Revisiting Rolling stones: The procurement of non-local goods in the Epipaleolithic of the Near East

Abstract

At the end of the Pleistocene, the Near Eastern Epipaleolithic chrono-cultural complex experienced profound cultural changes. Among these, the acquisition of exotic goods becomes one of the hallmarks of the Late Epipaleolithic/Natufian. Research conducted in recent decades has made it possible to better understand this phenomenon. These studies concerned the movement of materials such as shells, basalt, obsidian, ochre, colored stones, as well as chert, allowing us to better define the nature of the materials in question and to propose a possible geographical origin. The research, most notably the archeometric analyses, also enabled us to outline an evolution of these practices from the late Middle Paleolithic to the Epipalaeolithic. The Geometric Kebaran-Natufian complex witnessed much more complex strategies in the acquisition of exotic raw materials and finished products. These practices have been interpreted as the result of more intense contact between groups and long-distance exchanges. The Levantine Epipalaeolithic lends itself to further reflections in the light of recent research on transegalitarian societies of hunter-gatherers. Various hypotheses are thus put forward to better understand the role played by the acquisition and exchange of exotic materials within the diverse communities of the Late Epipaleolithic in the Southern Levant. The end of the Pleistocene could be split into two worlds: a pre-Middle Epipaleolithic world with exclusively shell exchange and a Middle-Late Epipaleolithic world with intensive procurement/exchange of diverse exotic goods. These worlds would be associated with different ontologies and cosmological views. These worlds would notably translate into changes of the nature and quantity of the items exchanged, from balanced reciprocity (“A = A”) to unbalanced exchange (“A = B”). Moreover, the production and intensive movement of exotic items turned into prestige goods in the Late Epipaleolithic might provide an opportunity and be the subject of manipulation by some individuals in order to rise to a higher status.