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.

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.

39 papers from the Natufian conference with contributions on every aspect of Natufian archaeology including: sites at Hayonim cave, Wadi Hammeh, Salibiya, Tell Mureybet, Beidha, Central Beqaa Valley, the Black Desert, the Araq Basin; gazelle hunting, plant remains, dietary change, bone implements, wild cereals, marine shells; lithics, microwear analysis; art and decoration.

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. essential reading and an important reference for archaeologists interested in the origins of agriculture. Daniel E. Lieberman. Contents: O. Bar-Yosef and F.R. Valla, The Natufian Culture - An Introduction; U. Baruch and S. Bottema, Palynological evidence for climatic changes in the Levant ca, 17,000-9,000 B.P.; A. Leroi-Gourhan and F. Darmon, Analyses polliniques de stations natoufiennes au Proche-Orient; L. Copeland, Natufian sites in Lebanon; B. Schroeder, Natufian in the Central Beqaa Valley, Lebanon; O. Bar-Yosef, The archaeology of the Natufian layer at Hayonim Cave; F.R. Valla, F. Le Mort and H. Plisson, Les fouilles en cours sur la Terrasse d Hayonim; F.R. Valla, Les Natoufiens de Mallaha et l espace; P. Edwards, Wadi Hammeh 27: An Early Natufian site at Pella, Jordan; A. Ronen and M. Lechevallier, The Natufian of Hatula; P.J. Crabtree, D.V. Campana, A. Belfer-Cohen and D.E. Bar-Yosef, First results of the excavations at Salibiya I, lower Jordan Valley; A.N. Goring-Morris, The Harifian of the southern Levant; A. Betts, The Late Epipaleolithic in the Black Desert, eastern Jordan; A.N. Garrard, Natufian settlement in the Azraq Basin, eastern Jordan; B.F. Byrd, Beidha: An Early Natufian encampment in southern Jordan; B.F. Byrd and S.M. Colledge, Early Natufian occupation along the edge of the southern Jordanian Steppe; A.M.T. Moore, Abu Hureyra 1 and the antecedents of agriculture on the Middle Euphrates; M.C. Cauvin, Du Natoufien au Levant nord? Jayroud et Mureybet (Syrie); E. Tchernov, Biological evidence for human sedentism in Southwest Asia during the Natufian; C. Cope, Gazelle hunting strategies in the southern Levant; D. Helmer, Etude de la faune de la phase IA (Natoufien final) de Tell Mureybet (Syrie), fouilles Cauvin; J. Pichon, Les oiseaux au Natoufien, avifaune et sedentarite; S.J.M. Davis, When and why did prehistoric people domesticate animals? Some evidence from Israel and Cyprus; S.M. Colledge, Investigations of plant remains preserved in Epipaleolithic sites in the Near East; A. Sillen and J.A. Lee-Thorpe, Dietary change in the Late Natufian; A. Belfer-Cohen, L.A. Schepartz and B. Arensburg, New biological data for the Natufian populations in Israel; P. Smith, The dental evidence for nutritional stress in the Natufians; D.I. Olszewski, The lithic evidence from Abu Hureyra I, in Syria; J. Sellars, An examination of lithics from the Wadi Judayid Site; D. Campana, Bone implements from Hayonim Cave: Some relevant issues; D. Stordeur, Le Natoufien et son evolution a travers les artefacts en os; R. Unger-Hamilton, Natufian plant husbandry in the southern Levant and comparison with that of the Neolithic Periods: The lithic perspective; P. Anderson, Harvesting wild cereals during the Natufian as seen from the experimental cultivation and harvest of wild einkorn wheat and microwear analysis of stone tools; T. Noy, Art and decoration of the Natufian at Nahal Oren; A. Belfer-Cohen, Art items from layer B, Hayonim Cave: A case study of art in a Natufian context; C. Marechal, Elements de parure de la fin du Natoufien: Mallaha niveau I, Jayroud 1, Jayroud 3, Jayroud 9, Abu Hureyra et Mureybet IA; D.S. Reese, Marine shells in the Levant: Upper Paleolithic, Epipaleolithic, and Neolithic; D.E. Bar-Yosef, Changes in the selection of marine shells from the Natufian to the Neolithic; C. Perles and J. Phillips, The Natufian Conference - Discussion"