{"word_count": 257, "character_count": 1791}
Rosenberg D., Love S., Hubbard E., Klimscha F. (2020), 7,200 years old constructions and mudbrick technology: The evidence from Tel Tsaf, Jordan Valley, Israel, PLoS ONE, 15(1), 24 p. Download pdf: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0227288AbstractThe history of mudbrick production and construction in the southern  Levant may be dated as far back to the Pre-Pottery Neolithic A. However,  at many of the sites where mudbrick remains were noted, their  preservation was poor, so investigation of their production and the  related construction techniques in antiquity was precluded. The 7,200  year old (cal BP) site of Tel Tsaf, located in the Jordan Valley, is  distinguished by outstanding preservation of mudbrick architecture,  which enables us to delve into various issues related to mudbrick  technology, construction and preservation. The present paper discusses  some of the mudbrick features at Tel Tsaf and their characteristics and  offers a comprehensive analytical study of the mudbricks from multiple  contexts and phases. These demonstrate consistency in three of the four  measured variables: magnetic susceptibility, organic content and calcium  carbonate equivalent. The results of our study suggest that while we  can identify morphometric variability between bricks and walls, by and  large, a uniform composition characterized the tested assemblages  without any temporal or spatial variability. This indicates that a  single locally-sourced raw material was used and that recycling of old  decayed mudbricks was likely practiced. The consistency of  mudbrick-production during all phases of the occupation at Tel Tsaf and  the absence of multiple recipes implies that a shared production and  technological know-how was maintained for at least 500 years at the site.