Natufian culture

An Epipaleolithic culture of the eastern Mediterranean, known for settled communities and intensive use of wild cereals before agriculture.

Epipaleolithic: The later phase of the Stone Age in the Near East, marked by microlithic tools and changes in settlement and subsistence. The Natufian culture is a regional Epipaleolithic tradition.
Ain Mallaha: A Natufian archaeological site in northern Israel, also known as Eynan, with evidence of substantial settlement. Its house remains document Natufian settlement architecture.
Shuqba Cave: A cave in the central Levant whose archaeological deposits include Natufian remains. Dorothy Garrod identified Natufian material at this site in 1928.
Dorothy Garrod: A British archaeologist whose excavations in the Levant established the Natufian culture as an archaeological unit. Her excavations at Shuqba Cave led to the culture’s naming and initial definition.
Agricultural revolution: The transition in multiple regions from reliance on wild foods to economies based substantially on domesticated plants and animals. Natufian communities gathered intensively and sometimes settled without being agricultural societies.
Levant: A historical-geographical region of the eastern Mediterranean, including present-day Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria. Natufian communities occupied parts of the southern Levant.
Hearth: A prepared place for making and maintaining fire, commonly found within or near domestic spaces. Hearths at Natufian sites reveal domestic activity and repeated occupation.
Hayonim Cave: A cave in the western Galilee with archaeological deposits spanning the Upper Paleolithic and Epipaleolithic. Its Natufian remains include burials and evidence of repeated occupation.
Dame Kathleen Kenyon: A British archaeologist known for major excavations at Jericho and other Near Eastern sites. Her work at Jericho sharpened evidence about settlement before agriculture.
Sedentism: A way of life based on living in a fixed place for much or all of the year. The extent and timing of Natufian year-round residence remain debated across sites.

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