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Summing up the data deriving from the Natufian burials at Hayonim Cave which incorporates information pertaining to the last grave uncovered on site (Grave XVII), the paper endeavours to understand the role of burials within the evolving Natufian society at large. It seems that certain sites—Hayonim Cave being a case in point—served as special localities, used by a particular group as a burial ground all through the Natufian time-span (i.e. for more than 3000 years). Members of that group returned to the cave again and again in order to bury their dead, being aware of the location of the preceding graves, apparently retaining a long-term memory of their burial practices. At the same time, at least some burials provide evidence for inter-group ties, as evident through particular similarities between certain burials in two distinct Natufian sites, Hayonim Cave and Eynan (‘Ain Mallaha). Clearly, retention of mortuary practices played a significant role in consolidating and preserving social cohesion in the Natufian society.

SummaryArchaeological sediments have been shown to preserve ancient DNA, but so far have not yielded genome-scale information of the magnitude of skeletal remains. We retrieved and analysed human and mammalian low-coverage nuclear and high-coverage mitochondrial genomes from Upper Palaeolithic sediments from Satsurblia cave, western Georgia, dated to 25,000 years ago. First, a human female genome with substantial basal Eurasian ancestry, which was an ancestry component of the majority of post-Ice Age people in the Near East, North Africa, and parts of Europe. Second, a wolf genome that is basal to extant Eurasian wolves and dogs and represents a previously unknown, likely extinct, Caucasian lineage that diverged from the ancestors of modern wolves and dogs before these diversified. Third, a bison genome that is basal to present-day populations, suggesting that population structure has been substantially reshaped since the Last Glacial Maximum. Our results provide new insights into the late Pleistocene genetic histories of these three species, and demonstrate that sediment DNA can be used not only for species identification, but also be a source of genome-wide ancestry information and genetic history.HighlightsWe demonstrate for the first time that genome sequencing from sediments is comparable to that of skeletal remainsA single Pleistocene sediment sample from the Caucasus yielded three low-coverage mammalian ancient genomesWe show that sediment ancient DNA can reveal important aspects of the human and faunal pastEvidence of an uncharacterized human lineage from the Caucasus before the Last Glacial Maximum∼0.01-fold coverage wolf and bison genomes are both basal to present-day diversity, suggesting reshaping of population structure in both species

The region of western Georgia (Imereti) in the Southern Caucasus has been a major geographic corridor for human migrations during the Middle and Upper Paleolithic. Data of recent research and excavations in this region display its importance as a possible route for the dispersal of anatomically modern humans (AMH) into northern Eurasia. Nevertheless, within the local research context, bone-working and personal ornaments have yet contributed but little to the Upper Palaeolithic (UP) regional sequence’s characterization. Here we present an archaeozoological, technological and use-wear study of pendants from two local UP assemblages, originating in the Dzudzuana Cave and Satsurblia Cave. The ornaments were made mostly of perforated teeth, though some specimens were made on bone. Both the manufacturing marks made during preparation and use-wear traces indicate that they were personal ornaments, used as pendants or attached to garments. Detailed comparison between ornament assemblages from northern and southern Caucasus reveal that they are quite similar, supporting the observation of cultural bonds between the two regions, demonstrated previously through lithic techno-typological affinities. Furthermore, our study highlights the importance attributed to red deer (Cervus elaphus) by the UP societies of the Caucasus in sharing aesthetic values and/or a symbolic sphere.

