New Article on Philistine Invasion Biology

On By arenmaeirIn Miscellaneous
A very interesting new article has just appeared in the prestigious journal “Scientific Reports”. This study is an outcome of a FIRST/BIKURA grant that Udi Weiss, Liora Horwitz and myself received (from the ISF) a few years ago, and was spearheaded by Sue Frumin (as part of her PhD research). In the study it is demonstrated that with the appearance of the Philistine culture in Canaan, not only did new species of plants appear, species which originate in different parts of the eastern Mediterranean, but new modes of utilization of various plants species already existing in the Levant can be seen. This not only strengthens previous evidence of the multiple origins of the Philistine migrants, but also shows that the Philistine culture had new and different food patterns and agrarian traditions. In addition, it demonstrates the applicability of an “invasion biology” perspective in the study of bioarchaeological remains, and its implications for understanding past and present biodiversity.
The article is entitled:
Frumin, S., Maeir, A.M., Horwitz, L.K. and Weiss, E. 2015. Studying Ancient Anthropogenic Impacts on Current Floral Biodiversity in the Southern Levant as reflected by the Philistine Migration. Scientific Reports 5:13308 | DOI: 10.1038/srep13308
The online link to the article (which is open to all) can be found at: http://www.nature.com/articles/srep13308
Hope you find this interesting!
Aren