Lake Beisan
Encyclopedia
Lake Beisan was a prehistoric lake
that existed from ca. 12,000 to 5,000 BC in the north of the Jordan Valley in the Near East
near modern day Beit She'an.
The lake was previously part of Lake Lisan
and reached it's highest level in the Upper Paleolithic
around 12,000 BC of 100 metres below sea level when it was included the area that is now Lake Tiberius (The Sea of Gallilee) and extended south as far as Wadi Yabis and Wadi Malih. It was first noticed by Dr. Leo Picard
in a publication of 1929 who noticed higher altitude lake beds and eroded rock structures and named the lake after a notable ancient town in the area. David Neev conducted stratigraphic analysis in 1967 to provide further evidence from a sequence of sediments left by the lake.
Archaeological evidence supports the geological with no epipaleolithic
sites on the western side of the Beisan Basin below 100 metres below sea level. During the neolithic
, the lake receded to approximately 200 metres below sea level due to erosion and formation of the Jordan river and an arid phase that peaked around 8500 BC. This was followed by a wetter and warmer phase between 7500 and 6500 BC where the population increased significantly and the receding lake gave way to agriculture. Later in the neolithic the climate became dryer and the lake further retreated to around 220 metres below sea level between 6500 and 5500 BC as the flow through the Jordan Valley reduced. After this, in the chalcolithic the it turned into a swamp with a possible shallow lake forming in winter. This left flood plains into the early Bronze Age
when settlements intensified on the eastern side of the basin at this time. The Jordan gradually deepened sufficiently for all remnants of the lake to have disappeared by the time of the middle Bronze Age
.
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
that existed from ca. 12,000 to 5,000 BC in the north of the Jordan Valley in the Near East
Near East
The Near East is a geographical term that covers different countries for geographers, archeologists, and historians, on the one hand, and for political scientists, economists, and journalists, on the other...
near modern day Beit She'an.
The lake was previously part of Lake Lisan
Lake Lisan
Lake Lisan was a prehistoric lake that existed between 70,000 to 12,000 BC in the Great Rift Valley in the Near East. It is sometimes referred to as a Pleistocene lake....
and reached it's highest level in the Upper Paleolithic
Upper Paleolithic
The Upper Paleolithic is the third and last subdivision of the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age as it is understood in Europe, Africa and Asia. Very broadly it dates to between 40,000 and 10,000 years ago, roughly coinciding with the appearance of behavioral modernity and before the advent of...
around 12,000 BC of 100 metres below sea level when it was included the area that is now Lake Tiberius (The Sea of Gallilee) and extended south as far as Wadi Yabis and Wadi Malih. It was first noticed by Dr. Leo Picard
Leo Picard
Leo Picard, also known as Yehudah Leo Picard , was an Israeli geologist and an expert in the field of hydrology.-Biography:Picard was born in Germany in 1900, and studied at universities in Freiberg and Berlin, in Germany, and in Paris and London, and taught at the University of Florence,...
in a publication of 1929 who noticed higher altitude lake beds and eroded rock structures and named the lake after a notable ancient town in the area. David Neev conducted stratigraphic analysis in 1967 to provide further evidence from a sequence of sediments left by the lake.
Archaeological evidence supports the geological with no epipaleolithic
Epipaleolithic
The Epipaleolithic Age was a period in the development of human technology marked by more advanced stone blades and other tools than the earlier Paleolithic age, although still before the development of agriculture in the Neolithic age...
sites on the western side of the Beisan Basin below 100 metres below sea level. During the neolithic
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...
, the lake receded to approximately 200 metres below sea level due to erosion and formation of the Jordan river and an arid phase that peaked around 8500 BC. This was followed by a wetter and warmer phase between 7500 and 6500 BC where the population increased significantly and the receding lake gave way to agriculture. Later in the neolithic the climate became dryer and the lake further retreated to around 220 metres below sea level between 6500 and 5500 BC as the flow through the Jordan Valley reduced. After this, in the chalcolithic the it turned into a swamp with a possible shallow lake forming in winter. This left flood plains into the early Bronze Age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
when settlements intensified on the eastern side of the basin at this time. The Jordan gradually deepened sufficiently for all remnants of the lake to have disappeared by the time of the middle Bronze Age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
.