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Period

Natufian culture

Timeline
From 13000 BCE to 9500 BCE

A late Epipalaeolithic Levantine archaeological culture, with some long-duration settlements before fully developed agriculture.

Aerial view of Shubayqa 1, northeast Jordan, Figure 1 in Richter et al. (2017), with a location map. Natufian architecture; no specific religious function is established
Aerial view of Shubayqa 1, northeast Jordan, Figure 1 in Richter et al. (2017), with a location map. Natufian architecture; no specific religious function is establishedPhotograph: Alexis Pantos · Richter et al. 2017 · CC BY 4.0 · CC BYImage source

Text

Natufian is an archaeological category, not a documented self-designation. Broadly c.13,000–9500 BCE, its boundaries and sequences vary by site. Shubayqa 1 expands its distribution beyond Mediterranean environments and preserves early dates around 14,600 cal BPCalibrated years before present (cal BP)A calendar dating convention anchored to 1950, distinct from an uncalibrated radiocarbon age.Glossary · Click to read the explanation.[1]

Buildings, graves and heavy tools indicate investment in place without proving every site a year-round village. Eynan provides important evidence that sedentismSedentismReduced residential mobility and prolonged or recurring occupation; architecture alone does not establish year-round residence.Glossary · Click to read the explanation could precede agriculture. The evidence does not identify a Natufian language or named gods.[2]

References and notes

  1. Tobias Richter, Amaia Arranz-Otaegui, Lisa Yeomans & Elisabetta Boaretto (2017). High Resolution AMS Dates from Shubayqa 1, northeast Jordan Reveal Complex Origins of Late Epipalaeolithic Natufian in the Levant. Scientific Reports. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-17096-5. Introduction and selected PDF passages, pp. 1–7: dates, architecture and regional variation; Figure 1 on p. 3, licence on p. 10. Approximate boundaries do not establish one uniform beginning. Return to the text ↑
  2. François R. Valla et al. (2017). Eynan (Ain Mallaha). In Quaternary of the Levant, 295–302. DOI: 10.1017/9781316106754.034. Publisher summary only: settlement before agriculture, semi-subterranean buildings, burial phases and foraging. The full chapter was not read. Return to the text ↑

Research history

Substantive changes are retained here. Minor copy edits remain in the internal operational log.

  1. Edition 2 · 11 October 2026 · editor:aladmin

    Substantive record update

    Read this revision in its original language (Arabic)

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IL Archive, «Natufian culture», Edition 2, https://ilarchive.com/en/periods/natufian