干旱区生态环境知识资源中心(Arid): Environment and horticulture in the Byzantine Negev Desert, Israel: sustainability, prosperity and enigmatic decline

Arid

DOI	10.1016/j.quaint.2020.08.056
	Environment and horticulture in the Byzantine Negev Desert, Israel: sustainability, prosperity and enigmatic decline
	Langgut, Dafna; Tepper, Yotam; Benzaquen, Mordechay; Erickson-Gini, Tali; Bar-Oz, Guy
通讯作者	Langgut, D (corresponding author), Tel Aviv Univ, Inst Archaeol, Lab Archaeobot & Ancient Environm, Steinhardt Museum Nat Hist, IL-6997801 Tel Aviv, Israel.
来源期刊	QUATERNARY INTERNATIONAL
ISSN	1040-6182
EISSN	1873-4553
出版年	2021
卷号	593 页码:160-177
英文摘要	This study presents a comprehensive paleoenvironmental reconstruction of the Byzantine and Early Islamic western Negev Desert communities during the 4th-8th centuries CE. The study is based on 33 pollen samples and hundreds of charcoal remains that were recovered from the villages of Shivta and Nitzana. The results demonstrate that during the 5-6th centuries CE flourishing desert agricultural communities existed on the periphery of the Byzantine Empire (Eastern Roman Empire). The presence of diverse fruit-tree horticulture is revealed by both pollen and charcoal remains (grape, fig, olive, carob, almond/apricot, pomegranate, date palm and the exotic hazelnut). The rich botanical assemblages also provide evidence of the cultivation by irrigation of conifers and other Mediterranean trees common to the more humid Mediterranean vegetation zone, including the prestigious cedar of Lebanon. The palynological reconstruction of an ornamental garden at Shivta indicates the ability to invest water and labor, not only for horticultural and construction purposes, but also for ornamental greenery. We therefore suggest that the Byzantine Negev Desert community was a luxury society in contrast to societies living in a mode of survival in challenging desert environments. During the Early Islamic period (since the second half of the 7th century CE), our data show a dramatic decline in fruit-tree horticulture coupled with indicators signifying overexploitation for fuel of the nearby natural woody desert environment. Hence, we claim that in addition to previous possible explanations for the demise of the Negev Byzantine communities (plague pandemic, climate change, the Muslim conquest), overexploitation of the natural vegetation should also be taken into account. This study therefore helps address historical questions that are also pertinent to the modern era, regarding the existence of flourishing societies in challenging environments, overexploitation of the natural environment, and neglect of sustainability.
英文关键词	Anthracology Palynology Paleoenvironment Paleoecology Byzantine Eastern Roman Empire Negev Desert Horticulture
类型	Article
语种	英语
收录类别	SCI-E
WOS记录号	WOS:000661863800004
WOS关键词	LATE-ANTIQUE ; WOODLAND VEGETATION ; SHIVTA ; REMAINS ; POLLEN ; IMPACT ; BRONZE ; SEA ; EXPLOITATION ; AGRICULTURE
WOS类目	Geography, Physical ; Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
WOS研究方向	Physical Geography ; Geology
资源类型	期刊论文
条目标识符	http://119.78.100.177/qdio/handle/2XILL650/351452
作者单位	[Langgut, Dafna; Benzaquen, Mordechay] Tel Aviv Univ, Inst Archaeol, Lab Archaeobot & Ancient Environm, Steinhardt Museum Nat Hist, IL-6997801 Tel Aviv, Israel; [Tepper, Yotam; Bar-Oz, Guy] Univ Haifa, Zinman Inst Archaeol, IL-3498838 Haifa, Israel; [Tepper, Yotam] Israel Antiqu Author, IL-61012 Tel Aviv, Israel; [Benzaquen, Mordechay] Univ Toronto, Dept Near & Middle Eastern Civilizat, Toronto, ON M5S 1C1, Canada; [Erickson-Gini, Tali] Israel Antiqu Author, Archaeol Div, IL-84965 Omer, Israel
推荐引用方式 GB/T 7714	Langgut, Dafna,Tepper, Yotam,Benzaquen, Mordechay,et al. Environment and horticulture in the Byzantine Negev Desert, Israel: sustainability, prosperity and enigmatic decline[J],2021,593:160-177.
APA	Langgut, Dafna,Tepper, Yotam,Benzaquen, Mordechay,Erickson-Gini, Tali,&Bar-Oz, Guy.(2021).Environment and horticulture in the Byzantine Negev Desert, Israel: sustainability, prosperity and enigmatic decline.QUATERNARY INTERNATIONAL,593,160-177.
MLA	Langgut, Dafna,et al."Environment and horticulture in the Byzantine Negev Desert, Israel: sustainability, prosperity and enigmatic decline".QUATERNARY INTERNATIONAL 593(2021):160-177.