Mujahia
Encyclopedia
Mujahia is an archaeological site in the southern Golan Heights, Israel
.
It was first excavated by Avi Gopher
in 1985 who examined stratigraphy
made up of limestone
and basalt
. Three levels of circular walled dwellings were found using stone basalt
construction. Archaeological materials recovered included arrowheads, chisels, knives and scrapers along with use of obsidian
, bones an shellfish. Relatively few arrowheads were found, mostly consisting of Helwan points. Local fauna
included Goat
and Gazelle
. No radiometric dating was available, but it has been suggested to date to the PPNB around the middle of the 8th millennium BC
.
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
.
It was first excavated by Avi Gopher
Avi Gopher
Avi Gopher is a Israeli Archaeologist and a Professor at the University of Tel Aviv in Israel. He completed his B.A. there in 1978, M.A. in 1981 and PhD in 1986 and specialises in prehistoric Israel...
in 1985 who examined stratigraphy
Stratigraphy
Stratigraphy, a branch of geology, studies rock layers and layering . It is primarily used in the study of sedimentary and layered volcanic rocks....
made up of limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
and basalt
Basalt
Basalt is a common extrusive volcanic rock. It is usually grey to black and fine-grained due to rapid cooling of lava at the surface of a planet. It may be porphyritic containing larger crystals in a fine matrix, or vesicular, or frothy scoria. Unweathered basalt is black or grey...
. Three levels of circular walled dwellings were found using stone basalt
Basalt
Basalt is a common extrusive volcanic rock. It is usually grey to black and fine-grained due to rapid cooling of lava at the surface of a planet. It may be porphyritic containing larger crystals in a fine matrix, or vesicular, or frothy scoria. Unweathered basalt is black or grey...
construction. Archaeological materials recovered included arrowheads, chisels, knives and scrapers along with use of obsidian
Obsidian
Obsidian is a naturally occurring volcanic glass formed as an extrusive igneous rock.It is produced when felsic lava extruded from a volcano cools rapidly with minimum crystal growth...
, bones an shellfish. Relatively few arrowheads were found, mostly consisting of Helwan points. Local fauna
Fauna
Fauna or faunæ is all of the animal life of any particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is flora.Zoologists and paleontologists use fauna to refer to a typical collection of animals found in a specific time or place, e.g. the "Sonoran Desert fauna" or the "Burgess shale fauna"...
included Goat
Goat
The domestic goat is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the Bovidae family and is closely related to the sheep as both are in the goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae. There are over three hundred distinct breeds of...
and Gazelle
Gazelle
A gazelle is any of many antelope species in the genus Gazella, or formerly considered to belong to it. Six species are included in two genera, Eudorcas and Nanger, which were formerly considered subgenera...
. No radiometric dating was available, but it has been suggested to date to the PPNB around the middle of the 8th millennium BC
8th millennium BC
In the 8th millennium BC, agriculture became widely practised in the Fertile Crescent and Anatolia.Pottery became widespread and animal husbandry spread to Africa and Eurasia. World population was approximately 5 million.-Events:*c. 8000 BC—The last glacial period ends.*c...
.