The Neolithic occupation of Neve David, Mount Carmel, Israel

Neve David is a large Epipaleolithic (Geometric Kebaran) site located at the outlet of Nahal Siah from the Carmel range to the coastal plain. During the 1980s excavations and the renewed campaign since 2014, a variety of Holocene features were found intruding into the Geometric Kebaran deposits. Here we present the post-Epipaleolithic features and their contents, focusing on ceramics, sediments and phytoliths. We found that most of these features are Pottery Neolithic in age. Furthermore, the pottery assemblage and isolated flint tools (sickle blades, arrowheads) suggest that the stone-filled pits and other installations should most likely be assigned to the Jericho IX culture. As such, the PN of Neve David adds an important new aspect to the Pottery Neolithic settlement pattern in Mt. Carmel and the Carmel coast. The variety of geoarchaeological analyses and the wealth of phytoliths in the studied features suggest intensive use of the place, although the exact nature and function of the pits were not deciphered.