Natufian culture

**Discovery and Dating:**
– Discovered by Dorothy Garrod in 1928 at Shuqba cave in the Judaean Hills.
– Named after Wadi an-Natuf, with the culture’s timeline established by Garrod and Neuville.
– Radiocarbon dating places Natufian culture between 12,500 and 9,500 BC, split into Early and Late Natufian periods.
– Late Natufian coincided with the Younger Dryas period, with diverse flora in the Levant influenced by climate changes.

**Cultural Development and Precursors:**
– Natufian culture developed from the Kebaran culture.
– Similarities with the Mushabian culture of the Negev and Sinai Peninsula.
– Debate on influences from North Africa to the Levant, including the practice of extracting maxillary central incisors.
– Discussion on the precursors and associated cultures of the Natufians, with influences debated.

**Agriculture and Subsistence:**
– Evidence of deliberate cultivation of cereals, specifically rye, and production of bread-like foodstuff.
– Natufians exploited wild cereals, hunted animals, and consumed a variety of food including mountain and goitered gazelles, deer, aurochs, and more.
– Transition from hunting-gathering to farming, with theories linking agriculture development to the Younger Dryas event.
– Evidence of long-distance exchange of goods and the development of agriculture in Natufian settlements.

**Genetic Analysis and Ancestry:**
– Genetic relationship between Natufians and Middle Eastern populations, with confirmation of genetic links with ancient and modern Middle Easterners.
– Genetic makeup of Natufians differentiated from other West Eurasian lineages, showing clustering with West Eurasian populations.
– Ancestral ties of the Natufian culture with various early cultures, and genetic influence on Iberomaurusian peoples of northwest Africa.
– Legacy and impact of Natufians on the transition to agriculture and the movement of Basal Eurasian ancestry in the Near East.

**Settlements, Material Culture, and Burials:**
– Natufian settlements mainly found in Israel and Palestine, with evidence of stone-built architecture and food storage.
– Material culture included microlithic industry, sickle blades, stone, and bone ornaments, harpoons, and fish hooks.
– Burials with grave goods made of shell, teeth, bones, and stone, including human figurines and animal art.
– Subsistence practices, settlements, lifestyle, and legacy of Natufians in the context of their impact on agriculture and population movements.