Khalat al-Saharij - An Iron Age Small Site and Long Anthropogenic Effect on the Soil

Ancient anthropogenic long-term effects on soil chemical composition is a well-known phenomenon in large archaeological sites. In the current presentation, this effect will be shown in Khalat al-Saharij, a small site located in central Israel, in the footslope of the main highlands of the country. The site served as a farmhouse during the Neo Assyrian rule and was dated to the second half of the 8th century BCE.

Archaeological excavations of the site revealed a building that included two strips of rooms built around a square courtyard, a rock-hewn water reservoir, and agricultural facilities scattered in the area east and west of the building, including agricultural terraces.

The main aim of the current research was to find an anthropogenic signature in the sediments of the site, and in the sediments of the surrounding fields. 

POSL, PXRF and XRF methods were applied in order to achieve this aim.

The results showed that a significant anthropogenic signature was recorded on the sediments of the building and its square courtyard. This is reflected in the chemical composition that was enriched by phosphorus (P) and calcium (Ca), and by the mixed pOSL signal values. In the anthropogenic fields, the chemical signature is typical of natural soil with a high amount of Iron (Fe) and Manganese(Mn) which reflect high water availability.  

It is interesting that although the site is small in size and was inhabited for a short period of time, the human imprint has remained hundreds of years after its abandonment.