Provenance Studies of the Ballast Stones found in the North Bay of Tel Dor, Israel

An ancient trade ship’s stability was influenced by presence of ballast stones, loaded and unloaded varying with cargo densities. The result of this variability is an ancient harbour’s collection of discarded and saved ballast stones, with origins reflecting a ship’s route. Both Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and thinsection petrography were used jointly on ballast stones collected from the North Bay of Tel Dor, Israel, to identify their origins. This is a new approach to study geological artifacts.. With proposed origins of non-local ballast stones, further assertions of seafaring interactions between Tel Dor and surrounding regions can be made.