Natufian

The final Epipalaeolithic (Mesolithic) culture complex of the Levant, dated to c 12,500-10,000 BP, with its type site at Wadi an-Natuf in Palestine. Hunting and gathering were still the basis of subsistence, but some Natufian communities had adopted a settled mode of life and the period saw the development of cereal grain exploitation. They built first permanent village settlements in pre-agricultural times in Palestine (Mallaha) and on middle Euphrates in Syria (Mureybet, Abu Hureyra). A series of burials was excavated at Mount Carmel; one important site is Wad Cave with a large cemetery, querns, sickles. The shrine at the base of the tell at Jericho was built during the Early Natufian phase, and the descendants of the Natufians built the earliest Neolithic town at the site. The characteristic toolkit includes geometric microliths, sickles, pestles, mortars, fishing gear, and ornaments of bone and shell. Generally, Natufian sites demonstrate greater diversity in economy and more permanent settlement than earlier cultures.

Mesolithic culture of the Levant; dated cl0,000-8000 be; most sites occur in a band ¿40 km wide along the Mediterranean coast, though some sites occur much further inland, like Mureybat in Syria. Caves and rock shelters continued to be occupied, as in earlier periods, but open settlements also occur, including some that continued in use in subsequent periods, such as Beidha and Jericho. Generally, Natufian sites demonstrate greater diversity in economy and more permanent settlement than earlier cultures. Some sites (e.g. Nahal Oren and Beidha) show evidence of animal manipulation, perhaps herding (of gazelle at Nahal Oren, goat at Beidha), while others such as Ain Mallah A, show evidence of the harvesting of wild cereals (mortars, pestles and blades showing silica gloss); there is no definite evidence of plant cultivation, but it is possible that it was practised. See also Abu Hureyra.