The Natufian culture was a Late Epipalaeolithic culture of the Levant, found across present-day Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan. The Natufians were hunter-gatherers, but many of them lived in permanent or semi-permanent villages, which is unusual for people who had not yet adopted farming. They harvested wild cereals, using sickles of flint blades, and ground grain with stone tools. Their sites, such as Ain Mallaha and El-Wad, contain houses and burials, some with dogs, and carved bone and stone art. Many archaeologists see them as an important step toward the development of agriculture in the Near East, although it is debated how directly they led to it. A cold, dry spell known as the Younger Dryas may have affected the late Natufians.
Before and after
- from about 17,000 years ago to 12,000 years agoMagdalenian
- from about 16,000 years ago to 8th millennium BCEEpipaleolithic
- about 15,100 years agoDogs are domesticated
- from about 15,000 years ago to 1st millennium BCEJōmon period
- from about 14,000 years ago to 9th millennium BCENatufian culture
- about 13,000 years agoThe megafauna of the Americas die out
- from about 13,000 years ago to 9,750s BCEYounger Dryas
- about 12,400 years agoEruption of Moekeshiwan [Lvinaya Past]
- about 12,000 years agoHolocene extinction
More in Evolution & life
- from c. 9,050s BCE to 8,850s BCEClovis culture
- 76th century BCECats begin to live with farmers
- from c. 5,600s BCE to 4,900s BCELinear Pottery culture
- from 55th century BCE to 45th century BCEVinča culture
- from 36th century BCE to 18th century BCECaral–Supe civilization
- from c. 3,500 BCE to 2,500 BCEAfanasevo culture
The era
This moment belongs to the Human prehistory (300,000 years ago to 3,200 BCE), the human story before writing.