The Nachcharini cave is located at a height of on the ''Nachcharini Plateau'' in the

Anti-Lebanon Mountains The Anti-Lebanon mountains (), also called Mount Amana, are a southwest–northeast-trending, c. long mountain range that forms most of the border between Syria and Lebanon. The border is largely defined along the crest of the range. Most of ...

near the Lebanese/

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

n border and among the most elevated

Natufian The Natufian culture ( ) is an archaeological culture of the late Epipalaeolithic Near East in West Asia from 15–11,500 Before Present. The culture was unusual in that it supported a sedentism, sedentary or semi-sedentary population even befor ...

and

Khiamian The Khiamian culture is a Neolithic archaeological culture of Southwest Asia, dating to the earliest part of the Pre-Pottery Neolithic A (PPNA), around 9700 to 8600 BC. It is primarily characterised by a distinctive type of stone arrowhead—th ...

hunter-gatherer occupation sites found to date. Moderately sized, but of significance for the study of the

Pre-Pottery Neolithic A Pre-Pottery Neolithic A (PPNA) denotes the first stage of the Pre-Pottery Neolithic, in early Levantine and Anatolian Neolithic culture, dating to years ago, that is, 10,000–8800 BCE. Archaeological remains are located in the Levantine and U ...

period in

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

, it was excavated in 1972 and 1974 by Bruce Schroeder as part of the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...

's investigation of Paleo-human occupation throughout the

Beqaa Valley The Beqaa Valley (, ; Bekaa, Biqâ, Becaa) is a fertile valley in eastern Lebanon and its most important farming region. Industry, especially the country's agricultural industry, also flourishes in Beqaa. The region broadly corresponds to th ...

in the west. Research was discontinued during the

Lebanese Civil War The Lebanese Civil War ( ) was a multifaceted armed conflict that took place from 1975 to 1990. It resulted in an estimated 150,000 fatalities and led to the exodus of almost one million people from Lebanon. The religious diversity of the ...

. The only radiocarbon date of the Neolithic period from this site has a high deviation rate, falling between 8,500 BC and 7,700 BC. Resumed investigation into the prehistoric land use of this site were carried out in 2001, directed by Alex Wasse of the

Council for British Research in the Levant The Council for British Research in the Levant (CBRL) is a non-profit organisation that promotes humanities and social science research in the Levant. It consists of two research institutes, the Kenyon Institute in Jerusalem and the British Insti ...

. The team found the site badly looted but was able to recover numerous tools and flints for further study. Harsh local climate restricted occupation of the site most likely to spring and summer only. Heavy snowfall lasts into spring, which provides water for areal irrigation into June, of some of the historically richest

Levant The Levant ( ) is the subregion that borders the Eastern Mediterranean, Eastern Mediterranean sea to the west, and forms the core of West Asia and the political term, Middle East, ''Middle East''. In its narrowest sense, which is in use toda ...

ine pastures. Research suggests, that there are strong elements of continuity between the Natufian (as the last Levantine Epipaleolithic culture) and the PPNA as evidenced by tool comparison. Analysis of chipped stone tools revealed similarities to the ''Jericho Sultanian style'', suggesting more advanced activities than carried out at other PPNA sites. Evidence from Wadi Faynan suggests a variety of non-hunting purposes for these types of tools. Microdrills are a particularly common tool type in the

period. They were used mainly to perforate stone beads. This can be deduced from the use-wear marks on the active areas and the residue conserved on them.

References

Bibliography

* Ofer Bar-Yosef, François Raymond Valla: ''The Natufian culture in the Levant'', ''International Monographs in Prehistory'', 1991. * ^ Borrell, Ferran; Ibáñez, Juan José; Molist, Miquel (January 2014). Stone Tools in Transition: From Hunter-Gatherers to Farming Societies in the Near East. Servei de Publicacions de la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. pp. 211–. . * ^ Alan H. Simmons (15 April 2011). The Neolithic Revolution in the Near East: Transforming the Human Landscape. University of Arizona Press. pp. 118–. . * ^ Peter M. M. G. Akkermans; Glenn M. Schwartz (2003). The Archaeology of Syria: From Complex Hunter-Gatherers to Early Urban Societies (c.16,000-300 BC). Cambridge University Press. pp. 33–. .

External links

The Natufian Culture and the Origin of the Neolithic in the Levant

The Natufian Culture in the Levant, Threshold to the Origins of Agriculture

Ritual, Change, and the Pre-Pottery Neolithic Figurines of the Central-Southern Levant
{{Navbox prehistoric caves 1972 archaeological discoveries Neolithic settlements Archaeological sites in Lebanon Caves of Lebanon Natufian sites Pre-Pottery Neolithic A