Changing lifestyles in the northern Levant: Late Epipalaeolithic and early Neolithic shells from Tell Abu Hureyra

Abstract

The shell assemblage from Abu Hureyra crosses the divide between foraging and farming and provides an opportunity to explore changes in the exploitation and cultural uses of molluscs as ornaments and food over this seminal period in the northern Levant. Shell ornaments in the Late Epipalaeolithic support an underlying link with the Natufian culture, tempered with influences from elsewhere. The acquisition of Nassarius shells and the use of heat treatment and ochre to colour the beads are vestiges of a more ancient tradition. The influx of ready-made cowry beads from the Red Sea after the mid-Middle PPNB suggests stronger links with the southern Levant while obsidian imports from Anatolia continued to increase. Wear on the beads has provided some insights into their possible use. The seasonal exploitation of freshwater mussels as a dietary supplement may have increased towards the end of the Late Epipalaeolithic. The assemblage from Abu Hureyra is discussed in relation to other sites in the northern Levant to illustrate some of the economic and social changes that took place during the Epipalaeolithic–Neolithic transition.