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Home , Jacques Cauvin, Natufian culture

Natufian Foragers in the

Terminal Social Changes in Western Asia

edited by Ofer Bar-Yosef & François R. Valla

International Monographs in Archaeological Series 19 © 2013 by International Monographs in Prehistory All rights reserved

Printed in the United States of America All rights reserved

Paperback: ISBN 978-1-879621-45-9 Hard Cover: ISBN 978-1-879621-46-6

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Natufian foragers in the Levant : terminal Pleistocene social changes in Western Asia / edited by Ofer Bar-Yosef & François Valla. pages cm. -- (Archaeological series / International Monographs in Prehistory ; 19) Papers from a symposium held in 2009. Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 978-1-879621-45-9 (paperback : acid-free paper) -- ISBN 978-1-879621-46-6 (hard cover : acid-free paper) 1. ----Congresses. 2. Hunting and gathering societies--Middle East--Congresses. 3. Pleistocene- boundary--Congresses. 4. Social archaeology--Middle East--Congresses. 5. Social change--Middle East--History--To 1500--Congresses. 6. Excavations (Archaeology)--Middle East--Congresses. 7. Middle East--Antiquities--Congresses. I. Bar-Yosef, Ofer. II. Valla, François Raymond. GN774.3.N38N28 2013 306.3›640956--dc23 2013035516

Printed with the support of the American School of Prehistoric Research (Peabody Museum, Harvard University)

This book is printed on acid-free paper. ∞

International Monographs in Prehistory Ann Arbor, Michigan U.S.A. Table of Contents

List of Contributors...... vii

Preface – The Natufian Culture in the Levant: Twenty Later Ofer Bar-Yosef and François R. Valla...... xv

Acknowledgements...... xix

Northern Levant

Natufian Lifeways in the Eastern Foothills of the Anti- Mountains Nicholas J. Conard, Knut Bretzke, Katleen Deckers, Andrew W. Kandel, Mohamed Masri, Hannes Napierala, Simone Riehl and Mareike Stahlschmidt...... 1

The Natufian of Moghr el-Ahwal in the Qadisha Valley, Northern Lebanon Andrew Garrard and Corine Yazbeck...... 17

The Natufian of Southwestern Sites in the Damascus Province Kurt Felix Hillgruber...... 28

The Natufian Occupations of Qarassa 3 (Sweida, Southern Syria) Xavier Terradas, Juan José Ibáñez, Franck Braemer, Lionel Gourichon and Luis C. Teira...... 45

The Early Natufian Site of Jeftelik (Homs Gap, Syria) Amelia del Carmen Rodríguez Rodríguez, Maya Haïdar-Boustani, Jesús E. González Urquijo, Juan José Ibáñez, Michel Al-Maqdissi, Xavier Terradas and Lydia Zapata...... 61

Fish in the Desert? The and its Influence on the Paleoenvironment at Baaz Rockshelter, Syria Hannes Napierala...... 73

Preliminary Results from Analyses of Charred Plant Remains from a Burnt Natufian Building at Dederiyeh Cave in Northwest Syria Ken-ichi Tanno, George Willcox, Sultan Muhesen, Yoshihiro Nishiaki, Yousef Kanjo and Takeru Akazawa...... 83

Southern Levant

El-Wad

Spatial Organization of Natufian el-Wad through Time: Combining the Results of Past and Present Excavations Mina Weinstein-Evron, Daniel Kaufman and Reuven Yeshurun...... 88 The Last Natufian Inhabitants of el-Wad Terrace Noga Bachrach, Hershkovitz, Daniel Kaufman and Mina Weinstein-Evron...... 107

Domestic Refuse Maintenance in the Natufian: Faunal Evidence from el-Wad Terrace, Reuven Yeshurun, Guy Bar-Oz, Daniel Kaufman and Mina Weinstein-Evron...... 118

Natufian Green Stone Pendants from el-Wad: Characteristics and Cultural Implications Daniella E. Bar-Yosef Mayer, Naomi Porat and Mina Weinstein-Evron...... 139

