Abstract
[Report]Bedrock features are a hallmark of the Natufian (ca. 15,000-11,500 cal BP) in the southern Levant and beyond and they include a large variety of types, from deep variants to shallow ones and from narrow mortars to wide basins. They are usually interpreted as food preparation facilities, associated with Natufian intensification of cereal and acorn consumption. However, inside the shaft of one deep narrow Natufian mortar at the entrance to Raqefet Cave (Mt. Carmel, Israel), we found a set of grid-like incisions accompanied by irregular lines. This pattern is similar in the general impression and the details of execution to incised stone slabs and objects found in other Natufian sites. As in several other Natufian objects, the incised patterns were hardly visible at the time, due to their light appearance and concealed location. The engraving act and symbolic meaning of the contents were likely more important than the display of the results. Furthermore, the Raqefet mortar was incorporated in a structured complex that also included a slab pavement and a boulder mortar. Thus, the complex motif, the specific feature it was carved on (inside a deep mortar), the associated features, and the location at the entrance to a burial cave all suggest an elaborate ceremonial and symbolic system.
Highlights
The Natufian culture in the southern Levant has long been the focus of a range of studies owing to its cultural-historical position, with semi-sedentary complex hunter-gatherer groups standing on the threshold of agriculture (e.g., Garrod 1957; Bar-Yosef 1983; 2002; Bar-Yosef & Belfer-Cohen 1989; 2002; Byrd 1989; Henry 1989; 1995; Belfer-Cohen 1991a; Valla 1995; Weinstein-Evron 1998; 2009; Belfer-Cohen & BarYosef 2000; Hayden 2004; Boyd 2006)
The goals of this paper are to characterize the mortar and its setting, describe the incised patterns, and discuss some implications in light of similar patterns found on stone slabs in other Natufian sites
Natufian remains were exposed in the first chamber and on the terrace
Summary
The Natufian culture (ca. 15,000–11,500 cal BP) in the southern Levant has long been the focus of a range of studies owing to its cultural-historical position, with semi-sedentary complex hunter-gatherer groups standing on the threshold of agriculture (e.g., Garrod 1957; Bar-Yosef 1983; 2002; Bar-Yosef & Belfer-Cohen 1989; 2002; Byrd 1989; Henry 1989; 1995; Belfer-Cohen 1991a; Valla 1995; Weinstein-Evron 1998; 2009; Belfer-Cohen & BarYosef 2000; Hayden 2004; Boyd 2006). 15,000–11,500 cal BP) in the southern Levant has long been the focus of a range of studies owing to its cultural-historical position, with semi-sedentary complex hunter-gatherer groups standing on the threshold of agriculture (e.g., Garrod 1957; Bar-Yosef 1983; 2002; Bar-Yosef & Belfer-Cohen 1989; 2002; Byrd 1989; Henry 1989; 1995; Belfer-Cohen 1991a; Valla 1995; Weinstein-Evron 1998; 2009; Belfer-Cohen & BarYosef 2000; Hayden 2004; Boyd 2006). Burials in or near dwellings and in separate, distinct burial grounds are one of the key features of this culture and, to date, several hundred Natufian burials are known, mainly from the Mediterranean southern Levant (e.g., Garrod & Bate 1937; Wright 1978; Bar-Yosef 1981: Journal of Lithic Studies (2016) vol 3, nr.
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