Od epipaleolitika do najzgodnejšega neolitika (PPNA) v južni Levanti

This paper examines the nature of initial neolithisation indications during the terminal Pleistocene and earliest Holocene in the Southern Levant. This interval corresponds to a period of significant and geographically variable environmental changes in the region. Various lines of evidence are provided to demonstrate the long durée (c. 15 000 years) character of interactions during the Early, Middle and Late Epipalaeolithic that were instrumental to the emergence of the fullyfledged agricultural life ways in the later phases of the Early Neolithic (PPNB).V članku raziskujemo naravo kazalcev začetne neolitizacije v času končnega pleistocena in najzgodnejšega holocena na območju južne Levante. V tem času je prišlo do pomembnih, vendar geografsko različnih okoljskih sprememb v regiji. Ponujamo različne dokaze o dolgoročni (ok. 15 000 let) naravi interakcij v času zgodnjega, srednjega in poznega epipaleolitika, ki so bili ključni pri oblikovanju razvitih načinov poljedelstva v kasnejših obdobjih zgodnjega neolitika (PPNB)

Terminal Pleistocene lithic variability in the Western Negev (Israel): Is there any evidence for contacts with the Nile Valley?

At the end of the Pleistocene (25,000-15,000 BP), there is a shift to more arid conditions in the Negev and the Sinai corresponding to the Last Glacial Maximum. For the Nile Valley and the Levant, the lowering of the Mediterranean sea level, the expansion of the Sahara and the desiccation of some major eastern African lakes had important consequences on: (1) the general behaviour of the River Nile; (2) the landscape around the Nile Delta; and (3) sand dune mobilisation. Despite this shift to more arid conditions, there is abundant evidence for human occupation in the Egyptian Nile Valley and in the arid zone of the Southern Levant at this time. In addition, contacts between these two regions have sometimes been suggested, mainly by genetic studies, including early ‘Back-to-Africa’ dispersals. This paper focuses on the analysis of six terminal Pleistocene (ca. 25,000-15,000 BP) lithic assemblages from the western Negev Desert dunes in Israel, attributed to the Early and Middle Epipalaeolithic. The analysis relies on the chaîne opératoire approach combined with attribute analysis that enables quantification of typo-technological differences. Results of this analysis allow comparisons with assemblages from the Egyptian Nile Valley analysed in the same way previously. This comparative analysis is then used to discuss hypotheses of potential technical diffusions between these two regions. Current archaeological evidence therefore does not support any contacts between populations between the Levant and the Nile Valley at the end of the Pleistocene

Late Pleistocene human genome suggests a local origin for the first farmers of central Anatolia

Anatolia was home to some of the earliest farming communities. It has been long debated whether a migration of farming groups introduced agriculture to central Anatolia. Here, we report the first genome-wide data from a 15,000-year-old Anatolian hunter-gatherer and from seven Anatolian and Levantine early farmers. We find high genetic continuity (~80–90%) between the hunter-gatherers and early farmers of Anatolia and detect two distinct incoming ancestries: an early Iranian/Caucasus related one and a later one linked to the ancient Levant. Finally, we observe a genetic link between southern Europe and the Near East predating 15,000 years ago. Our results suggest a limited role of human migration in the emergence of agriculture in central Anatolia

Twenty Thousand-Year-Old Huts at a Hunter-Gatherer Settlement in Eastern Jordan

Ten thousand years before Neolithic farmers settled in permanent villages, hunter-gatherer groups of the Epipalaeolithic period (c. 22–11,600 cal BP) inhabited much of southwest Asia. The latest Epipalaeolithic phase (Natufian) is well-known for the appearance of stone-built houses, complex site organization, a sedentary lifestyle and social complexity—precursors for a Neolithic way of life. In contrast, pre-Natufian sites are much less well known and generally considered as campsites for small groups of seasonally-mobile hunter-gatherers. Work at the Early and Middle Epipalaeolithic aggregation site of Kharaneh IV in eastern Jordan highlights that some of these earlier sites were large aggregation base camps not unlike those of the Natufian and contributes to ongoing debates on their duration of occupation. Here we discuss the excavation of two 20,000-year-old hut structures at Kharaneh IV that pre-date the renowned stone houses of the Natufian. Exceptionally dense and extensive occupational deposits exhibit repeated habitation over prolonged periods, and contain structural remains associated with exotic and potentially symbolic caches of objects (shell, red ochre, and burnt horn cores) that indicate substantial settlement of the site pre-dating the Natufian and outside of the Natufian homeland as currently understood

Heinrich Event 2 (ca. 24 ka BP) as a chrono-climatic anchor for the appearance of Epipaleolithic backed bladelets microlith industries in the Southern Levant

