networks in the Longue Durée: Palaeolithic Innovations enabling the Neolithic Revolution. Proceedings of the Conference, Max-Planck Institute, Excellence cluster TOPI and DAI, Berlin. December 2015.
Rosenberg, D. and Chasan, R. 2018. The characteristics and significance of prestige goods during the Early Bronze Age period of the southern Levant: The particular case of the four-handled basalt vessels phenomenon. Quaternary International 464:241–259.
Rosenberg, D. and Davidovich, U. 2015. Looking at the overlooked: The possible significance of the ground stone assemblage from the Cave of the Treasure, Judean Desert, Israel. Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research 373:151–165.
Rosenberg, D. and Garfinkel, Y. 2023. Alternating mediums? The introduction of pottery to the southern Levant and its impact on the production of stone vessels: Sha‘ar Hagolan as a case study. In: Nieuwenhuijse, O.; Bernbeck, O., and Berghuijs, K. (eds.), Containers of Change – Ancient Container Technologies from Eastern to Western Asia. Leiden: Sidestone Press.
Rosenberg, D. and Golani, A. 2012. Groundstone tools of a ‘coppersmiths’ community – Understanding stone-related aspects of the Early Bronze Age site of Ashqelon Barnea. Journal of Mediterranean Archaeology 25(1):27–51.
Rosenberg, D. and Nadel, D. 2014. The sounds of pounding: Boulder mortars and their significance to Natufian burial customs. Current Anthropology 55(6):784–812.
Rosenberg, D. and Nadel, D. 2017. "Down to bedrock" – A general perspective on bedrock features. Quaternary International 439:1–4.
Rosenberg, D. and Nadel, D. 2017. The significance of the morphometric and contextual variation in stone hewn mortars during the Natufian–PPNA transition in the southern Levant. Quaternary International 439:83–93.
Rosenberg, D. and Nadel, D. 2020. The function and context of Natufian stone mortars. Current Anthropology 61(1):129–131.
Rosenberg, D., Agnon, M. and Kaufman, D. 2016. Conventions in freshwater fishing in the prehistoric southern Levant: The evidence from the study of Neolithic Beisamoun notched pebbles. Journal of Lithic Studies 3(3):457–478.
Rosenberg, D., Assaf, A., Getzov, N., and Gopher, A. 2008. Flaked stone discs of the Neolithic and Chalcolithic periods in the southern Levant. Paléorient 34(2):137–151.
Rosenberg, D., Chasan, R., Lengyel, G., and Nadel, D. 2020. Stone ‘canvas’ and Natufian art: An incised human figure from the Natufian cemetery at Raqefet Cave, Israel. Oxford Journal of Archaeology 39(2):128–140.
Rosenberg, D., Getzov, N., and Assaf, A. 2010. New light on long-distance ties in Late Neolithic/Early Chalcolithic Near East: The chlorite vessels from Hagoshrim, northern Israel. Current Anthropology 51(2):281–293.
Rosenberg, D., Gluhak, T.M., Kaufman, D., Yeshurun, R. and Weinstein-Evron, M. 2021. Exploring exchange and direct procurement strategies for Natufian food processing tools of el-Wad Terrace, Israel. Scientific Reports 11:9480.
Rosenberg, D., Kaufman, D., Yeshurun, R., and Weinstein-Evron, M. 2012. The broken record: The Natufian groundstone assemblage from el-Wad Terrace (Mount Carmel, Israel) – Attributes and their interpretation. Journal of Eurasian Prehistory 9(1–2):93–128.
Rosenberg, D., Rowan, Y., and Gluhak, T. 2016. Leave no stone unturned: Perspectives on ground stone artefact research. Journal of Lithic Studies 3(3):1–15.
Shimelmitz, R. and Rosenberg, D. 2013. Dull edged weapons and low-level fighting in the late prehistoric southern Levant. Cambridge Archaeological Journal 23(3):433–452.
Shimelmitz, R., Gorman-Yaroslavski, I, Weinstein-Evron, M. and Rosenberg, D. 2021. Middle Pleistocene abrading tool from Tabun Cave, Israel, and a search for the roots of abrading technology in human evolution. Journal of Human Evolution 150:1–17.
Yaroshevich, A., van den Brink, E.C. M., Chasan, R, Rosenberg, D., Bieler, A, Perry-Gal, L., Boaretto, E. and Greenbaum, N. 2022. Recycling of PPNB artefacts in the Yarmukian site of Tel Izhaki, Jezreel Valley, Israel: some chronological and regional implications. In: Nishiaki, Maeda, O. and Y., Arimura, M. (eds.) Tracking the Neolithic in the Near East. Lithic Perspectives on Its Origins, Development and Dispersals, pp. 107–122. Leiden: Sidestone Press.
