The transformation of society from mobile hunter-gatherers to settled farmers was completed in Neolithic times and became a point of ‘no return’ in human history. The nature and the origin of that transformation have always been of special interest in terms of guiding research on the Levantine Epipalaeolithic (c. 23–11.5 ka cal BP). The Late Epipalaeolithic Natufian culture (14.5–11.5 ka BP), characterised by stone-built dwellings, elaborate burial practices, objects d’art and personal decoration, is considered a threshold to Neolithic farming communities (Bar-Yosef 1998). While agriculture practised by Natufian hunters was noted in Garrod’s (1932) very first publication of Natufian culture more than 80 years ago, the origin of that culture remains enigmatic. At the same time, large, open-air Early Epipalaeolithic sites discovered during the last decades provide some evidence of social complexity, arguably suggesting cultural continuity and the perception of the transition to agriculture in the Levant as a long, gradual and protracted process
Investigating pre-agricultural dynamics in the Levant: a new stratified epipaleolithic site at Ein Qashish South, Jezreel Valley, Israel
CARACUTA, VALENTINA;
2014-01-01
Abstract
The transformation of society from mobile hunter-gatherers to settled farmers was completed in Neolithic times and became a point of ‘no return’ in human history. The nature and the origin of that transformation have always been of special interest in terms of guiding research on the Levantine Epipalaeolithic (c. 23–11.5 ka cal BP). The Late Epipalaeolithic Natufian culture (14.5–11.5 ka BP), characterised by stone-built dwellings, elaborate burial practices, objects d’art and personal decoration, is considered a threshold to Neolithic farming communities (Bar-Yosef 1998). While agriculture practised by Natufian hunters was noted in Garrod’s (1932) very first publication of Natufian culture more than 80 years ago, the origin of that culture remains enigmatic. At the same time, large, open-air Early Epipalaeolithic sites discovered during the last decades provide some evidence of social complexity, arguably suggesting cultural continuity and the perception of the transition to agriculture in the Levant as a long, gradual and protracted processI documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
