UC Berkeley

This dissertation pairs paleoenvironmental analyses with persistent place theory to better understand human-environment relationships at a large Epipaleolithic hunter-gatherer site in eastern Jordan, Kharaneh IV. I use fecal stanol molecules, gazelle tooth enamel stable isotope values, loss-on-ignition, micro- and macrofossils, geoarchaeological excavation and survey, and sedimentological characterization to reconstruct the paleoenvironmental history of the Kharaneh wetland and understand the qualities of the local environment that contributed to the formation of Kharaneh IV as a persistent place on the Epipaleolithic landscape. Although fecal stanols at the site do not appear to reflect ancient conditions, the analysis identified two major limitations of the method in archaeological studies: 1) stanol molecules appear to be mobile through permeable cultural deposits, suggesting that the method is not viable in dryland sites, and 2) non-human producers of fecal stanols may complicate the interpretations of a site’s history, as herd animals that pass over the site are a likely source of fecal stanol contamination.Gazelle tooth enamel isotope values show little variation between the site’s older Area B and younger Area A occupations, indicating relatively stable conditions over the course of the site’s thousand-year history and supporting notions of Kharaneh IV as a persistent place. However, a -2% excursion in δ18O values suggests a temporary period of enhanced precipitation during the site’s Middle Epipaleolithic occupation. Geoarchaeological excavation and survey identified a permeability gradient between wadi gravels and shallow limestone bedrock surrounding Kharaneh IV that allowed for wetland formation from shallow groundwater flow during the Pleistocene. Loss-on-ignition, micro- and macrofossils, geoarchaeological excavation and survey, and sedimentological characterization data indicate that the wetland fluctuated significantly before and after the site’s occupation, but provided a reliable source of water for Epipaleolithic groups, plants, and prey that in turn encouraged place-making activities to occur and develop Kharaneh IV into a persistent place.