Iraq ed-Dubb
Encyclopedia
Iraq ed-Dubb, or the Cave of the Bear, is an early Neolithic
archeological site 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) northwest of Ajlun in the Jordan Valley, in modern-day Jordan
. The settlement existed before 8000 BCE and experimented with the cultivation of founder crops, side by side with the harvesting of wild cereals. Along with Tell Aswad
in Syria
, the site shows the earliest reference to domestic hulled barley
between 10,000 and 8800 BCE. The site is located on a forested limestone escarpment above the Wadi el-Yabis in northwest Jordan. An oval-shaped stone structure was excavated along with two burial
s and a variety of animal and plant remains.
The cave is 150 metres (492.1 ft) above the wadi el-Yabis with a total area in the cave of around 150 metres (492.1 ft), with as much as 300 metres (984.3 ft) on the surrounding terrace. The cave measures 10 metres (32.8 ft) by 14 metres (45.9 ft) with an oval structure inside measuring 4.5 metres (14.8 ft). It features mud floors overlaid on mud brick architecture along with a burned post and the two human burials found in bedrock depressions. The site was discovered in June 1989 when a few soundings were made with further excavations over three seasons, led by Ian Kuijt. The cave was covered in goat
dung
at the time of excavation, indicating it was used as an occasional animal holding pen until modern times. The stone tool assemblage was suggested to be similar to other early neolithic sites in the Jordan valley and included El Khiam
points. The site has provided important information regarding the use of upland forested areas in the early neolithic period. Material remains at the site have been radiocarbon dated to around 7950 BCE.
Two periods of occupation were detected in the Pre-Pottery Neolithic A
(PPNA) period with one of them possibly being late Natufian. The later structure had upright stone walls, mud floors and remains from a hearth. The earlier construction was detected to have had mud bricks, several pit features in the bedrock and the burned post. The radiocarbon date of charcoal
suggested occupation earlier than the sites of Netiv Hagdud
or Jericho
providing insight into different means of subsistence in upland areas during this transitional phase prior to the development of farming in the Jordan valley. At the time of excavation, it was the only known stratified cave site dating to the early neolithic period in Jordan.
Sue Colledge has suggested that along with Tell Aswad
, the site shows the earliest evidence for domesticated cereal
morphology
, claiming the site has the "earliest dated evidence for the use of domestic cereals in southwestern Asia" with a date range from approximately 9600 to 9475 BCE. It was noted that the number of specimens reported was low and their preservation was poor. Colledge assumed finds of domesticated barley
(Hordeum vulgare) and wheat
(likely Triticum turgidum dicoccum) were growing in secondary habitats.
George Wilcox warned that the discovery of two grains of einkorn wheat at the site should be treated cautiously as anomalies to the general assumption that emmer
was the only type of wheat used during the PPNA in the southern Levant
. Graeme Barker
has suggested that the spikelet forks and glume bases of domesticated wheat found were likely emmer.
Studies have also been carried out on the fauna remains over the period of time between the Natufian and PPNA periods when hunter-gatherer groups first experimented with farming.
Neolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
archeological site 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) northwest of Ajlun in the Jordan Valley, in modern-day Jordan
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
. The settlement existed before 8000 BCE and experimented with the cultivation of founder crops, side by side with the harvesting of wild cereals. Along with Tell Aswad
Tell Aswad
Tell Aswad , Su-uk-su, Shuksa or Tell Sukas is a large prehistoric, Neolithic Tell, about in size, located around from Damascus in Syria, on a tributary of the Balikh River at the eastern end of the village of Jdeidet el Khass.-Excavation:...
in Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
, the site shows the earliest reference to domestic hulled barley
Barley
Barley is a major cereal grain, a member of the grass family. It serves as a major animal fodder, as a base malt for beer and certain distilled beverages, and as a component of various health foods...
between 10,000 and 8800 BCE. The site is located on a forested limestone escarpment above the Wadi el-Yabis in northwest Jordan. An oval-shaped stone structure was excavated along with two burial
Burial
Burial is the act of placing a person or object into the ground. This is accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing an object in it, and covering it over.-History:...
s and a variety of animal and plant remains.