Social "connectivity" through time is currently considered as one of the major drivers of cultural transmission and cultural evolution. Within this framework, the interactions within and between groups are impacted by individuals' distinction of social relationships. In this paper, we focus on changes in a major aspect of social perceptions, "other" and "stranger." As inferred from the archaeological record, this perception among human groups gained importance during the course of the Pleistocene. These changes would have occurred due to the plasticity of cognitive mechanisms, in response to the demands on behavior along the trajectory of human social evolution. The concepts of "other" and "stranger" have received little attention in the archaeological discourse, yet they are fundamental in the perception of social standing. The property of being an "other" is defined by one's perception and is inherent to one's view of the world around oneself; when shared by a group it becomes a social cognitive construct. Allocating an individual the status of a "stranger" is a socially-defined state that is potentially transient. We hypothesize that, while possibly entrenched in deep evolutionary origins, the latter is a relatively late addition to socio-cognitive categorization, associated with increased sedentism, larger groups and reduced territorial extent as part of the process of Neolithization. We posit that "others" and "strangers" can be approached from contextual archaeological data, with inferences as regards the evolution of cognitive social categories. Our analysis focused on raw material studies, observations on style, and evidence for craft specialization. We find that contrary to the null hypothesis the archaeological record implies earlier emergence of complex socio-cognitive categorization. The cognitive, cultural and social processes involved in the maintenance and distinction between "others" and "strangers" can be defined as "self-domestication" that is still an on-going process.

Metagenomic analysis is a highly promising technique in paleogenetic research that allows analysis of the complete genomic make-up of a sample. This technique has successfully been employed to archaeological sediments, but possible leaching of DNA through the sequence limits interpretation. We applied this technique to the analysis of ancient DNA (aDNA) from Late Quaternary stalagmites from two caves in Western Georgia, Melouri Cave and Solkota. Stalagmites form closed systems, limiting the effect of leaching, and can be securely dated with U-series. The analyses of the sequence data from the Melouri Cave stalagmite revealed potential contamination and low preservation of DNA. However, the two Solkota stalagmites preserved ancient DNA molecules of mammals (bear, roe deer, bats) and plants (chestnut, hazelnut, flax). The aDNA bearing layers from one of the two Solkota stalagmites were dated to between ~84 ka and ~56 ka BP by U-series. The second Solkota stalagmite contained excessive detrital clay obstructing U-series dating, but it also contained bear bones with a minimum age of ~50 BP uncalibrated years and ancient DNA molecules. The preservation of authentic ancient DNA molecules in Late Quaternary speleothems opens up a new paleogenetic archive for archaeological, paleontological and paleoenvironmental research.

Situated at the crossroads of Africa and Eurasia, the Levant is a crucial region for understanding the origins and spread of Upper Paleolithic (UP) traditions associated with the spread of modern humans. Of the two local Early Upper Paleolithic technocomplexes, the Ahmarian and the Levantine Aurignacian, the latter appears to be unique in the endemic UP sequence, exhibiting greater similarity to the West European ‘classic’ Aurignacian than to the local preceding and proceeding UP entities. Previous publications have mostly focused on the similarities between the two lithic industries and less on studies conducted on Levantine Aurignacian bone tools and ornaments. Here, we present an archaeozoological, technological and use-wear study of ornaments on animal teeth from the Levantine Aurignacian layers at Manot and Hayonim caves (the Galilee, Israel). The selection of taxa, the choice of teeth, the mode of modification, and the use-wear analysis exhibit clear similarities with the European Aurignacian. This, with the technology of the osseous raw material exploitation, the presence of antler simple-base points, and some lithic typotechnological features, suggest a link between the symbolic spheres of the Levantine and the European Aurignacian cultural entities. Such similarity also supports some contribution of European Aurignacians groups to the local cultural entities, intermingling with the local material culture features.