Eynan

The Final Natufian Structure 215-228 at (Eynan), Israel: an Attempt at Spatial Analysis François R. Valla, Hamoudi Khalaily, Nicolas Samuelian, Anne Bridault, Rivka Rabinovich, Tal Simmons, Gaëlle Le Dosseur and Shoshana Ashkenazi...... 146

A Study of two Natufian Residential Complexes: Structures 200 and 203 at Eynan (Ain Mallaha), Israel Nicolas Samuelian...... 172

Graves in Context: Field Anthropology and the Investigation of Interstratified Floors and Burials Fanny Bocquentin, Teresa Cabellos and Nicolas Samuelian...... 185

Obsidian in Natufian Context: the Case of Eynan (Ain Mallaha), Israel Hamoudi Khalaily and François R. Valla...... 193

Flint Knapping and its Objectives in the Early Natufian. The Example of Eynan- Ain Mallaha (Israel) Boris Valentin, François R. Valla and Hugues Plisson with the collaboration of Fanny Bocquentin...... 203

Searching for the Functions of Fire Structures in Eynan (Mallaha) and their Formation Processes: a Geochemical Approach Ramiro J. March...... 227

Avifauna of the Final Natufian of Eynan Tal Simmons...... 284

Bone Ornamental Elements and Decorated Objects of the Natufian from Mallaha Gaëlle Le Dosseur and Claudine Maréchal...... 293

Reconstruction of the Habitats in the Ecosystem of the Final Natufian Site of Ain Mallaha (Eynan) Shoshana Ashkenazi...... 312

iv - other sites

Wadi Hammeh 27: an open-air ‘base-camp’ on the Fringe of the Natufian ‘homeland’ Phillip C. Edwards, Fanny Bocquentin, Sue Colledge, Yvonne Edwards, Gaëlle Le Dosseur, Louise Martin, Zvonkica Stanin and John Webb...... 319

Art Items from Janine Major...... 349

The Final Epipaleolithic / PPNA site of Huzuq Musa ( Valley) Dani Nadel and Danny Rosenberg...... 382

Natufian Settlement in the Wadi al-Qusayr, West-Central Jordan Michael Neeley...... 397

The Steppic Early Natufian: Investigations in the Wadi al-Hasa, Jordan Deborah I. Olszewski...... 412

The Natufian of the Azraq Basin: An Appraisal Tobias Richter and Lisa A. Maher...... 429

Chert Procurement Patterns And Exploitation Territory: Case Study From Late Natufian Hayonim Terrace (Western Galilee, Israel) Christophe Delage...... 449

A Faunal Perspective on the Relationship between the Natufian Occupations of Hayonim Cave and Hayonim Terrace Natalie D. Munro...... 463

The Natufian at György Lengyel, Dani Nadel and Fanny Bocquentin...... 478

Hof Shahaf: A New Natufian Site on the Shore of Lake Kinneret Ofer Marder, Reuven Yeshurun, Howard Smithline, Oren Ackermann, Daniella E. Bar-Yosef Mayer, Anna Belfer-Cohen, Leore Grosman, Israel Hershkovitz, Noa Klein and Lior Weissbrod...... 505

The Life History of Macrolithic Tools at Hilazon Tachtit Cave Laure Dubreuil and Leore Grosman...... 527

General Reviews, and Interpretations

Breaking the Mould: Phases and Facies in the Natufian of the Mediterranean Zone Anna Belfer-Cohen and A. Nigel Goring-Morris...... 544

Ruminations on the Role of Periphery and Center in the Natufian A. Nigel Goring-Morris and Anna Belfer-Cohen...... 562

v The Natufian and the Younger Dryas Donald O. Henry...... 584

Scaphopod Shells in the Natufian Culture Aldona Kurzawska, Daniella E. Bar-Yosef Mayer and Henk K. Mienis...... 611

The Natufian Chronological Scheme – New Insights and their Implications Leore Grosman...... 622

Natufian Foragers and the ‘Monocot Revolution’: A Phytolith Perspective Arlene M. Rosen...... 638