The cave is 150 metres (492.1 ft) above the wadi el-Yabis with a total area in the cave of around 150 metres (492.1 ft), with as much as 300 metres (984.3 ft) on the surrounding terrace. The cave measures 10 metres (32.8 ft) by 14 metres (45.9 ft) with an oval structure inside measuring 4.5 metres (14.8 ft). It features mud floors overlaid on mud brick architecture along with a burned post and the two human burials found in bedrock depressions. The site was discovered in June 1989 when a few soundings were made with further excavations over three seasons, led by Ian Kuijt. The cave was covered in 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...
dung
Dung
Dung may refer to:* Dung, animal feces* Dung, Doubs, a commune in the Doubs department in the Franche-Comté region in eastern France* Mundungus Fletcher or "Dung", a character in the Harry Potter novels* Dung beetle...
at the time of excavation, indicating it was used as an occasional animal holding pen until modern times. The stone tool assemblage was suggested to be similar to other early neolithic sites in the Jordan valley and included El Khiam
El Khiam
El Khiam is an archaeological site near Wadi Khureitun in the Judean desert in Israel, on the shores of the Dead Sea.Archaeological finds at el-Khiam show nearly continuous habitation by groups of hunters since the Mesolithic and early Neolithic periods. The Khiamian El Khiam is an archaeological...
points. The site has provided important information regarding the use of upland forested areas in the early neolithic period. Material remains at the site have been radiocarbon dated to around 7950 BCE.
Two periods of occupation were detected in the Pre-Pottery Neolithic A
Pre-Pottery Neolithic A
Pre-Pottery Neolithic A denotes the first stage in early Levantine Neolithic culture, dating around 9500 to 8500 BC. Archaeological remains are located in the Levantine and upper Mesopotamian region of the Fertile Crescent...
(PPNA) period with one of them possibly being late Natufian. The later structure had upright stone walls, mud floors and remains from a hearth. The earlier construction was detected to have had mud bricks, several pit features in the bedrock and the burned post. The radiocarbon date of charcoal
Charcoal
Charcoal is the dark grey residue consisting of carbon, and any remaining ash, obtained by removing water and other volatile constituents from animal and vegetation substances. Charcoal is usually produced by slow pyrolysis, the heating of wood or other substances in the absence of oxygen...
suggested occupation earlier than the sites of Netiv Hagdud
Netiv HaGdud
Netiv HaGdud is a moshav and Israeli settlement in the West Bank. Located in the Jordan Valley around twenty kilometres north of Jericho, it falls under the jurisdiction of Bik'at HaYarden Regional Council...
or Jericho
Jericho
Jericho ; is a city located near the Jordan River in the West Bank of the Palestinian territories. It is the capital of the Jericho Governorate and has a population of more than 20,000. Situated well below sea level on an east-west route north of the Dead Sea, Jericho is the lowest permanently...
providing insight into different means of subsistence in upland areas during this transitional phase prior to the development of farming in the Jordan valley. At the time of excavation, it was the only known stratified cave site dating to the early neolithic period in Jordan.
Sue Colledge has suggested that along with Tell Aswad
Tell Aswad
Tell Aswad , Su-uk-su, Shuksa or Tell Sukas is a large prehistoric, Neolithic Tell, about in size, located around from Damascus in Syria, on a tributary of the Balikh River at the eastern end of the village of Jdeidet el Khass.-Excavation:...
, the site shows the earliest evidence for domesticated cereal
Cereal
Cereals are grasses cultivated for the edible components of their grain , composed of the endosperm, germ, and bran...
morphology
Morphology (biology)
In biology, morphology is a branch of bioscience dealing with the study of the form and structure of organisms and their specific structural features....
, claiming the site has the "earliest dated evidence for the use of domestic cereals in southwestern Asia" with a date range from approximately 9600 to 9475 BCE. It was noted that the number of specimens reported was low and their preservation was poor. Colledge assumed finds of domesticated barley
Barley
Barley is a major cereal grain, a member of the grass family. It serves as a major animal fodder, as a base malt for beer and certain distilled beverages, and as a component of various health foods...
(Hordeum vulgare) and wheat
Wheat
Wheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...
(likely Triticum turgidum dicoccum) were growing in secondary habitats.
George Wilcox warned that the discovery of two grains of einkorn wheat at the site should be treated cautiously as anomalies to the general assumption that emmer
Emmer
Emmer wheat , also known as farro especially in Italy, is a low yielding, awned wheat. It was one of the first crops domesticated in the Near East...
was the only type of wheat used during the PPNA in the southern Levant
Levant
The Levant or ) is the geographic region and culture zone of the "eastern Mediterranean littoral between Anatolia and Egypt" . The Levant includes most of modern Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel, the Palestinian territories, and sometimes parts of Turkey and Iraq, and corresponds roughly to the...
. Graeme Barker
Graeme Barker
Graeme W. W. Barker is a British archaeologist, notable for his work on the Italian Bronze Age, the Roman occupation of Libya, and landscape archaeology.Barker was educated at St John's College, Cambridge...
has suggested that the spikelet forks and glume bases of domesticated wheat found were likely emmer.
Studies have also been carried out on the fauna remains over the period of time between the Natufian and PPNA periods when hunter-gatherer groups first experimented with farming.