PALEORIENT, vol. 12/2-1986

ANIMAL EXPLOITATION IN UJRAT EL-MEHED, A NEOLITHIC SITE IN SOUTHERN SINAI

T. DAYAN, E. TCHERNOV, O. BAR-YOSEF and Y. YOM-TOV

following

Introduction

a) Ujrat el-Mehed

This site is situated on top of an elongated low hill at the wide opening juncture of Wadi ed-Deir and the flat valley known as Sahel er Rahha in southern Sinai. It is located about 1 600 m above sea level and, in such a topographic situation, it could hardly have served as a winter habitation. Even today, the winter's freezing winds blow through the valley and force the local inhabitants to seek sheltered locations in the foothills.

The excavations at Ujrat el-Mehed were conducted in 1976-1979 as part of a salvage project initiated by the Archeological Staff Officer, Mr. A. Goren, when coarse sand quarrying endangered the site. These excavations were part of a larger problem- oriented project during which several additional sites were excavated (1), some of which were lost through road building activities. The excavations at Ujrat el Mehed exposed an area of ca. 250 m2 of an estimated total area of 300 m2. Six structures of either circular shape or resembling the figure eight in form were uncovered. They are 4.5 through 9.0 m in diameter, dug partially into the ground (20-50 cm deep), and outlined by a single course of upright flat

crystalline stone cobbles. Complete structures indicate the possible presence of a semi-circular covered habitation area with a courtyard in which a central fireplace was found. The flimsy stony remains of the walls and the small numbers of scattered cobbles in the excavation point to the possible presence of light sheds mainly built of organic materials. The strati- graphic analysis showed that no more than three or four structures were contemporary at any one time.

In the area of the site, a dozen carefully built and floored installations (1.0-1.2 m in diameter) were uncovered. More interesting were the five bell- shaped underground storage pits that demonstrated great care in the way the floors and slanting walls were constructed. Only one storage pit was completely closed. It was covered with slabs and sealed with some kind of a yellowish-white "plaster" similar in appearance to the yellow "plaster" that covered patches of the habitation floors. In four storage pits, sixteen skeletons in secondary burials were found. An additional skeleton was uncovered in a pit (Loc. 31) dug in the center of a circular structure (Loc. 6) and later filled with reddish-purple clay. The use of this pit is rather enigmatic. The few slabs that were placed in an upright position on top of it covered the remains of a baby.

The structures contained deposits of sand mixed with ashes and rich assemblages of flint, ground stone artefacts and animal bones. The lithic industry (ca. 20,500 items) is rather poor in debitage products

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