Early Holocene Ground Stone Assemblages in the Levant

Abstract

Abstract Ground stone assemblages increase in number, size and diversity in the Neolithic of the Levant. The significance of this development is discussed in relation to the development of sedentary villages; the origins of agriculture and pastoralism; and the elaboration of craftsmanship. An increase in the frequency of grinding tools relative to pounding tools characterizes the early Neolithic sites by comparison to Natufian and earlier assemblages. Regional variations in Neolithic assemblages reflect differences in mobility and subsistence economies in the woodland and arid zones. An apparent decline in the diversity of certain “food processing” tools may be characteristic of Late Neolithic sites and this pattern is consistent with the hypothesis that more mobile subsistence economies were developing. Evidence from the PPNB and Late Neolithic also suggests that ground stone technology played a key role in the development of other crafts, including ceramics.