essay

Biological evidence for human sedentism in southwest Asia during the Natufian

natufian culture in the levantAnn Arbor, Mich. • Published In 1991 • Pages: 315-336

By: Tchernov, E. (Eitan).

Abstract
'The goal of this paper is: (1) to bring forth mainly biological evidence to support the argument that sedentism already existed during the early Natufian in the southern Levant; (2) to explain how the establishment of a sedentary way of life caused a major impact on the environment by creating special habitats around long-term sites, even before domestication and farming were regularly practiced; and (3) to show that under these special ecological conditions people started to manipulate the wild populations through selective culling.' (page 315). Tchernov discusses in situ speciation, the increase in plants and animal species exploited, and extensive control over wild populations of gazelles. He relies heavily on the data from Hayonim cave and terrace.
Subjects
Fauna
Settlement patterns
Hunting and trapping
Environmental quality
Sociocultural trends
tradition
Epipaleolithic
HRAF PubDate
2009
Region
Middle East
Sub Region
Middle East
Document Type
essay
Evaluation
Creator Type
Archaeozoologist
Document Rating
4: Excellent Secondary Data
Analyst
Sarah Berry; 2007
Field Date
no date
Coverage Date
12,000 BP-10,000 BP
Coverage Place
Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestinian Autonomous Areas, and Syria
Notes
Eitan Tchernov
Includes bibliographical references (p. 336-340)
LCSH
Natufian culture/Middle East--Antiquities