Natufian culture
Natufian culture
The Natufian culture lived in the Levant region (what is now Israel, the Palestinian territories, Jordan, Lebanon, and parts of Syria) from about 15,000 to 11,500 years ago, at the end of the last Ice Age. They were a group of hunter-gatherers who began to stay in one place for longer periods, and in some areas they built small, permanent houses. This made them one of the first peoples in the region to live in more settled communities before farming really took hold.
How they lived and worked
Natufians depended on wild plants and animals. They hunted animals such as gazelles and deer and gathered wild cereals, nuts, and fruits. They used a microlithic toolkit made of small stone blades and bladelets, and they developed techniques for shaping and retouching these tools. They also made sickles, which cut cereal stems, a sign that they were collecting grains even if farming hadn’t become widespread yet. Some sites show evidence of food storage, suggesting they planned ahead for lean times.
Where they lived
Most Natufian settlements were in the core Levant, especially in what is now Israel and the Palestinian territories, but their range extended into Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon, with some sites also in the Negev and the Sinai. Some places had stone architecture, such as round stone houses at Ain Mallaha, while others were cave sites like Shuqba and el-Wad that show varied ways of living in woodlands, forests, and hills.
Early hints of farming and bread
The Natufians are seen as precursors to farming in the region. There is evidence they may have started cultivating cereals in some areas, or at least were gathering and processing enough wild grains to influence later changes. The site Tell Abu Hureyra is famous for early signs of crop cultivation. Even earlier, Shubayqa 1 in Jordan has yielded bread-like material dating to about 14,400 years ago, which is among the oldest evidence of bread in the world and predates widespread farming in Southwest Asia. Wonky? The picture is debated, but it shows that people were experimenting with plant foods long before fully settled agriculture.
Other notable finds
The Natufians produced a range of crafted objects and art. They left behind bone and shell ornaments, carved figurines, and containers made from ostrich shells. The Ain Sakhri “lovers” carving is a well-known example of Natufian art. Burials also reveal social and ritual practices; for instance, the Hilazon Tachtit grave (about 12,400–12,000 cal BC) is famous for its rich grave goods, including animal bones and shells, suggesting special ceremonial treatment of the deceased.
Genetics and legacy
Modern genetic studies show Natufians contributed to the ancestry of later Levantine populations, with a mix of ancient lineages that connects the region’s hunter-gatherers to its early farmers. Some research also points to connections with North Africa and other nearby regions, highlighting a complex web of interactions that helped shape the population history of the Near East.
Why Natufians matter
The Natufians are important because they mark a key transition from roaming hunter-gatherers to more settled life and, eventually, to agriculture and village life. They show how people in the region started living in larger, longer-lasting communities and developing technologies and ways of living that would shape the earliest Neolithic settlements in the world.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 08:26 (CET).