The earliest ancient DNA data of modern humans from Europe dates to ∼40 thousand years ago1-4, but that from the Caucasus and the Near East to only ∼14 thousand years ago5,6, from populations who lived long after the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) ∼26.5-19 thousand years ago7. To address this imbalance and to better understand the relationship of Europeans and Near Easterners, we report genome-wide data from two ∼26 thousand year old individuals from Dzudzuana Cave in Georgia in the Caucasus from around the beginning of the LGM. Surprisingly, the Dzudzuana population was more closely related to early agriculturalists from western Anatolia ∼8 thousand years ago8than to the hunter-gatherers of the Caucasus from the same region of western Georgia of ∼13-10 thousand years ago5. Most of the Dzudzuana population’s ancestry was deeply related to the post-glacial western European hunter-gatherers of the ‘Villabruna cluster’3, but it also had ancestry from a lineage that had separated from the great majority of non-African populations before they separated from each other, proving that such ‘Basal Eurasians’6,9were present in West Eurasia twice as early as previously recorded5,6. We document major population turnover in the Near East after the time of Dzudzuana, showing that the highly differentiated Holocene populations of the region6were formed by ‘Ancient North Eurasian’3,9,10admixture into the Caucasus and Iran and North African11,12admixture into the Natufians of the Levant. We finally show that the Dzudzuana population contributed the majority of the ancestry of post-Ice Age people in the Near East, North Africa, and even parts of Europe, thereby becoming the largest single contributor of ancestry of all present-day West Eurasians.

International audience; The Levantine Aurignacian is a unique phenomenon in the local Upper Paleolithic sequence, showing greater similarity to the West European classic Aurignacian than to the local Levantine archaeological entities preceding and following it. Herewith we highlight another unique characteristic of this entity, namely, the presence of symbolic objects in the form of notched bones (mostly gazelle scapulae) from the Aurignacian levels of Hayonim Cave, Lower Galilee, Israel. Through both macroscopic and microscopic analyses of the items, we suggest that they are not mere cut marks but rather are intentional (decorative?) human-made markings. The significance of this evidence for symbolic behavior is discussed in its chrono-cultural and geographical contexts. Notched bones are among the oldest symbolic expressions of anatomically modern humans. However, unlike other Paleolithic sites where such findings were reported in single numbers, the number of these items recovered at Hayonim Cave is sufficient to assume they possibly served as an emblem of the Levantine Aurignacian.

Here we report additional Upper Palaeolithic human remains from the Imereti region, western Georgia (SOM Fig. S1): two isolated teeth from Dzudzuana cave, Dzu 1 and Dzu 2 (both deciduous; Bar-Yosef et al., 2011), and one isolated tooth (SATP5-2, deciduous) and a hemi-mandible (SATP5) bearing permanent and deciduous teeth (SATP5-3 e SATP5-7) from Satsurblia cave (Pinhasi et al., 2014). In particular, the human remains from Dzudzuana cave, dated between 27,000 and 24,000 cal. BP, fill a huge gap in the Upper Palaeolithic Georgian fossil record and play an important role in the debate about modern human peopling of the Caucasus.

A century of research has led to the recognition of multiple levels of technological variability in the Levantine Middle Paleolithic (MP) that cannot be resolved through single-cause explanatory models. Recent ecological models argue for continual occupation of the region and competitive coexistence of Neanderthal and modern human populations. Current paleogenetic studies underline the feasibility of the latter scenario. The Levantine MP offers a perspective on the interface of historical circumstances and long-term evolutionary mechanisms that structured in-tandem trajectories of technological and behavioral changes as well as insights into the dynamics of nondirectional behavioral complexities in the archaeological record.

The Natufian culture is of great importance as a starting point to investigate the dynamics of the transition to agriculture. Given its chronological position at the threshold of the Neolithic (ca. 12,000 years ago) and its geographic setting in the productive Jordan Valley, the site of Nahal Ein Gev II (NEG II) reveals aspects of the Late Natufian adaptations and its implications for the transition to agriculture. The size of the site, the thick archaeological deposits, invested architecture and multiple occupation sub-phases reveal a large, sedentary community at least on par with Early Natufian camps in the Mediterranean zone. Although the NEG II lithic tool kit completely lacks attributes typical of succeeding Pre Pottery Neolithic A (PPNA) assemblages, the artistic style is more closely related to the early PPNA world, despite clear roots in Early Natufian tradition. The site does not conform to current perceptions of the Late Natufians as a largely mobile population coping with reduced resource productivity caused by the Younger Dryas. Instead, the faunal and architectural data suggest that the sedentary populations of the Early Natufian did not revert back to a nomadic way of life in the Late Natufian in the Jordan Valley. NEG II encapsulates cultural characteristics typical of both Natufian and PPNA traditions and thus bridges the crossroads between Late Paleolithic foragers and Neolithic farmers.