The Early Epipaleolithic (EEP) of the Southern Levant, roughly dated to 25-18 ka BP, is characterized by microlithic industries with highly variable synchronic and geographic techno-typological characteristics, the chronology of which remains poorly understood. Here, we present the results from excavations at Idan VII, a well-preserved site amongst a cluster of newly discovered EEP occurrences in the hyper-arid Arava Valley, Israel. The finds are embedded within the Late Pleistocene Lisan Formation lacustrine sediments, an extensively studied paleo-hydroclimatic archive in the Rift Valley. This unique situation enables contextualization of the archaeological finds within the detailed paleo-climatic chronology. The data presented include the stratigraphy (geomorphology and micro-geoarchaeology), relative (related to paleo-lake curve) and absolute (radiocarbon and U–Th) chronology, and archaeological (lithics, faunal and botanical) remains. The results demonstrate that the Idan EEP occurrences are situated within a localized relatively short-lived paleo-wetland area adjacent to Lake Lisan, during or immediately after the extremely cool and locally dry Heinrich Event 2 (H2), ca. 24 ka BP. The results are critically examined with respect to available radiocarbon dates from EEP archaeological sites in the Southern Levant. These, together with the geomorphological evidence, indicate that the Idan VII assemblage, while superficially resembling the so-called ‘Late Kebaran’ industry, actually significantly predates its most pertinent techno-typological analogs, highlighting the necessity of re-evaluating the “Kebaran complex”. Rather, it is coeval with the local, but unrelated ‘Masraqan’ and ‘Nebekian’ industries at the very onset of the EEP, demonstrating the high degree of Last Glacial Maximum hunter-gatherer cultural diversity then present in the Levant. In contextualizing the results within the Northern Hemisphere chrono-climatic framework, we conclude that within the Southern Levant, the H2 provides a solid chrono-climatic anchor for the appearance of fully-fledged backed bladelets microlithic industries, which probably reflects a technological change in composite projectile hunting gear that occurred during the EEP

Occupying wide open spaces? Late Pleistocene hunter–gatherer activities in the Eastern Levant

With a specific focus on eastern Jordan, the Epipalaeolithic Foragers in Azraq Project explores changing hunter-gatherer strategies, behaviours and adaptations to this vast area throughout the Late Pleistocene. In particular, we examine how lifeways here (may have) differed from surrounding areas and what circumstances drew human and animal populations to the region. Integrating multiple material cultural and environmental datasets, we explore some of the strategies of these eastern Jordanian groups that resulted in changes in settlement, subsistence and interaction and, in some areas, the occupation of substantial aggregation sites. Five years of excavation at the aggregation site of Kharaneh IV suggest some very intriguing technological and social on-site activities, as well as adaptations to a dynamic landscape unlike that of today. Here we discuss particular aspects of the Kharaneh IV material record within the context of ongoing palaeoenvironmental reconstructions and place these findings in the wider spatial and temporal narratives of the Azraq Basin

Dental Microwear From Natufian Hunter-Gatherers and Early Neolithic Farmers: Comparisons Within and Between Samples

Microwear patterns from Natufian hunter-gatherers (12,500–10,250 bp) and early Neolithic (10,250–7,500 bp) farmers from northern Israel are correlated with location on facet nine and related to an archaeologically suggested change in food preparation. Casts of permanent second mandibular molars are examined with a scanning electron microscope at a magnification of 500×. Digitized micrographs are taken from the upper and lower part of facet nine. Microwear patterns are recorded with an image-analysis computer program and compared within and between samples, using univariate and multivariate analyses. Comparisons within samples reveal a greater frequency of pits on the lower part of the facet among the farmers, compared to the upper part. Microwear does not vary over the facet among the hunter-gatherers. Comparisons between samples reveal larger dental pits (length and width) and wider scratches among the farmers at the bottom of the facet, compared to the hunter-gatherers. Microwear does not vary between samples at the top of the facet. The microwear patterns suggest that the Natufian to early Neolithic development led to a harder diet, and this is related to an archaeologically suggested change in food processing. The harder diet of the early farmers may have required higher bite forces that were exerted at the bottom of facet nine, in the basin of the tooth

Polyolefin–polar block copolymers from versatile new macromonomers

A new metallocene-based polymerization mechanism is elucidated in which a zirconium hydride center inserts α-methylstyrene at the start of a polymer chain. The hydride is then regenerated by hydrogenation to release a polyolefin containing a single terminal α-methylstyrenyl group. Through the use of the difunctional monomer 1,3-diisopropenylbenzene, this catalytic hydride insertion polymerization is applied to the production of linear polyethylene and ethylene–hexene copolymers containing an isopropenylbenzene end group. Conducting simple radical polymerizations in the presence of this new type of macromonomer leads to diblock copolymers containing a polyolefin attached to an acrylate, methacrylate, vinyl ester, or styrenic segments. The new materials are readily available and exhibit interfacial phenomena, including the mediation of the mixing of immiscible polymer blends

A Unique Human-Fox Burial from a Pre-Natufian Cemetery in the Levant (Jordan)

New human burials from northern Jordan provide important insights into the appearance of cemeteries and the nature of human-animal relationships within mortuary contexts during the Epipalaeolithic period (c. 23,000–11,600 cal BP) in the Levant, reinforcing a socio-ideological relationship that goes beyond predator-prey. Previous work suggests that archaeological features indicative of social complexity occur suddenly during the latest Epipalaeolithic phase, the Natufian (c. 14,500–11,600 cal BP). These features include sedentism, cemeteries, architecture, food production, including animal domestication, and burials with elaborate mortuary treatments. Our findings from the pre-Natufian (Middle Epipalaeolithic) cemetery of ‘Uyun al-Hammam demonstrate that joint human-animal mortuary practices appear earlier in the Epipalaeolithic. We describe the earliest human-fox burial in the Near East, where the remains of dogs have been found associated with human burials at a number of Natufian sites. This is the first time that a fox has been documented in association with human interments pre-dating the Natufian and with a particular suite of grave goods. Analysis of the human and animal bones and their associated artefacts provides critical data on the nature and timing of these newly-developing relationships between people and animals prior to the appearance of domesticated dogs in the Natufian