Research

The research area is located at the southern margin of the Hula basin in the Upper Jordan Valley (UJV) (see map below), a segment of the Levantine Corridor and the Great African Rift System, which is recognized as an important part of out of Africa route for the colonization of Europe. The graben structure underlying the Hula basin has undergone continuous tectonic subsidence. Successive waterlogged lake-side sediments and the archeological sites hosted by them form a temporal sequence in that it contains a unique combination of well preserved floral and faunal remains, geochemical environmental indicators and artifacts produced by hominins. This contrasts with other basins in the Levantine corridor which all lack at least one of these components. This rich archive provides us with a key resource for the investigation and the understanding of the features of the human presence, the floral, faunal and other available resources and the prevailing climatic and environmental conditions.

The study of the GBY sites can provide insights into the development of the technological, cultural, and behavioral characteristics of prehistoric hunter-gatherer communities that preceded the early European excursions and were a necessary element for the migration process into the European landscape.

See Center of Excellence .