Reinhardt, E.G., Patterson, R.T., Blenkinsop, J. and Raban, A., 1998 Paleoenvironmental Evolution of the Inner Basin of the Ancient Harbor at Caesarea Maritima, Israel; Foraminiferal and Sr Isotopic Evidence. Revue de Paleobiologie, 17 (1):1-21.
Archaeological excavations within the inner harbor at Caesarea Maritima, Israel have been conducted to understand the history of the ancient harbor built by Herod the Great at the end of the 1st c. BC. An integrated foraminiferal and strontium isotope analysis (87Sr/86Sr) of three stratigraphic sections (Areas, I9, I14, TN1) from the inner harbor has greatly enhanced the archaeological interpretation. The foraminiferal analysis of forty-two sediment samples and forty-two 87Sr/86Sr measurements of six fossil taxa have indicated temporal paleosalinities that can be related to the form and function of the inner harbor. The recognition of three predominantly salinity controlled biofacies was based on the diversity and distribution of hyaline, agglutinated, and porcelaneous foraminiferal taxa.
Areas I9 and I14 in the inner harbor were situated in a restricted but relatively well circulated brackish water environment in at least the 1st c. AD and probably up to the 3rd c. AD, with periods of higher salinity. A highly restricted lagoon was created, probably by the formation of a sand bar, sometime during the 3rd c. AD. The lagoon remained restricted and brackish and began to shoal by the 5th c. AD. Continued infilling of the brackish water lagoon with sand overwash deposits continued into at least the 7th c. AD.
Area TN1, which was further seaward in the inner harbor was a quiet restricted brackish water environment in the 6th -7th c. AD and may have been the center of harbor activity during this time. The restriction of this area was likely due to a renovation in the form of a seawall or a sandbar. The area was deliberately infilled with rubble, probably in the 7th c. AD, to prevent seaborn naval invasions.
This paleoenvironmental study using an integrated micropaleontological/strontium isotope approach emphasizes the potential of the methodology for the study of salinity changes in coastal lagoon environments.