Natufian culture

Quick Facts: Who was Natufian culture?

Subject:

Natufian culture

Known for:

Epipalaeolithic culture in the Levant, preceding settled farming and modern civilization.

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2Day Chrono-Wiki & Primary Historical Archives

Origins & Early Life

The Natufian culture (, nə-TOO-fee-ən) is an archaeological culture of the late Epipalaeolithic Near East in West Asia from 15,000–11,500 Before Present. The culture was unusual in that it supported a sedentary or semi-sedentary population even before the introduction of agriculture. Natufian communities may be the ancestors of the builders of the region's first Neolithic settlements, 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 the earliest evidence of agriculture in the world. The world's oldest known evidence of the production of bread-like foodstuff has been found at Shubayqa 1, a 14,400-year-old site in Jordan's northeastern desert, 4,000 years before the emergence of agriculture in Southwest Asia.

Career & Major Achievements

In addition, the oldest known evidence of possible beer-brewing, dating to approximately 13,000 BP, was found in Raqefet Cave on Mount Carmel, although the beer-related residues may be a result of spontaneous fermentation. Generally, though, Natufians exploited wild cereals and hunted animals, notably mountain gazelles. Archaeogenetic analysis has revealed derivation of later (Neolithic to Bronze Age) Levantines primarily from Natufians, along with substantial later gene flow from Anatolia. Dorothy Garrod coined the term Natufian based on her excavations at the Shuqba Cave at Wadi Natuf. The Natufian culture was discovered by English archaeologist Dorothy Garrod during her excavations of Shuqba Cave in the Judaean Mountains of Mandatory Palestine in the Cisjordan (present-day West Bank).

Enduring Legacy & Impact

Before the 1930s, the majority of archaeological work taking place in Palestine was biblical archaeology focused on historic periods, and little was known about the region's prehistory. In 1928, Garrod was invited by the British School of Archaeology in Jerusalem (BSAJ, now the Kenyon Institute) to excavate Shuqba Cave, where prehistoric stone tools had been discovered by Père Mallon four years earlier. She found a layer sandwiched between the Upper Paleolithic and Bronze Age deposits characterised by the presence of microliths. She identified this with the Mesolithic, a transitional period between the Paleolithic and the Neolithic well-represented in Europe but which had not yet been found in West Asia. A year later, when she discovered similar material at el Wad (now in the Nahal Me'arot Nature Reserve), Garrod suggested the name "the Natufian culture" after the Wadi Natuf, which runs close to Shuqba.

Chronological Milestones & Life Events

1. 1928: 1928 Milestone — In 1928, Garrod was invited by the British School of Archaeology in Jerusalem (BSAJ, now the Kenyon Institute) to excavate Shuqba Cave, where prehistoric stone tools had been discovered by Père Mallon four years earlier.

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Natufian culture

True or False: “The Natufian culture was solely dependent on hunting large megafauna like mammoths for its primary sustenance.”

Answer (FALSE ❌): While they hunted animals like mountain gazelles, the Natufians were highly skilled at exploiting wild cereals and showed evidence of deliberate plant cultivation.

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Frequently Asked Questions about Natufian culture