# Gesher (archaeological site)

Gesher is an archaeological site located on the southern bank of Nahal Tavor, near kibbutz Gesher in the central Jordan Valley of Israel. It bears signs of occupation from two periods, the very early Neolithic and the Middle Bronze Age. The site was first excavated between 1986 and 1987 by Yosef Garfinkel of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and between 2002 and 2004 by Susan Cohen of Montana State University. The average of 4 radiocarbon dating results suggested inhabitation of the settlement around 8000 BC.

## History
### Pre-Pottery Neolithic A

During the Pre-Pottery Neolithic A the site was a small village composed of a few rounded structures. Typical flint finds included a high number of el-Khiam points which Garfinkel argued, along with the relatively early date could class Gesher as a Khiamian site. One outstanding discovery, unknown from any other Neolithic site of the period in the Near East, is a workshop for the production of basalt artifacts. The workshop produced basalt axes and various other tools which were then sent to other early Neolithic centers, such as Jericho and Netiv Hagdud. According to radiometric dates, Gesher is one of the earliest Neolithic sites in the Near East. During this period the first villages were established and the transition to agriculture occurred. A final excavation report on the Neolithic site was published in 2006.
* Calibrated Carbon 14 dates for Gesher as of 2013.
* Gesher Pre-Pottery Neolithic A rounded building.
* Gesher Pre-Pottery Neolithic A flint arrowheads.

### Middle Bronze IIA

During the Middle Bronze Age IIA, Gesher served as a cemetery. Some 20 graves have been uncovered. These are shaft graves, dug into the local sediment, used for individual burials and never reopened. This facilitates the study of burial customs, including body position, the quantity of grave goods and their relation to the deceased. Bronze spearheads and axes (including three duck-bill axes) were found in four of the graves. A final excavation report on the Middle Bronze cemetery was published in 2007.

## Comparative chronology

vteChronology of the Neolithic period :
Pre-Pottery Neolithic   Pottery Neolithic :
BC
Europe
Egypt
Syria Levant
Anatolia
Khabur
Sinjar Mountains Assyria
Middle Tigris
Low Mesopotamia
Iran (Khuzistan)
Iran
Indus/ India
China
11000
Early Pottery (18,000 BC)
10000
Pre-Pottery Neolithic A Gesher Mureybet (10,500 BC)
9000
Jericho Tell Abu Hureyra
8000
Pre-Pottery Neolithic B Jericho Tell Aswad
Göbekli Tepe Çayönü Aşıklı Höyük
Initial Neolithic (Pottery) Nanzhuangtou (8500–8000 BC)
7000
Egyptian Neolithic Nabta Playa (7500 BC)
Çatalhöyük (7500–5500) Hacilar (7000 BC)
Tell Sabi Abyad Bouqras
Jarmo
Ganj Dareh Chia Jani Ali Kosh
Mehrgarh I
6500
Neolithic Europe Franchthi Sesklo
Pre-Pottery Neolithic C ('Ain Ghazal)
Pottery Neolithic Tell Sabi Abyad Bouqras
Pottery Neolithic Jarmo
Chogha Bonut
Teppe Zagheh
Pottery Neolithic Peiligang (7000–5000 BC)
6000
Pottery Neolithic Sesklo Dimini
Pottery Neolithic Yarmukian (Sha'ar HaGolan)
Pottery Neolithic Ubaid 0 (Tell el-'Oueili)
Pottery Neolithic Chogha Mish
Pottery Neolithic Sang-i Chakmak
Pottery Neolithic Lahuradewa Mehrgarh II Mehrgarh III
5600
Faiyum A
Amuq A
Halaf Halaf-Ubaid
Umm Dabaghiya
Samarra (6000–4800 BC)
Tepe Muhammad Djafar
Tepe Sialk
5200
Linear Pottery culture (5500–4500 BC)
Amuq B
Hacilar Mersin 24–22  
Hassuna
Ubaid 1 (Eridu 19–15) Ubaid 2 (Hadji Muhammed) (Eridu 14–12)
Susiana A
Yarim Tepe Hajji Firuz Tepe
4800
Pottery Neolithic Merimde
Amuq C
Hacilar Mersin 22–20
Hassuna Late Gawra 20
Tepe Sabz
Kul Tepe Jolfa
4500
Amuq D
Gian Hasan Mersin 19–17
Ubaid 3
Ubaid 3 (Gawra) 19–18
Ubaid 3
Khazineh Susiana B
3800
Badarian Naqada
Ubaid 4
Succeeded by: Historical Ancient Near East :