Lithic Technology in the Late Natufian – Technological Differences between ‘Core-area’ and ‘Periphery’ Hila Ashkenazy...... 649

Variability of Lunates and Changes in Projectile Weapons Technology during the Natufian Alla Yaroshevich, Daniel Kaufman, Dmitri Nuzhnyy, Ofer Bar-Yosef and Mina Weinstein-Evron...... 671

Specialized Hunting of in the Natufian: Cultural Cause or Climatic Effect? Guy Bar-Oz, Reuven Yeshurun and Mina Weinstein-Evron...... 685

Commensalism: was it Truly a Natufian Phenomenon? Recent Cntributions from Ethnoarchaeology and Ecology Lior Weissbrod, Daniel Kaufman, Dani Nadel, Reuven Yeshurun and Mina Weinstein-Evron...... 699

vi Preliminary Results from Analyses of Charred Plant Remains from a Burnt Natufian Building at Dederiyeh Cave in Northwest Syria

Ken-ichi Tanno, George Willcox, Sultan Muhesen, Yoshihiro Nishiaki, Yousef Kanjo and Takeru Akazawa

Introduction The site is still under excavation. At least five Natufian structures were found in the entrance to Dederiyeh is a cave site situated 13 km south the cave. Building 1 had burnt destruction levels of Afrin, and about 65 km from the present-day caused by a fire that partially destroyed the building Mediterranean coast in northwest Syria (Fig. 1). (Nishiaki et al. in press). The fire probably took place It has been excavated by a joint Japanese and while the building was still in use with many of its Syrian team led by Takeru Akazawa and Yousef contents in place, which explains the exceptionally Kanjo. The cave deposits consist of Lower and rich charred plant remains. Several 14C dates from Middle Palaeolithic layers, above which part of a the burnt levels indicate that the fire took place Natufian layer survives (Akazawa and Muhesen between 12,950 and 13,180 calBP (Yoneda et al. 2002; Akazawa et al. 2009; Nishiaki et al. 2011). It 2006). This building measures approximately 2.5 x is one of the most northern Natufian sites in the 5 m making a half circled with a stone wall towards (Nishiaki et al. in press) lying in Mediter- the rear. Postholes were located along the wall and ranean vegetation zone where the average annual at the front of the building. Charred timbers were rainfall is approximately 600 mm per . Today’s scattered across the floor. vegetation in the area of Dederiyeh is a degraded Sampling of building 1 was carried out in Mediterranean forest with sparse evergreen oak 2005 and 2007. In 2005 sediment from the fill of (Quercus calliprinos), rarely deciduous oaks and the building was sampled. Then in 2007 sediment wild such as and barely. corresponding to the floor levels was systematically sampled from forty 50 x 50 cm squares, which al- lowed a spatial analysis of the charred finds within the building to be carried out. Sediment samples were subjected to flotation using 1.0 mm and 0.5 mm mesh sieves during the 2005 season and in 2007 a 0.34 mm mesh sieve was added. The position of charred beams representing construction material from the building was recorded. Large fragments of charcoal were picked out by hand.

Results

The study of the charred remains is ongoing; this short report presents only preliminary results (Table 1). In 2007 a total of 11.5 liters of charred plant remains were recovered from 623 liters of sed- iment. 57 charred beams fragments were sampled. Similar volumes were collected in 2005. This quan- Fig. 1. Location of principal sites mentioned. tity of charred remains is exceptional for Natufian

