21past horizons Kfar HaHoresh Investigations at Kfar HaHoresh, a small site nestled in the Nazareth hills of lower Galilee, have revealed a stratigraphic sequence spanning the early through to the late Pre- Pottery Neolithic B ( PPNB). Thirteen painstaking excavation seasons have demonstrated tremendous potential for exploring mortuary, ritual, subsistence and industrial activities in this region, and allow a glimpse into an exciting era in human prehistory. PPNB ( ca. 8500- 6750 calBC) corresponds to the period when the first large village communities were established in the fertile areas of the Near East. At this time the sphere of cultural interaction had widened, stretching from central Anatolia to southern Sinai and included Cyprus. Rectilinear houses became commonplace, while public and ritual architecture are also found. Although hunting and gathering remained important, plants and animals were becoming increasingly domesticated. Evidence shows there was intensive ritual activity, and prestige items were exchanged over considerable distances. It was likely that social tensions within and between communities arose from these changes, exacerbated by differences in the accumulation of material, social and ritual wealth. Yet, few studies have focused on these increased stresses that gave rise to social complexity and ranking, and the effect they may have had on mortuary and burial practices of the period. These included primary interments within settlements, often ( but not always) with later skull removal, as well as multiple and secondary burials. In a few instances skulls had the facial features modelled in plaster. A Cult and Mortuary Site by A. Nigel Goring- Morris & Michal Birkenfeld continued ? ?

past horizons22 From the beginning of the excavations, it became clear that the main architectural features at Kfar HaHoresh comprised terrace walls, as well as a series of mostly quadrilateral lime plaster surfaces. These surfaces, usually bounded on one or two sides by L- shaped stone wall foundations, vary in size from 3x1.5m up to a massive precinct measuring over 20x10m, which is currently in the process of being exposed. Some of the plastered surfaces are unattached to stone- built walls, and were perhaps accompanied by mud- brick walls. Although none were identified during excavation, micromorphological analyses have shown that mud- brick, or pisé, was used extensively at the site. These structures are accompanied by hearths, ovens and pits, as well as cultic features, such as stelae and platforms. Several lime kilns have also been identified on site. Many graves occur under or in the vicinty of these walled structures. Human burials at Kfar HaHoresh ( presently totalling around 70 individuals) vary from single articulated through multiple secondary burials comprising up to 15 individuals, plus intentional arrangements of human bones. Indeed, in one case the long bones of several individuals appear to have been arranged, perhaps into the profile of an animal, prior to being plastered over. Skull caches were found, including three modelled skulls. Burials at Kfar HaHoresh display an unusual demographic profile compared to other PPNB populations, with an abnormally high representation of young adult males. Grave goods comprise chipped and groundstone tools, shells, minerals and animal bones. The numerous flint artefacts recovered at Kfar HaHoresh derive from three distinct reduction sequences: naviform, ad hoc and bifacial. Tools include sickle blades, projectile points, burins, perforators and bifacials. Groundstone tools and animal bones, mostly of hunted animals, are also abundant. In fact, the faunal assemblages from the site comprise amongst the largest numbers of identified items from PPNB contexts in the southern Levant. The species represented are Above: Plastered surface area ( credit: A. N. Goring- Morris) Far left: Symbolic items: phallic figurine, votive axe on serpentine, shell pendant and incised token ( credit: A. N. Goring- Morris) Left: Projectile points, sickles blades and perforators ( credit: G. Laron)