Why is the Natufian culture significant?

The culture was unusual in that it supported a sedentary or semi-sedentary population even before the introduction of agriculture. The Natufian communities may be the ancestors of the builders of the first Neolithic settlements of the region, which may have been the earliest in the world.

What happened to the Natufian people?

Natufian society eventually disappeared but there is no evidence anything dramatic happened to them. Rather, their culture and innovations probably were absorbed by others around them, Nadel said, and they eventually faded into the surrounding population.

What is the meaning of Natufian?

: of, relating to, or having the characteristics of a food-gathering, cave-dwelling Mesolithic culture of ancient Palestine characterized by microliths, composite tools of microliths, small bare zoomorphic carvings in bone or stone, and the use of sickles suggesting some agriculture. Natufian. noun.

Which cultures were domesticating plants in the Levant?

The Natufians, an Epipaleolithic culture located in the Levant, possessed stone sickles and intensively collected many plants, such as wild barley (Hordeum spontaneum).

What tools did the Natufians use?

By the end of the Pleistocene, the Natufians (ca. 15,500–11,600 Cal BP) of the Near East commonly used a composite harvesting tool, the sickle.

Where was the first set of Natufian remains discovered?

Archaeologists excavating the Nahal Ein Gev II site in the Jordan Valley, Israel, have discovered the remains of an ancient settlement of the Natufian culture — a culture that existed from 12,500 to 9,500 BC in the Levant.

What was the reason for domesticating animals?

Throughout history, people have bred domesticated animals to promote certain traits. Domestic animals are chosen for their ability to breed in captivity and for their calm temperament. Their ability to resist disease and survive in difficult climates is also valuable.

What was domesticated in the Fertile Crescent?

Small cats (Felis silvestris) also were domesticated in this region. Also, legumes including peas, lentils and chickpea were domesticated in this region. Domesticated animals include the cattle, sheep, goat, domestic pig, cat, and domestic goose.

Did Natufians live in caves?

Mainly hunters, the Natufians supplemented their diet by gathering wild grain; they likely did not cultivate it. They had sickles of flint blades set in straight bone handles for harvesting grain and stone mortars and pestles for grinding it. Some groups lived in caves, others occupied incipient villages.

What tool was found buried with the Natufian that Dorothy Garrod discovered?

As early as 1931, both Garrod and Neuville drew attention to the presence of stone sickles in Natufian assemblages and the possibility that this represented a very early agriculture.

How do the six characteristics of domesticated animals allow for domestication?

In his book Guns, Germs, and Steel, Diamond argues that to be domesticated, animals must possess six characteristics: a diverse appetite, rapid maturation, willingness to breed in captivity, docility, strong nerves, and a nature that conforms to social hierarchy.

What is the Natufian culture?

The Natufian culture (/nəˈtuːfiən/) is a Late Epipaleolithic archaeological culture that existed from around 12,000 to 9,500 BC or 13,050 to 7,550 BC in the Levant, a region in the Eastern Mediterranean and West Asia. The culture was unusual in that it supported a sedentary or semi-sedentary population even before the introduction of agriculture.

When did the Natufian culture start and end?

The Natufian culture (/nəˈtuːfiən/) is a Late Epipaleolithic archaeological culture that existed from around 12,000 to 9,500 BC or 13,050 to 7,550 BC in the Levant, a region in the Eastern Mediterranean and West Asia.

Were the Natufian communities the first Neolithic communities?

The Natufian communities may be the ancestors of the builders of the first Neolithic settlements of the region, which may have been the earliest in the world. Some evidence suggests deliberate cultivation of cereals, specifically rye, by the Natufian culture, at Tell Abu Hureyra, the site of earliest evidence of agriculture in the world.

Was there communal hunting in the Natufian?

“Communal Hunting in the Natufian of the Southern Levant: The Social and Economic Implications”. Journal of Mediterranean Archaeology. 3 (2): 223–243. doi: 10.1558/jmea.v3i2.223. Munro, Natalie D. (August–October 2004).