83 Ken-ichi Tanno et al.

Table 1. Results of preliminary analyses giving absolute counts of taxa identified. Note the small volume of charred remains analyzed compared to the total recovered Year of excavation 2005 (fill) 2007 (floor) Volume of sediment sampled (l) 297.5 623 Volume of charred remains recovered (l) 11.5 Volume of charred remains analysed (ml) 89 360 Cereals Triticum boeoticum/dicoccoides (Einkorn/Emmer) 53 120 Triticum spikelet base 0 2 Hordeum spontaneum (Wild ) 2 8 Grasses Hordeum sp. 3 0 Stipa sp. (Fearther grass) 128 152 Gramineae (Grasses) 18 12 Pulses Lens sp. (Lentil) 8 11 Pisum sp. (Pea) 2 3 (1cf.) Vicia ervilia (Bitter vetch) 1 1 Vicia sp. (Vetch) 2 2 Lathyrus sp. (Grass pea) 1 2 (2cf.) Fruits sp. (Oriental terebinth) 4268 5426 Amygdalus sp. () 203 1177 Celtis sp. (Hackberry) 30 72 Crataegus sp. (Hawthorn) 0 2 (1cf.) sp. (Fig) 0 1cf. Wild/weed taxa Adonis sp. (Pheasants eye) 0 1 Apiaceae (Umbliferous) 0 11 Brassica sp. (Cabbage family) 1 1 Bupleurum sp. 1 4 (2cf.) Caryophyllaceae/Malvaceae 0 1 Centaurea sp. 0 1 Chenopodiaceae 0 2 Compositae 0 2 Hyoscyamus sp. 0 1cf. Labiatae 0 8 Leguminosae 7 16 Onobrychis type 16 13 (4cf.) Onopordum sp. 1 2 Papaveraceae 13 6 Silene sp. 0 1 Trigonella/Trifoliae 0 2 Ziziphora sp. 164 327 indet. Large Pulse 0 3 indet 26 34 Charred rodent faecies 4 212

84 Analyses of Charred Plant Remains from a Burnt Natufian Building at Dederiyeh Cave… sites. Over 12,000 items of carbonized seeds were Other common taxa that may have been identified from only 450 ml charred remains out used of a total, which exceeds 12 liters. This shows that the final analysis will probably include more than Ziziphora sp. A member of the mint family was 100,000 items. frequent at Dederiyeh. This taxa has been found at other /early Holocene sites for Founder taxa example Qaramel, Halan Çemi (Savard et al. 2006) and Demirköy. Seeds of Ziziphora sp. from Charred grains of wild cereals were com- Dederiyeh were concentrated near a hearth. The mon. The most frequent was hulled . Many quantities suggest a specific use. The plant contains specimens were morphologically close to wild essential oils and is aromatic. single-grained einkorn with a convex ventral face. Wild grasses were also used, the most com- However two- grained einkorn was also present. mon being feather grass (Stipa sp.) with 280 These grains had a flat ventral face. Other grains fragments recorded. This taxa has been found at were much wider and may represent small em- other pre-farming sites such as Abu Hureyra and mer grains some of which could have come from . It was also found on later sites such spikelets with one grain. The wild are not as Dja’de, Nevali Cori, Jerf el-Ahmar and Tell el- easy to identify and future work will clarify these Kerkh. preliminary identifications. Wild barley was present but only ten grains were recorded. Pulses lentils, Charcoal analyses pea and bitter vetch were found at Dederiyeh. They occur at frequencies similar to those found on Charcoal analysis of samples taken from the PPNA sites but less frequent compared to finds at beams and the postholes revealed that deciduous early PPNB sites such as Nevali Çori, Dja’de and Quercus (oak) and Ulmus (elm) were the most com- Tell el-Kerkh (Willcox et al. 2009) when they are mon species used. Pistacia, Acer (maple), Amygdalus almost as frequent as cereals. (almond) and Fraxinus (ash) were also present. Elm and ash may have grown along the nearby Fruit taxa river; the other species would have been part of the local vegetation growing on the surrounding The most common charred remains are repre- hills. The presence of deciduous oak at this time is sented by nutshells of Pistacia atlantica/palaes- in concordance with data from other areas of the tina with 9694 fragments, which were scattered Mediterranean where evergreen oak was rare hav- throughout the building. In Syria these taxa are ing retreated into refugia during the Last Glacial represented by two species (oriental terebinth and/ Maximum and did not expand until the beginning or turpentine tree), which are difficult to separate of the Holocene well after the Natufian occupation when only fragments of endocarp are present. at Dederiyeh. Finds of these endocarp fragments are common on late Pleistocene/early Holocene sites in the Near Discussion and conclusion East that have been sampled by flotation. The fruits have many different uses and they are still gathered The plant economy during the Natufian pe- today in many areas indicating continuity in the riod is poorly documented with the exception of use of these fruits. Almond shells were also very information provided by analyses at Abu Hureyra common with 1380 fragments identified. At present (Hillman 2000). This period is considered as the it is not known which species was present. These prelude to the shift from foraging to cultivation. The taxa were also very common in Khiamian levels archaeobotanical results obtained from the building at the site of Tell Qaramel (Willcox et al. 2008). partly destroyed by fire found in Dederiyeh cave in Another fruit that was identified at Dederiyeh was northwest Syria offer an exceptional opportunity hackberry (Celtis sp.). The whole endocarps were to get a better understanding of this crucial peri- quite common as indeed they were at Tell Qaramel. od. It allows us for the first time to compare the Two hawthorn endocarps were recovered and a plant economy from two contemporary Natufian possible fig seed. The later needs to be confirmed sites from different geographical areas. The plant by future analyses. remains from Dederiyeh are remarkably well pre-

