\u201cAncient societies in the southern Levant did not simply collapse or abandon regions when climate conditions became drier,\u201d Gilad Shtienberg, the paper\u2019s first author, told The Times of Israel. \u201cInstead, they adapted in creative ways.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\t\t\t\tBy signing up, you agree to the terms<\/a><\/p>\n Shtienberg is a research scholar with the CCAS and the anthropology department.<\/p>\n \t \u201cDuring the Neolithic period, many communities were concentrated near reliable freshwater sources in the more humid northern Negev and coastal plain,\u201d said Shtienberg. \u201cLater, during the Chalcolithic period, populations expanded into the more semi-arid Beersheba valley.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRather than retreat from these harsher conditions, communities developed new strategies to survive,\u201d he said, adding that these included early floodwater farming systems that diverted seasonal floods onto agricultural fields, likely early forms of irrigation agriculture.<\/p>\n \u2018Evidence from plant remains suggests that crops such as barley were cultivated under managed irrigation rather than relying solely on rainfall\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cEvidence from plant remains suggests that crops such as barley were cultivated under managed irrigation rather than relying solely on rainfall,\u201d Shtienberg said. \u201cThese practices helped create localized Mediterranean-like farming environments within semi-arid regions.\u201d\n<\/p>\n Digging deep<\/p>\n The Carmel range is rich in archaeological findings that have shed light on key evolutionary milestones such as the origins of anatomically modern humans and the agricultural revolution.<\/p>\n By drilling up to 16 meters (52 feet) down, the team extracted cylinders comprised of layers of ancient mud. The sediments, chemicals and biology within these layers revealed changes over centuries, with samples providing a window into decades.<\/p>\n \t Inside the layers were tiny shells, pollen grains, charred plant fragments and chemical traces, each one a clue to climate fluctuations. Freshwater snails and mussels indicated rainy, lush periods; salt-tolerant species signaled drought and a shrinking wetland. Charcoal revealed erosion and runoff patterns, while pollen and seeds indicated which plants were growing nearby.<\/p>\n Putting the pieces together, the team created a detailed climate timeline stretching from 8,000 to 4,000 years ago.<\/p>\n The team created a detailed climate timeline stretching from 8,000 to 4,000 years ago<\/p>\n The record shows a long drying trend punctuated by wetter periods and repeated droughts. By around 6,500 years ago, annual rainfall had dropped by half, from around 700 millimeters (27.5 inches) along Israel\u2019s coast to 350 millimeters (13.8 inches). A severe drought around 4,200 years ago is known to have sparked widespread social disruption.\n<\/p>\n The scientists compared the climate data with existing archaeological information from across the region to see whether drought directly triggered migration or population decline.<\/p>\n While climate stress formed an environmental backdrop for changing settlement patterns, ancient communities appear to have responded creatively and variably rather than simply moving away, the researchers found.<\/p>\n \t Shtienberg said that despite the ancient timeline, the study holds relevance regarding climate change today.<\/p>\n \u201cOur findings highlight that environmental change does not automatically cause societal collapse, but it can reshape economies, settlement patterns and human behavior,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cIn that sense, the past provides a long-term perspective on resilience, adaptation and the risks of pushing environmental systems beyond sustainable thresholds,\u201d said Shtienberg.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t The war with Iran has been draining for all of us in Israel. But when I heard about a high casualty incident \u2013 ballistic missile impacts in Arad and Dimona that left nearly 200 people wounded \u2013 I drank a cup of coffee, packed a bag, and headed south.<\/p>\n There, I spoke with Shilgit, the head of an after-school program for underprivileged youth. Standing outside her destroyed center, Shilgit said it was a miracle that no children were hurt and spoke about the community coming together in the hours since.<\/p>\n As a Times of Israel reporter, I\u2019m committed to telling stories of resilience like Shilgit\u2019s. But my colleagues and I can’t do this alone. If you value work like this, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to keep real human reporting like this going.<\/p>\n \u2014 Stav Levaton, military reporter<\/p>\n \t\t\t
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\n\t\tTom Levy (left) and Gilad Shtienberg on Israel\u2019s Carmel coast with the geoprobe used for extracting sediment cores. (Courtesy, Tom Levy)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/IMG_1091-640x400.jpeg\")
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\n\t\tPreparing the cores at the \u2018Core Locker,\u2019 Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego. (Courtesy, Tom Levy)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1280px-Jewish_National_Fund_trees_in_The_Negev-640x400.jpg\")
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\n\t\tThe Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund still traps floodwaters to irrigate trees in the Negev Desert in southern Israel. (David Shankbone, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons)<\/p>\n
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