Natufian People: The Pioneers of the Paleolithic to Neolithic Shift

The Natufians were a prehistoric culture that existed in the Levant (modern-day Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon) from approximately 12,500 to 9,500 BCE. It existed during the transition from the Paleolithic (Old Stone Age) to the Neolithic (New Stone Age).

The Natufians are significant because they represent one of the earliest known societies to make the critical shift from hunting and gathering to a settled lifestyle, laying the groundwork for the development of agriculture.

Natufian society and subsistence

The Epipaleolithic communities of the East, dating from 10,500 to 8,000 BCE, are referred to as Natufians. They bear the name after the archaeological site of Wadi en-Natuf in Palestine.

Some of their larger sites, including Jericho and the settlement of Sukhba, feature permanent architectural structures, food storage areas and designated food processing equipment. Burial practices suggest some degree of social differentiation.

The Natufians were hunter-gatherers who gathered foods such as emmer wheat, barley, and almonds. They also hunted animals like gazelles, deer, cattle, horses and wild boar. They lived in semi-subterranean dwellings, partly dug into the ground and partly built with stones and wood.

Some evidence suggests that the Natufians cultivated barley and wheat. Indeed, their direct descendants, associated with the Pre-Pottery or Aceramic Neolithic, were among the first farmers on the planet. They began experimenting with plant cultivation, particularly cereals, though they had not yet fully developed farming. Tools like sickles with microlithic blades indicate that they harvested wild grains.

The Natufian culture occupies a special place in the evolution of human societies in the Near East. It marks the starting point for the emergence of farming communities. The idea that the Natufians were the earliest farmers dates back to Dorothy Garrod’s initial discovery of this culture. Additionally, the transition from hunting and gathering to a fully agricultural economy in the Natufian culture appears to have been a logical continuum.

Natufian architecture and settlements

The Natufian culture dwellings were semi-subterranean, often with dry stone foundations. They were typically found in forested areas among oak and pistachio trees. Wheat was commonly part of the flora in these regions.

The high mountains of Lebanon and the Anti-Lebanon range, the steppes of the Negev and Sinai, and the Syro-Arabian Desert to the east formed a natural boundary for Natufian development and settlement. This limitation may have been due to restricted transportation capabilities over long distances or competition with neighboring groups for resources. The Natufians likely constructed the superstructure of these dwellings from brushwood, as archeologists have discovered no traces of bricks to date. The circular dwellings, usually 3 to 6 meters in diameter, often contained a central round or square hearth.

Meanwhile, at Ain Mallaha, archeologists Ofer Bar-Yosef and Leore Grosman have found evidence of stake holes. This suggests that the leader or leadership group of the community used the stakes for ceremonial purposes. The settlements typically covered an area of about 1 square kilometer.

Furthermore, the archeologists have found evidence of rebuilding in nearly all excavated areas, indicating that people frequently relocated and re-inhabited these sites over long periods, likely due to temporary abandonment for various reasons.

The region’s abundant natural resources and favorable climate at that time probably enabled people to abandon their nomadic life and establish permanent settlements.

These resources included hunting, fishing and food gathering, as well as the use of wild cereals, which required advanced food preparation skills. At the same time, the Natufians used sickles made of flint blades attached to bone handles for harvesting wheat, and stone hand mills for grinding grains.

Natufian art and symbolism

The Natufians produced small sculptures, most notably figurines of animals and humans, often crafted from stone, bone or ivory.
Animal figurines such as those depicting bears or wildcats likely held symbolic meaning, reflecting the importance of animals in the Natufians’ spiritual or totemic beliefs.

Archaeologists including Dorothy Garrod and René Neuville have discovered human figurines at Natufian sites. They often feature exaggerated or stylized features that suggest beliefs in the supernatural or shamanic transformation. Notably, Neuville identified the Ain Sakhri Lovers figurine, which may represent a human-animal hybrid. This indicates early forms of animism or shamanistic practices where they believed humans could transform into animals or communicate with spirits.

Human representations in Natufian art range from schematic to naturalistic. Artisans carved the stone head from Ain Mallaha out of limestone using flint knives and chisels, leaving visible tool marks. Three concentric curves form the eyes, which dominate the lower part of the face and are bisected by a wide horizontal band across the stone’s center. Diagonal lines incised into the slightly damaged upper part of the head possibly represent the scalp. The flat base indicates that artisans designed the head to stand upright.

Burial practices and legacy

Burials have been discovered in many Natufian sites, usually in pit graves within abandoned houses or in caves on Mount Carmel and in the Judean hills. These Natufians often filled these pits with refuse, making it difficult to identify grave offerings. In some cases, graves were covered with limestone slabs, potentially indicating social stratification. Both individual and group burials are common, especially in the early Natufian period, while scattered human remains in settlements suggest disturbances of earlier burials.

Child mortality rates were high, with around 30% of burials belonging to children aged five to seven. Ofer Bar-Yosef and his colleagues observed skull removal practices at sites such as Hayyonim Cave, Nahal Oren and Ain Mallaha. Decorated skulls, sometimes adorned with shell beads, have been found at El-Wad. Grave offerings primarily consist of personal jewelry, including beads made of shells, red deer teeth, bones and stones. Ofer Bar-Yosef and his colleagues also discovered artifacts such as bracelets, necklaces, earrings, buckles and pendants.

Of particular interest are cases of human and dog burials, which likely indicate the early domestication of dogs.

The Natufian culture is a critical bridge between the Paleolithic and Neolithic eras. Moreover, it marks the transition to settled life and the beginnings of human transformation of the environment. Their innovations ultimately paved the way for the development of cities, complex societies and the foundations of modern civilization.