The Near East is one of those unique places where the transition(s) from hunter-gatherers to farmers occurred locally, so it is possible to observe the whole sequence of these processes within the region as a whole. We discuss the archaeological evidence pertaining to those transformations within the Levant, presenting the particularistic local changes in settlement patterns and the character of the different communities juxtaposed with the landscapes and environmental background. The asynchronous developments clearly reflect the mosaic nature of the Levant in terms of specific local environmental conditions that influenced the scope and pace of Neolithization processes.

of 5th International Congress on the Ar-chaeology of the Ancient Near East workshop Houses for the Livingand a Place for the Dead .J.M.Co´rdoba, M. Molist, M. Pe´rez, I.Rubio, and S. Marti´nez, eds. Madrid: Universidas Autonoma deMadrid.Cordell, L. S. 1994. Ancient Pueblo peoples: exploring the ancient world .Montreal: St. Remy.Croucher, K. 2006. Death, display and performance: a discussion ofthe mortuary remains at C¸ ayo¨nu Tepesi. In The archaeology of cultand death . M. Georgiadis and C. Gallou, eds. Pp. 11–44. Budapest:Archaeolingua Alapi´tva´ny.David, N., J. Sterner, and K. Gavua. 1988. Why pots are decorated. Current Anthropology 29:365–389.Davis, S. J. M., and F. R. Valla. 1978. Evidence for domestication ofthe dog 12,000 years ago in the Natufian of Israel. Nature 276:608–610.Delerue, S. 2007. L’obsidienne dans le processus de Neolithisationdu Proche-Orient (12000–6500 av. J.-C. cal.). PhD dissertation,Universite´ Bordeaux 3.Dunbar, R. 1996. Grooming, gossip, and the evolution of language

The Eurocentric (or rather Western European) outlook on cultural evolution envisioned a sharp demarcation between the phenomena grouped under the title Middle Paleolithic (i.e., archaic) and the phenomena recognized as Upper Paleolithic (i.e., modern). This view became the framework for testing cognitive, social, and economic hypotheses explaining the emergence of modern behavior. After nearly a century of research, it seems that this categorization is not applicable in the Levant despite some broad similarities between the two regions. The Levantine archaeological record provides us with the option to think outside the “European box” with regard to this important phase in human cultural evolution.

We present new faunal data from Kotias Klde rockshelter, Republic of Georgia, where a substantial part of the faunalv assemblage consists of brown bear remains (Ursus arctos) found in clear association with Mesolithic artifacts. Bear remains are unusually well represented in comparison with other faunal assemblages from the Caucasus and Eurasia in general. The diversity of species, dominance of young individuals, full representation of skeletal elements, and skinning butchery marks indicate that bears were actively hunted. Such an endeavor of hunting denotes the complex network of relationships that linked the Mesolithic hunting societies with the animal world surrounding them.

We extend the scope of European palaeogenomics by sequencing the genomes of Late Upper Palaeolithic (13,300 years old, 1.4-fold coverage) and Mesolithic (9,700 years old, 15.4-fold) males from western Georgia in the Caucasus and a Late Upper Palaeolithic (13,700 years old, 9.5-fold) male from Switzerland. While we detect Late Palaeolithic–Mesolithic genomic continuity in both regions, we find that Caucasus hunter-gatherers (CHG) belong to a distinct ancient clade that split from western hunter-gatherers ∼45 kya, shortly after the expansion of anatomically modern humans into Europe and from the ancestors of Neolithic farmers ∼25 kya, around the Last Glacial Maximum. CHG genomes significantly contributed to the Yamnaya steppe herders who migrated into Europe ∼3,000 BC, supporting a formative Caucasus influence on this important Early Bronze age culture. CHG left their imprint on modern populations from the Caucasus and also central and south Asia possibly marking the arrival of Indo-Aryan languages., Zweitveröffentlichungen der Universität Potsdam : Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Reihe; 1334

