Natufian Foragers in the Levant: Terminal Pleistocene Social Changes in Western Asia (International Monographs in Prehistory: Archaeological Series, 19)

This large volume presents virtually all aspects of the Epipalaeolithic Natufian culture in a series of chapters that cover recent results of field work, analyses of materials and sites, and synthetic or interpretive overviews of various aspects of this important prehistoric culture. Table of Contents List of Contributors Preface The Natufian Culture in the Levant: Twenty Years Later Acknowledgements Northern Levant Natufian Lifeways in the Eastern Foothills of the Anti-Lebanon Mountains The Natufian of Moghr el-Ahwal in the Qadisha Valley, Northern Lebanon The Natufian of Southwestern Syria Sites in the Damascus Province The Natufian Occupations of Qarassa 3 (Sweida, Southern Syria) The Early Natufian Site of Jeftelik (Homs Gap, Syria) Fish in the Desert? The Younger Dryas and its Influence on the Paleoenvironment at Baaz Rockshelter, Syria Preliminary Results from Analyses of Charred Plant Remains from a Burnt Natufian Building at Dederiyeh Cave in Northwest Syria Southern Levant El-Wad Spatial Organization of Natufian el-Wad through Time: Combining the Results of Past and Present Excavations The Last Natufian Inhabitants of el-Wad Terrace Domestic Refuse Maintenance in the Natufian: Faunal Evidence from el-Wad Terrace, Mount Carmel Natufian Green Stone Pendants from el-Wad: Characteristics and Cultural Implications Eynan The Final Natufian Structure 215-228 at Mallaha (Eynan), Israel: an Attempt at Spatial Analysis A Study of two Natufian Residential Complexes: Structures 200 and 203 at Eynan (Ain Mallaha), Israel Graves in Context: Field Anthropology and the Investigation of Interstratified Floors and Burials Obsidian in Natufian Context: The Case of Eynan (Ain Mallaha), Israel Flint Knapping and its Objectives in the Early Natufian: the Example of Eynan- Ain Mallaha (Israel) Searching for the Functions of Fire Structures in Eynan (Mallaha) and their Formation Processes: a Geochemical Approach Avifauna of the Final Natufian of Eynan Bone Ornamental Elements and Decorated Objects of the Natufian from Mallaha Reconstruction of the Habitats in the Ecosystem of the Final Natufian Site of Ain Mallaha (Eynan) Southern Levant - other sites Wadi Hammeh 27: an Open-air ‘Base-camp’ on the Fringe of the Natufian ‘Homeland’ Art Items from Wadi Hammeh 27 The Final Epipaleolithic / PPNA site of Huzuq Musa (Jordan Valley) Natufian Settlement in the Wadi al-Qusayr, West-Central Jordan The Steppic Early Natufian: Investigations in the Wadi al-Hasa, Jordan The Natufian of the Azraq Basin: An Appraisal Chert Procurement Patterns and Exploitation Territory: Case Study from Late Natufian Hayonim Terrace (Western Galilee, Israel) A Faunal Perspective on the Relationship between the Natufian Occupations of Hayonim Cave and Hayonim Terrace The Natufian at Raqefet Cave Hof Shahaf: A New Natufian Site on the Shore of Lake Kinneret The Life History of Macrolithic Tools at Hilazon Tachtit Cave General Reviews, Climate and Interpretations Breaking the Mold: Phases and Facies in the Natufian of the Mediterranean Zone Ruminations on the Role of Periphery and Centre in the Natufian The Natufian and the Younger Dryas Scaphopod Shells in the Natufian Culture The Natufian Chronological Scheme – New Insights and their Implications Natufian Foragers and the ‘Monocot Revolution’: A Phytolith Perspective Lithic Technology in the Late Natufian – Technological Differences between ‘Core-area’ and ‘Periphery’ Variability of Lunates and Changes in Projectile Weapons Technology during the Natufian Specialized Hunting of Gazelle in the Natufian: Cultural Cause or Climatic Effect? Commensalism: was it Truly a Natufian Phenomenon? Recent Cntributions from Ethnoarchaeology and Ecology The Natufian Culture, First Recognized By Dorothy Garrod In 1928, Is One Of The Best Recorded Archaeological Examples Of Foragers At The End Of The Ice Age. The Many Unique Material Finds And Social Aspects Of This Culture Found Their Place In Different Hypotheses Concerning The Emergence Of Cultivation In Southwest Asia That Heralds The Neolithic Revolution. In The Heart Of The Levant, Natufian Sites Are Early Examples For Sedentism That Apparently Led To Changes Of Socio-economic Strategies In This Region. Given The Quality And Quantity Of Its Archaeological Record, It Is Better Known Than Most Other Terminal Pleistocene Cultures Across Eurasia. This Volume, The Result Of A Large, International Meeting On The Natufian Culture, Brings Together A Series Of New Discoveries And Studies Of Sites From Areas Not Previously Investigated, Thus Substantially Enlarging The Geographic Scope Of This Culture Along The North-south Axis Of The Levant. Field And Laboratory Research Reported In This Book Was Conducted By Different Teams Of Archaeologists, Archaebotanists, Zooarchaelogists, And Other Experts Both Local And International. This Comprehensive Book Adds A Considerable Amount Of New Information To Our Knowledge. It Demonstrates The Ongoing Interest Among Numerous Scholars Whose Efforts Widen And Deepen The Understanding Of The Natufian Culture And Will Remain As A Source Of Data And Interpretations For Years To Come, Just As Its Predecessor That Was Published In 1991. This massive volume contains papers from a recent symposium on the late Pleistocene Natufian culture, which is one of the most important precursors of the Neolithic Revolution in the Levant.