85 Ken-ichi Tanno et al. served thanks to the cave environment and offer plants (Willcox 2005). Indeed the assemblage from the possibility of examining the plant economy at Dederiyeh is similar to that of early Holocene Tell a new Natufian site, which corresponds in date to Qaramel (Willcox et al. 2008) situated about 40 km the early levels from Abu Hureyra 1 and coincides to the east in essentially the same vegetation zone. with the beginning of the Younger Dryas. Abu Hureyra and are situated about 150 Hillman posited the possibility of cultivation km to the east in a much more arid zone consisting (Hillman 2000) for Natufian Abu Hureyra situated of steppe vegetation. Founder crops are rare at Abu on the where he also reports on a few Huereyra whereas at Dederiyeh they dominate the plump “domestic” type grains (Hillman et al. assemblage if we discount Pistacia. 2001). However the reliability of these interpreta- The results from Dederiyeh suggest that at this tions based on plant material from Abu Hureyra has site cereals were an important part of the diet. This is been questioned and should be treated with caution not the case for other sites dated the Younger Dryas (Colledge and Conoly 2010). In Table 2 we compare or even the start of the Holocene (Weiss et al. 2004). the number of identifications of a selection of food The plant economy at Dederiyeh is a precursor of plants found at Dederiyeh and Abu Hureyra. Most what was to be seen a millennium later (ca. 12,000 striking is the high levels of Rumex/Polygonum years ago) at Tell Qaramel situated in a climati- at Abu Hureyra and their absence at Dederiyeh. cally similar region. By about 11,500 years ago it Of the cereals barley is absent at Abu Hureyra is generally accepted that pre-domestic cultivation where rye played an important role; whereas at was widely practiced during the PPNA (Weiss et Dederiyeh hulled wheats dominate. The marked al. 2006; Willcox et al. 2008). As for morphological difference between the two sites, and indeed the this was not fully established in the finds from Mureybet (Willcox 2008), is due to the area of northern Syria until about 10,000 years ago different climatic conditions which gives rise to a having been identified at Middle PPNB Halula and very different vegetation and hence the available Abu Hureyra 2.

Table 2. Comparison of a selection of food plants from Dederiyeh and Abu Hureyra giving absolute counts from each site (* predominantly rye)

Abu Hureyra Dederiyeh Triticum/Secale* grain 888 0 Triticum spikelet base 0 2 H.spontaneum 0 10 Emmer/Einkorn 0 173 Lens sp 48 17 Pisum/Vicia/Lathyrus 48 11 Vicia ervilia 3 3 Stipa 1573 280 Panicoid grasses 342 0 Rumex/Polygonum 4848 0 Ficus carica 0 1 Amygdalus spp 0 1380 Pistacia sp frags 357 9694 Charred rodent faecies 0 216 Volume of sediment (liters) 7925 11.5

86 Analyses of Charred Plant Remains from a Burnt Natufian Building at Dederiyeh Cave…

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