Uncovering submerged Neolithic sites in Israel

Allen Bolaffi Future Fund

Considered to have one of the top maritime archaeology programs in the world, Flinders University has launched a collaborative, international maritime investigation – thanks to the Allen Bolaffi Future Fund.

Off the Carmel Coast of Israel, 17 submerged prehistoric settlements have been discovered, creating a rich source of information about our past and making Israel a world-class location to test and trial new research methods.

The Neolithic sites, dating some 12,000 to 5,000 years ago, demonstrate some of the world’s most well-preserved examples of human life, including human burials and the preservation of fragile organic materials, such as woven baskets and the remains of plants used by these past societies.

Facilitated by the UNESCO UNITWIN Network for Underwater Archaeology and in partnership with the University of Haifa in Israel, the Allen Bolaffi Future Fund is supporting Flinders University early career researcher Dr Chelsea Wiseman to travel to Israel to undertake a high-profile research project at the submerged settlements.

Dr Chelsea Wiseman at the archaeological site in Israel

“Using the Israel sites as a case study, we will study changes to coastal settlement patterns in prehistory,” says Dr Wiseman.

“The study will analyse the human response to climate change according to the archaeological record and evaluate changes in the use of coastal landscapes over the course of habitation of these prehistoric settlements.”

Using cutting-edge 3D visual technology to record the submerged Neolithic sites, Dr Wiseman hopes to understand the influence of environmental change and unlock the significance of these ancient underwater cultural sites.

“The project will contribute to the technological development of ancient sea-level studies, human adaptation to climate change, and exploration in the marine environment through underwater archaeological, geophysical and machine learning techniques,” says Dr Wiseman.

The research, directed by Flinders University’s Professor Jonathan Benjamin and Discovery Early Career Researchers Award Fellow Dr John McCarthy, is hosted and supported in Israel by Professor Assaf Yasur-Landau from the University of Haifa.

“This research hopes to provide insights into the history of human interaction with the sea, at a period of time where sea-level rise had significant impacts on coastal habitation,” says Professor Benjamin.

The international project was made possible with the support of the Allen Bolaffi Future Fund at Flinders University, which has funded Dr Wiseman’s salary and costs to undertake the research, as well as fieldwork expenses for the archaeological excavations in Israel.

Allen Bolaffi was a well-known and highly respected businessman and a leading figure in the Jewish community, serving as President of the Australia-Israel Chamber of Commerce (SA) for 20 years.

After Allen’s untimely death in 2014, the Allen Bolaffi Future Fund was created with a generous donation from then Vice-Chancellor Michael Barber. The fund quickly grew from an outpouring of generous support from Allen’s associates, friends and family.

The fund honours Allen’s life by supporting a cause he was passionate about – partnerships between Australia and Israel. The Bolaffi family are pleased that Allen’s legacy is supporting this cutting-edge, international maritime archaeology project.

Dr Wiseman says she is profoundly grateful for the support.

“This funding has made a tremendous difference to me, both personally and professionally. As an early career researcher, it has created a unique opportunity for me to lead internationally collaborative research, in a location of abundant archaeological material,” says Dr Wiseman.

“It’s important to support this kind of research so we can better understand the history of human adaptation to climate change, especially in these now-submerged sites that faced the impacts of rapid sea-level rise.”

By uncovering and understanding the submerged Neolithic sites in Israel, Dr Wiseman believes it will add to our knowledge and actions in response to the impending changes to our climate.

“These archaeological sites are an incredible resource for us to understand the resilience of past human societies and how we might adapt to climate change in the future.”