Natufian in the North: The Late Epipaleolithic cultural entity at Dederiyeh Cave, Northwest Syria

Abstract

This paper discusses the relationship between Late Epipaleolithic evidence recovered at Dederiyeh Cave in Northwest Syria and the Natufian cultural entity from a cultural-historical perspective. The radiocarbon dates indicate that Dederiyeh occupation dates from at least the late 15th and the 14th millennia BP, with the possibility that it encompasses even earlier or later periods. The present study identifies evidence from the Dederiyeh Cave as a northern variant of the Natufian, which displays similarities and dissimilarities with the Natufian defined in the Southern Levant. The presence of these remains far to the north since the period equivalent to the Early Natufian in the south provides a new dimension to understanding the origin and development of the Natufian entity in a larger geographic context.