Over the past several decades a variety of models have been proposed to explain perceived behavioral and cognitive differences between Neanderthals and modern humans. A key element in many of these models and one often used as a proxy for behavioral “modernity” is the frequency and nature of hunting among Palaeolithic populations. Here new archaeological data from Ortvale Klde, a late Middle–early Upper Palaeolithic rockshelter in the Georgian Republic, are considered, and zooarchaeological methods are applied to the study of faunal acquisition patterns to test whether they changed significantly from the Middle to the Upper Palaeolithic. The analyses demonstrate that Neanderthals and modern humans practiced largely identical hunting tactics and that the two populations were equally and independently capable of acquiring and exploiting critical biogeographical information pertaining to resource availability and animal behavior. Like lithic techno-typological traditions, hunting behaviors are poor proxies for major behavioral differences between Neanderthals and modern humans, a conclusion that has important implications for debates surrounding the Middle–Upper Palaeolithic transition and what features constitute “modern” behavior. The proposition is advanced that developments in the social realm of Upper Palaeolithic societies allowed the replacement of Neanderthals in the Caucasus with little temporal or spatial overlap and that this process was widespread beyond traditional topographic and biogeographical barriers to Neanderthal mobility.

Une etude multi-regionale des modifications intervenant dans l'efficacite et la standardisation des industries lithiques pendant la periode de transition entre le Paleolithique moyen et superieur, a ete utilisee afin de montrer que cette transition resultait du developpement du langage. Le materiel etudie provient des sites de Haua Fteah (Libye), de Grosse Grotte et Geissenklosterle (Allemagne) et de Pech de l'Aze et Caminade (France). En plus de cette etude, l'auteur presente une analyse comparee des technologies lithiques des deux periodes

The issue of tracing the mental abilities of prehistoric hominids is overwhelming in its complexity. Not only are there different schools of thought as regards the very feasibility of such an enterprise, but we are also facing difficulties in obtaining relevant data and their interpretation. For a while it seemed as if lithic studies could contribute but little to this domain of prehistoric research. However, it seems that there is a breakthrough both in concepts and methods which enables us a glimpse into the workings of the mind of the prehistoric flint knappers. The present article discusses the findings from the technological studies of two Levantine early Acheulian assemblages. The reconstruction of the procedures undertaken by the early hominids in order to produce discrete artefact types clearly illustrates the existence of complex cognitive abilities, rather similar to those of modern humans.

Nahal Oren is a large Late Natufian site, which mostly served as a burial ground. Two series of excavations were conducted on this site providing a plethora of material remains. This article deals with the bone artefact assemblage from the fi rst series of excavations on the terrace. Lack of data pertaining to stratigraphic and spatial distribution of the bone items, as well as no data concerning the faunal assemblage, permits only a basic typological analysis of the bone artefacts. The assemblage comprises 90 items that generally accord typologically with other Natufian bone artefact assemblages reported in the literature. At the same time, some characteristics are evaluated and discussed herein., Nahal Oren est un site étendu du Natoufien final, principalement à vocation funéraire. Deux opérations de fouilles archéologiques ont été conduites ; elles ont fourni une grande quantité de mobilier. Cet article traite du matériel osseux issu des premières campagnes de fouille réalisées sur la terrasse. En raison des données lacunaires concernant la répartition stratigraphique et spatiale des objets en os et en l’absence d’informations sur les assemblages fauniques, seule une analyse typologique basique de l’outillage a été possible. La série comprend 90 pièces qui sont en grande partie analogues à celles des autres assemblages osseux du Natoufien déjà publiés. D’autre part, certaines de leurs caractéristiques sont ici discutées., Ashkenazy Hila, Belfer-Cohen Anna, Rabinovich Rivka. Natufian Bone Artefacts from Nahal Oren, Mt. Carmel, Israel. In: Paléorient, 2011, vol. 37, n°2. pp. 189-199.

