(Don’t) Use Your Hands: The South Levantine Late Chalcolithic (ca. 4500–3900 cal BC) Spoons and Their Significance
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
3. Results
The Late Chalcolithic Spoons and Their Characteristics
4. Discussion
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Type | Sub-Types | Description |
---|---|---|
A | Spoons with shallow oval bowls and moderately inclined sides | |
A1 | Spoons with shallow oval bowls and moderately inclined sides—long-handled variants | |
A1a | Shallow oval spoons with long upward-oriented handles | |
A1b | Shallow oval spoons with long horizontal handles | |
A1c | Shallow oval spoons with long downward-oriented handles | |
A2 | Spoons with shallow oval bowls and moderately inclined sides—short-handled variants | |
A2a | Shallow oval spoons with short upward-oriented handles | |
A2b | Shallow oval spoons with short horizontal handles | |
A2c | Shallow oval spoons with short downward-oriented handles | |
B | Spoons with shallow oval bowls, steep walls, and semi-triangular cross-sections | |
B1 | Spoons with shallow oval bowls, steep walls, and semi-triangular cross-sections—long-handled variants | |
B1a | Shallow oval spoons with steep walls, semi-triangular sections, and long upward-oriented handles | |
B1b | Shallow oval spoons with steep walls, semi-triangular sections, and long horizontal handles | |
B1c | Shallow oval spoons with steep walls, semi-triangular sections, and long downward-oriented handles | |
B2 | Spoons with shallow oval bowls, steep walls, and semi-triangular cross-sections—short-handled variants | |
B2a | Shallow oval spoons with steep walls, semi-triangular sections, and short upward-oriented handles | |
B2b | Shallow oval spoons with steep walls, semi-triangular sections, and short horizontal handles | |
B2c | Shallow oval spoons with steep walls, semi-triangular sections, and short downward-oriented handles | |
C | Miniature spoons | |
D | Ladles and deep spoons | |
D1 | Ladles | |
D2 | Deep spoons | |
E | Unidentified spoon fragments |
Site | N | Raw Material | Preservation | Context | Details | References | Figure, This Paper |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Teleilat Ghassul | 18+ | Clay | Nine seem to be intact or nearly so | The specimens were found in several loci | Lee [51] reported 17 spoons, two relatively large and two small ladles, and one small bowl with a tiny fragment of an upright handle; another spoon was reported by North [52], (24, Pl. IX: 8685), and several more were found in the University of Sydney’s excavations [53], (Figure 22: 13, 54: 60), including miniature variants. These miniature spoons were found in the site’s latest levels, whereas larger specimens were more common in the preceding levels [54], (p. 60]. The spoon bowls’ morphometric values vary. Most are oval when in plain view (one is almost round); however, while some are wide (e.g., Figure 2(1,2,4,10)), others are narrow (e.g., Figure 2(5,6,8,11)) or irregular (e.g., Figure 2(3,9)). The bowls are usually ca. 1–2 cm deep, 3–8 cm long, and 3–5 cm wide. The bowls’ bases are generally concave, and their estimated capacities are often small (a few cc’s only in most cases). At least one spoon was painted red [51], (C751: g). Most handles are long and tapering (e.g., Figure 2(2,8,9)), but some are short and pointed (e.g., Figure 2(4,11)) or oval. The handles are located on the bowl’s narrow side; they may be straight (e.g., Figure 2(1,2,5,6)) or curved to the right or left (e.g., Figure 2(4,8,9)). The handles may form a continuous plane with the bowls’ rim (e.g., Figure 2(4,6,8,11)) or a small step below it (e.g., Figure 2(3,10)). Occasionally, the handle curves upward (e.g., Figure 2(1,2,5,9)); in one case, it curves downward. | [53], (Figure 22: 13), [54], (p.60), [51], (pp. 59, 100–103), [55], (pl. 44:55–58, 64; Figure 55), [52], (p. 24, pl. IX:8685). | Figure 2 |
Nahal Mishmar | 1 | Clay | ? | Found in the Cave of the Treasure. | A single spoon was reported, but no details were provided. | [22], (p. 135) | |
Umm Qatafa | 1 | Stone | Damaged | Found in the “shelter”. | A grey, possibly chalk, stone spoon. Its bowl is oval and shallow, and the handle is relatively short and bulky with a rounded end. | [56], (Figure 4:4) | Figure 3(1) |
Farʻah, Site D1 | 2 | Clay | Broken | These specimens feature the handle and bowl’s proximal part. One is shallow with a short-pinched handle, while the other is relatively deep with a tapering handle. | [57], (p. 5, pl. XXVIII:22, 27) | Figure 3(2,3) | |
