Jordan River Dureijat - A New Epipaleolithic Site in the Upper Jordan Valley

Jordan River Dureijat (JRD), an Epipaleolithic site on the banks of the Jordan River south of its outlet from the Hula Valley, was discovered as a result of a drainage operation in the year 1999. The site, located 1.2 km north of the Benot Ya'aqov Bridge, is 14C dated to between 14,000 and 15,000 Cal BC. This paper presents the results of a survey and test excavation conducted during the summer of 2002 and their bearing on our understanding of the Epipaleolithic of the region, of which very little is known to date. As with all sites on the banks of the Jordan River in this vicinity, the sediments of JRD show exceptional preservation of organic remains, in particular, botanic finds. The paper describes the chronology of the site, the lithic assemblage, the fauna with special emphasis on the fish and mollusc remains, and the seeds and fruits retrieved from this preliminary excavation. The findings obtained from JRD have already yielded a wealth of environmental data and contributed significantly to our understanding of human presence in the region.