This project will yield final publication of the data collected during Y. Garfinkel's 11 years of excavation (1989-90, 1996-2004) at the 8,000-year-old Neolithic site of Sha'ar Hagolan the site is located in the central Jordan Valley of Israel, 1.5 miles south of the Sea of Galilee, and is the type-site for the Yarmukian culture, which occupied large parts of Israel, Jordan, and Lebanon. The excavations have opened new horizons for our understanding of the Neolithic period, but also have more far-reaching implications for the entire ancient Near East in terms of history of architecture, urban planning, art history and cult. The Pottery Neolithic period, previously considered to be an era of decline, has proved to be a time of cultural evolution in the Levant. The Sha'ar Hagolan excavations revealed a flourishing Neolithic community that developed new architecture new settlement planning and a unique artistic style.
The publication project is directed by Dr. Yosef Garfinkel.