Activity locales at Ohalo II, a 23,000-year-old submerged fisher-hunter-gatherers’ camp in the sea of Galilee, Israel, reconstructed through experimental archaeology and contextual taphonomy of broken bladelets

This study investigates human behavior and site formation processes at the submerged fisher-hunter-gatherer’s camp of Ohalo II (ca. 23,500 − 22,500 cal BP). Combining breakage pattern analysis, use-wear studies, and contextual taphonomy, we analyze bladelets and microliths from three distinct contexts: a brush hut floor (Locus 1), an area with open-air hearths (Locus 7), and a small pit (Locus 8). Despite excellent preservation, artifacts show very high frequencies of breakage caused by intentional activities (e.g., knapping, tool use) and unintentional processes (e.g., trampling, accidental exposure to fire). Use-wear analysis reveals that bladelets and microliths were primarily used as projectile inserts, but also for processing wood, bone, and leather, indicating diverse domestic tasks. Spatial and functional analyses of the artifacts and of the various breakage patterns were used to identify activity locales: the floor of Locus 1 served as a multifunctional domestic space, showing evidence of intense trampling and exposure to fire; open air hearths in Locus 7 were focal locales of tool maintenance and wood-working, with primary refuse and secondary cleaning; and Locus 8, containing dense debris, is interpreted as a secondary dump. Our integrative methodology—linking functional, spatial, experimental, and taphonomic data—provides new insights into the details and sequences of a variety of past activities, their spatial distribution, and the interplay of multiple intentional and unintentional human actions affecting the flint assemblages. This approach offers a replicable framework for interpreting the causes of damage to delicate laminar elements, and for better understanding Epipalaeolithic open-air camps with structures and other features.