Holocene environment and subsistence patterns near the Tree Shelter, Red Sea Mountains, Egypt

The Tree Shelter site dates to the Early to Mid-Holocene (8000 to 4900 C-14 yr BP). Present conditions around the site are hyperarid, but charcoal remains indicate less severe aridity at the time of its occupation. The environment around the site then supported a rich wadi vegetation, which allowed hunting during the Epipaleolithic and herding during the Neolithic occupation. Although more favorable than today, the environmental conditions also displayed a desert character and seem to have limited the range of domestic herbivores introduced in the area. (C) 2008 University of Washington. All Fights reserved.