Natufian People: The Pioneers of the Paleolithic to Neolithic Shift

The Natufian civilization occupies a peculiar spot successful the improvement of quality societies successful the Near East, marking the starting constituent for the emergence of farming communities. Credit: R. Yeshurun, CC BY-SA 3.0

The Natufians were a prehistoric civilization that existed successful the Levant (modern-day Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon) from astir 12,500 to 9,500 BCE. It existed during the modulation from the Paleolithic (Old Stone Age) to the Neolithic (New Stone Age).

The Natufians are important due to the fact that they correspond 1 of the earliest known societies to marque the captious displacement from hunting and gathering to a settled lifestyle, laying the groundwork for the improvement of agriculture.

Natufian nine and subsistence

The Epipaleolithic communities of the East, dating from 10,500 to 8,000 BCE, are referred to arsenic Natufians. They carnivore the sanction aft the archaeological tract of Wadi en-Natuf successful Palestine.

Some of their larger sites, including Jericho and the colony of Sukhba, diagnostic imperishable architectural structures, nutrient retention areas and designated nutrient processing equipment. Burial practices suggest immoderate grade of societal differentiation.

The Natufians were hunter-gatherers who gathered foods specified arsenic emmer wheat, barley, and almonds. They besides hunted animals similar gazelles, deer, cattle, horses and chaotic boar. They lived successful semi-subterranean dwellings, partially dug into the crushed and partially built with stones and wood.

Some grounds suggests that the Natufians cultivated barley and wheat. Indeed, their nonstop descendants, associated with the Pre-Pottery oregon Aceramic Neolithic, were among the archetypal farmers connected the planet. They began experimenting with works cultivation, peculiarly cereals, though they had not yet afloat developed farming. Tools similar sickles with microlithic blades bespeak that they harvested chaotic grains.

The Natufian civilization occupies a peculiar spot successful the improvement of quality societies successful the Near East. It marks the starting constituent for the emergence of farming communities. The thought that the Natufians were the earliest farmers dates backmost to Dorothy Garrod’s archetypal find of this culture. Additionally, the modulation from hunting and gathering to a afloat cultivation system successful the Natufian civilization appears to person been a logical continuum.

The Natufians lived successful semi-subterranean dwellings, partially dug into the crushed and partially built with stones and wood. Credit: Creative Commons, CC BY-SA 2.5

Natufian architecture and settlements

The Natufian civilization dwellings were semi-subterranean, often with adust chromatic foundations. They were typically recovered successful forested areas among oak and pistachio trees. Wheat was commonly portion of the flora successful these regions.

The precocious mountains of Lebanon and the Anti-Lebanon range, the steppes of the Negev and Sinai, and the Syro-Arabian Desert to the eastbound formed a earthy bound for Natufian improvement and settlement. This regulation whitethorn person been owed to restricted proscription capabilities implicit agelong distances oregon contention with neighboring groups for resources. The Natufians apt constructed the superstructure of these dwellings from brushwood, arsenic archeologists person discovered nary traces of bricks to date. The circular dwellings, usually 3 to 6 meters successful diameter, often contained a cardinal circular oregon quadrate hearth.

Meanwhile, astatine Ain Mallaha, archeologists Ofer Bar-Yosef and Leore Grosman person recovered grounds of involvement holes. This suggests that the person oregon enactment radical of the assemblage utilized the stakes for ceremonial purposes. The settlements typically covered an country of astir 1 quadrate kilometer.

Furthermore, the archeologists person recovered grounds of rebuilding successful astir each excavated areas, indicating that radical often relocated and re-inhabited these sites implicit agelong periods, apt owed to impermanent abandonment for assorted reasons.

The region’s abundant earthy resources and favorable clime astatine that clip astir apt enabled radical to wantonness their nomadic beingness and found imperishable settlements.

These resources included hunting, sportfishing and nutrient gathering, arsenic good arsenic the usage of chaotic cereals, which required precocious nutrient mentation skills. At the aforesaid time, the Natufians utilized sickles made of flint blades attached to bony handles for harvesting wheat, and chromatic manus mills for grinding grains.

The Natufians utilized sickles made of flint blades attached to bony handles for harvesting wheat and chromatic manus mills for grinding grains.

Natufian creation and symbolism

The Natufians produced tiny sculptures, astir notably figurines of animals and humans, often crafted from stone, bony oregon ivory.
Animal figurines specified arsenic those depicting bears oregon wildcats apt held symbolic meaning, reflecting the value of animals successful the Natufians’ spiritual oregon totemic beliefs.

Archaeologists including Dorothy Garrod and René Neuville person discovered quality figurines astatine Natufian sites. They often diagnostic exaggerated oregon stylized features that suggest beliefs successful the supernatural oregon shamanic transformation. Notably, Neuville identified the Ain Sakhri Lovers figurine, which whitethorn correspond a human-animal hybrid. This indicates aboriginal forms of animism oregon shamanistic practices wherever they believed humans could alteration into animals oregon pass with spirits.

Human representations successful Natufian creation scope from schematic to naturalistic. Artisans carved the chromatic caput from Ain Mallaha retired of limestone utilizing flint knives and chisels, leaving disposable instrumentality marks. Three concentric curves signifier the eyes, which predominate the little portion of the look and are bisected by a wide horizontal set crossed the stone’s center. Diagonal lines incised into the somewhat damaged precocious portion of the caput perchance correspond the scalp. The level basal indicates that artisans designed the caput to basal upright.

Archaeologists including Dorothy Garrod and René Neuville discovered quality figurines astatine Natufian sites. Credit: Garry Todd, CC0, Wikimedia Commons

Burial practices and legacy

Burials person been discovered successful galore Natufian sites, usually successful pit graves wrong abandoned houses oregon successful caves connected Mount Carmel and successful the Judean hills. These Natufians often filled these pits with refuse, making it hard to place sedate offerings. In immoderate cases, graves were covered with limestone slabs, perchance indicating societal stratification. Both idiosyncratic and radical burials are common, particularly successful the aboriginal Natufian period, portion scattered quality remains successful settlements suggest disturbances of earlier burials.

Child mortality rates were high, with astir 30% of burials belonging to children aged 5 to seven. Ofer Bar-Yosef and his colleagues observed skull removal practices astatine sites specified arsenic Hayyonim Cave, Nahal Oren and Ain Mallaha. Decorated skulls, sometimes adorned with ammunition beads, person been recovered astatine El-Wad. Grave offerings chiefly dwell of idiosyncratic jewelry, including beads made of shells, reddish cervid teeth, bones and stones. Ofer Bar-Yosef and his colleagues besides discovered artifacts specified arsenic bracelets, necklaces, earrings, buckles and pendants.

Of peculiar involvement are cases of quality and canine burials, which apt bespeak the aboriginal domestication of dogs.

The Natufian civilization is simply a captious span betwixt the Paleolithic and Neolithic eras. Moreover, it marks the modulation to settled beingness and the beginnings of quality translation of the environment. Their innovations yet paved the mode for the improvement of cities, analyzable societies and the foundations of modern civilization.