Grar | 3 | Clay | Broken | All three specimens comprise handles, while two also have partly preserved bowls, which seem oval and shallow. The handles were probably short; one appears to ascend moderately, while another features an abrupt rise near its end. Two handles are red-slipped or painted, while one also features an incised or impressed herringbone design. | [58], (Figure 4.18:5,7,8) | Figure 3(4–6) | |
Horvat Beter | 3 | Clay | ? | No details were provided. | [59], (p. 15) | ||
Shiqmim | 1 | Clay | Broken | A broken spoon handle; no further details were offered. | [60], (p. 232) | ||
Gilat | 1 | Clay | Broken | Found in a pit? | A miniature bulky spoon with a broken oval bowl, a thick base, and a downward-inclined handle. The fabric consists of a loess matrix with quartz and chalk sand inclusions. | [32], (pl. 10.36:4), [61], (Appendix A) | Figure 3(7) |
Tel Erani | 3 | Clay | Broken | One spoon is nearly complete; it has a deep, round bowl with diverging walls, a thick base, and a sturdy handle tapering toward its now broken end. Another comprises a tapering and down-curved handle and an incomplete oval bowl. The handle seems to have been as long as the bowl. | [62], (Figure 5:8–9) | Figure 3(8,9) | |
Khirbet el-‘Alya East | 4 | Clay | Broken | The spoons were found in four different loci. | One spoon consists of most of the bowl and much of the handle. It is made of whitish clay with black inclusions, is painted red, and bears two rows of oblique incisions. Another red-painted spoon is made of creamy clay (with no inclusions) and preserves a pointed handle and a small part of the bowl. The third specimen is a nearly complete pointed spoon handle made of whitish clay with various inclusions. The fourth item is a medial handle segment of a spoon made of beige clay with small grey inclusions. | [63], (p. 66, Figure 19:1–4) | Figure 3(10–13) |
Fazael | 3 | Clay | At least one is broken | One spoon comprises a deep oval bowl, the deepest part of which was at its proximal end, and a handle fragment with an oval cross-section. | [64], (p. 8, Figure 5:8) | Figure 3(14) | |
Ein Hilu | 2 | Clay | Broken | One is slightly deeper and apparently larger than the other; both specimens have rounded rims. | [65], (p. 185, Figure 27:3–4) | Figure 3(15,16) | |
Giv’at HaOranim | 5 | Clay | At least three are broken | Spoons were found in four different loci. Two were found in a pit with a complete basalt bowl, five incomplete fenestrated bowls, and a few pottery sherds. | Their bowls were oval; two were reconstructed as deep and one as shallow. The deepest reconstructed spoon has a short, bulky, tapering handle with a slightly raised end. The second deep-bowled spoon has a long tapering handle with a raised end. The shallow bowl’s handle seems to descend slightly toward its end. | [66], (p. 52, Figure 3.16:9–11) | Figure 3(17–19) |
Yehud | 3 | Clay | Broken | One item comprises parts of the handle and the bowl of a large spoon. The other two specimens are elongated handle fragments with round–oval cross-sections. | [67] | Figure 3(20–22) | |
Tel Turmus | 1 | Clay | Broken | It features a thick, stumpy handle with a rounded end and parts of a relatively deep bowl. | [68], (Figure 8:11) | Figure 3(23) | |
Sahāb | 1 | Stone | Whole | The spoon has a relatively large bowl compared to the handle, which is pierced near the end, suggesting that it hung from a string. | [69], (p. 76, pl. XXXIV:2, right) | Figure 3(24) | |
Total | 52+ |
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Rosenberg, D.; Gur-Arieh, S.; Pearl, M.; Ahituv, H. (Don’t) Use Your Hands: The South Levantine Late Chalcolithic (ca. 4500–3900 cal BC) Spoons and Their Significance. Humans 2024, 4, 385-399. https://doi.org/10.3390/humans4040025
Rosenberg D, Gur-Arieh S, Pearl M, Ahituv H. (Don’t) Use Your Hands: The South Levantine Late Chalcolithic (ca. 4500–3900 cal BC) Spoons and Their Significance. Humans. 2024; 4(4):385-399. https://doi.org/10.3390/humans4040025
Chicago/Turabian StyleRosenberg, Danny, Shira Gur-Arieh, Motti Pearl, and Hadar Ahituv. 2024. "(Don’t) Use Your Hands: The South Levantine Late Chalcolithic (ca. 4500–3900 cal BC) Spoons and Their Significance" Humans 4, no. 4: 385-399. https://doi.org/10.3390/humans4040025
APA StyleRosenberg, D., Gur-Arieh, S., Pearl, M., & Ahituv, H. (2024). (Don’t) Use Your Hands: The South Levantine Late Chalcolithic (ca. 4500–3900 cal BC) Spoons and Their Significance. Humans, 4(4), 385-399. https://doi.org/10.3390/humans4040025