In the past few decades the field of submerged prehistory has produced important data highlighting ancient coastal habitation across the globe. Most prehistoric underwater sites are discovered by chance (e.g., by industry, fishermen or recreational divers). New methods for detecting submerged prehistoric settlements have been developed using sophisticated remote sensing devices, yet with limited success. Simple, practical, and inexpensive methods for locating submerged settlements remain rare. Over 60 years of underwater archaeology and submerged prehistory in Israel, specifically along the Carmel coast, has led to a model for locating and studying submerged settlements, based on sand removal by storms. This study aimed to take this model a step further by developing a new, inexpensive method to identify, locate and characterize submerged sites. We collected undisturbed paleosol cores from exposed areas as well as under a few meters of sand, using a newly developed water-jet core sampling system. The cores were analyzed using micro-geoarchaeological techniques initially developed on terrestrial sites. The rationale behind this methodology is based on established knowledge that where human settlements occur, sediments are enriched by specific mineralogical signatures (e.g., heated clay minerals) and anthropogenic micro-remain assemblages (e.g., phytoliths, ash pseudomorphs and dung spherulites). Additionally, micromorphology can assist in identifying micro-stratigraphic patterns typical of human settlements. We tested sediment cores in three underwater contexts: a) exposed prehistoric surfaces within two known Neolithic sites (Atlit-Yam and Neve Yam), b) exposed paleosols without visible archaeological remains (serving as a control), and c) as a blind test, a buried paleosol currently covered by 1–3 m of sand, where the existence of a site is unknown. In the cores taken from the exposed Neolithic settlements, the micro-geoarchaeological characterization showed clear anthropogenic signals (typical mineralogy, elevated micro-remain concentrations, micro-stratigraphy). In the paleosol control cores, there was an absence (or negligible presence) of anthropogenic signals. The ‘blind test’ at the sand-covered locality revealed sediments without anthropogenic enrichments (similar to the control paleosols), thus suggesting the absence of a submerged settlement in this specific location. The new method is time- and cost-effective and can easily be applied worldwide along the shallow continental shelf as well as in deep water. The new method will facilitate discovery of new underwater sites and provide selection criteria (e.g., where the highest anthropogenic signal exists) for investment in underwater excavations. Additionally, it can be used to check for anthropogenic signals in buried locations detected by remote sensing, and to understand the spatial organization of submerged sites.

在过去的几十年里，水下史前史领域产生了重要的数据，突出了全球古代沿海居住地。大多数史前水下遗址都是偶然发现的（例如，工业、渔民或休闲潜水员）。已经使用复杂的遥感设备开发了用于检测淹没的史前聚落的新方法，但成功率有限。用于定位淹没定居点的简单、实用且廉价的方法仍然很少见。以色列 60 多年的水下考古和水下史前史，特别是在卡梅尔海岸，已经建立了一个基于风暴清除沙子的水下定居点定位和研究模型。本研究旨在通过开发一种新的、廉价的方法来识别、定位和表征淹没地点，从而使该模型更进一步。我们使用新开发的水射流岩心采样系统从暴露区域以及几米深的沙子下收集了未受干扰的古土壤岩心。使用最初在陆地上开发的微型地质考古技术对岩心进行了分析。这种方法背后的基本原理是基于既定知识，即在人类定居点发生的地方，沉积物富含特定的矿物学特征（例如，加热的粘土矿物）和人为微残留组合（例如，植硅体、灰假形体和粪球晶）。此外，微形态学可以帮助识别人类住区典型的微观地层模式。我们在三个水下环境中测试了沉积物核心：a) 两个已知的新石器时代遗址（Atlit-Yam 和 Neve Yam）内暴露的史前表面，b) 没有可见考古遗迹的裸露古土壤（作为对照），以及 c) 作为盲测，埋藏的古土壤目前被 1-3 m 的沙子覆盖，其中一个地点的存在是未知的。在从暴露的新石器时代聚落中取出的岩心中，微地质考古特征显示出明显的人为信号（典型的矿物学、微残留浓度升高、微地层学）。在古土壤控制核心中，人为信号的缺失（或可忽略不计）。在沙子覆盖的地区进行的“盲测”显示没有人为富集的沉积物（类似于对照古土壤），因此表明该特定位置不存在水下沉降。这种新方法既省时又划算，可以很容易地在全世界沿浅大陆架和深水中应用。新方法将有助于发现新的水下地点，并为水下挖掘投资提供选择标准（例如，存在最高人为信号的地方）。此外，它还可以用于检查遥感检测到的掩埋地点的人为信号，并了解淹没地点的空间组织。