PAPYRUS - A HISTORIC NEWCOMER TO THE HULA VALLEY, ISRAEL

Isotopic and palynologic analyses from boreholes in the Hula Valley, northern Israel, indicate that papyrus, which was by for the most abundant marsh plant, only became dominant in the region some 4000-5000 yrs ago, although the marshes are known to have existed in the Hula Valley throughout the entire Glacial Pleistocene. This dominance may have been natural, i.e., related to the early Holocene connection of the Nile with the tropical African lakes, or a consequence of human habitation in the area. The ancient Egyptians could have brought papyrus from the Nile for use as a raw material for paper, or the papyrus may have been spread by the extensive use of cane (Phragmites australis) for building and other purposes.