Reassessing the use of fire in Kebara Cave (Israel) and its behavioural implications through a microcontextual approach.

• Applicant: Dr. Diana Marcazzan
• Subject Area: Prehistory and World Archaeology
• Term: since 2025
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 556453220

Kebara Cave, located on Mount Carmel in Israel, has been of considerable importance as a prehistoric site in the region since the The first excavations were done in the 1930s by Garrod, Turville-Petre, and Stekelis. Between 1982 and 1990, the cave was re-excavated by an international team, with a focus on Middle and Upper Palaeolithic deposits. These excavations brought to light a large amount of archaeological material, including stone tools, animal bones and other artefacts. Since then, these remains have been the focus of numerous scientific investigations that have provided valuable insights into Neanderthal behaviour, such as burials, lithic technology and pyrotechnics (Bar-Yosef et al. 2007; Meignen et al. 2007). This project aims at a comprehensive microcontextual re-examination of the combustion features of Kebara, using a substantial collection of geoarchaeological samples from the 1980s and early 2000s. I will conduct the microcontextual analyses on geoarchaeological samples collected in the Middle Palaeolithic by using innovative microanalytical techniques (such as microfacies approach, FTIR, XRF, organic petrology and XRD), that have never before been used to evaluate the human occupation of Kebara Cave. With these techniques, I will directly analyse the minerals and components in thin sections, adopting a micro-contextual approach that improves data integration and contextualisation for a direct correlation between elemental spectroscopic data and micromorphological observations. The ultimate objectives of this proposal aim to re-evaluate Neanderthal fire behaviour and improve our understanding of the diagenetic processes that influence the preservation of fire structures in karstic environments. Ultimately, with this study, I will contribute to a deeper understanding of how pyrotechnic behaviour is expressed archaeologically in Levantine sites of the Middle Palaeolithic.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants