Development Of The Initial Physico-Archaeological Model Of The Nahal Zehora Site (Central Israel) Using Modern Magnetic Data Interpretation

Magnetic survey provides a ground plan of cultural remains before archaeological<br>excavations. In special cases it may even be used instead of excavations for understanding<br>the cultural environment in order to avoid the site destruction. For the first time a detail<br>magnetic survey was conducted in Israel at sufficiently large (60 x 80 m) area. This area<br>borders south the known Prehistoric Nahal Zehora site partially excavated during the<br>many year’s archaeological investigations. The total magnetic field was observed with a<br>step between points of 0.5 m, distance between investigated profiles was 10 m and the<br>total number of the observed points was about 5,200. Magnetic susceptibility of soil<br>was measured on 180 samples. At the studied area has been recognized 12 anomalies<br>apparently reflecting three types of archaeological remains: (1) local high-intensive<br>anomalies due iron-containing (we do not exclude an agricultural origin of these objects)<br>or fired structures, (2) negative anomalies caused by the ancient constructions made<br>from a non-magnetic material (limestone), (3) positive anomalies due to accumulation<br>of the ancient human habitation (repeated heating of the soil as well as accumulation of<br>organic debris, etc.). In parallel with the conventional procedures (removing temporal<br>magnetic variations, gridding magnetic data and qualitative interpretation) here were<br>applied improved methods for inverse problem solution and 3-D modeling of magnetic<br>field. The developed initial physico-archaeological model of the site shows ranging studied<br>targets, their exact location and calculated depth of the upper edge (for the model of thin<br>bed) and position of the center of anomalous body (for the model of horizontal circular<br>cylinder).