Beginning with the early Pleistocene site of Ubeidiya, the Near East is an intercontinental crossroads, and a region of Pleistocene migration routes spanning Africa, Asia and Europe. A large number of Late Pleistocene hominids were discovered in Syria, Iraq and Israel. This anthropological documentation, circumscribed chronologically, raises several questions concerning the biological diversity of the hominids associated with Mousterian lithic artefacts, and strengthens the existence of regional population variation. The Near Eastern fossil sample is, indeed, not homogenous and includes, among others, early anatomically modern humans recovered from the sites of Skhul and Qafzeh Caves, dated between 130 and 92 ka BP. Excavations in the Hayonim Cave (Israel) have provided human remains that are pertinent to our understanding of Near East biological diversity. Indeed, biostratigraphic analysis and chronometric dating (Thermoluminescence and ESR/ U series analyses) of the stratifi ed deposits imply that the Mousterian sequence ranges from at least 220 ka to about 115 ka BP, and encompassed MIS7-6 and 5. Thus, the Hayonim human remains present the best evidence of early Mousterian inhabitants in Western Galilee, and their analysis represents a source of information on the biology and behaviour of hunter-gatherers prior to the Skhul and Qafzeh toolmakers., Le Proche-Orient, au carrefour de l’Afrique et de l’Eurasie, apparaît au croisement de routes de migrations humaines qui trouvent leur origine avec Ubeidiya, au Pléistocène inférieur. Relevant du Pléistocène fi nal, une abondante documentation anthropologique a été mise au jour en Syrie, en Iraq et en Israël dans un contexte archéologique moustérien qui est bien délimité dans le temps. Cette documentation soulève de nombreuses questions liées à la diversité biologique des hominidés associés aux artefacts moustériens qui fait du Proche-Orient, et en particulier du Levant, une région à part, comparée au reste de l’Eurasie. L’échantillon ainsi rassemblé en contexte moustérien n’est en effet pas homogène et, au sein de ce dernier, sont reconnus, entre autres, des premiers hommes anatomiquement modernes à Skhul et à Qafzeh, qui sont datés entre 130 et 92 ka avant le présent. Les fouilles réalisées dans la grotte d’Hayonim (Israël) ont livré des vestiges humains qui viennent à la fois conforter et ancrer cette diversité biologique régionale. En effet, selon les informations conjointes issues de la biostratigraphie et de datations absolues (Thermoluminescence et Résonance paramagnétique), la séquence moustérienne se situe entre 220 et 115 ka avant le présent. Ces vestiges humains d’Hayonim sont les plus anciens connus en Galilée, précédant ceux de Qafzeh, et leur étude revêt donc un intérêt tout particulier. Ils s’intègrent parmi les plus anciens chasseurs-cueilleurs nomades de tout le Proche-Orient., Tillier Anne-marie, Arensburg Baruch, Belfer-Cohen Anna, Vandermeersch Bernard. Early Hominid Remains from Hayonim Cave (Israel) in the Context of the Late Middle and Upper Pleistocene record from the Near East. In: Paléorient, 2011, vol. 37, n°2. pp. 47-63.

Dans cet article, l'auteur explique les raison qui poussent les chasseurs cueilleurs a modifier leurs habitudes migratoires en particulier pour les populations paleolithiques du Levant

Resultats des fouilles recentes (1982-90) sur le site du Paleolithique moyen de Kebara, Israel. Synthese de la stratigraphie complexe du site et datation. Description des structures spatiales de foyers, cendres, concentrations d'os et d'artefacts. Resultats des etudes mineralogiques des sediments afin de determiner si la distribution spatiale des ossements animaux est le resultat d'activites humaines (charognage) ou de processus post-depositionnels. Synthese sur l'outillage lithique mousterien axee sur la technologie de production et les chaines operatoires. Analyse taphonomique des mammiferes, en particulier des ongules. Inventaire des restes humains du Paleolithique moyen et etude de la sepulture intentionnelle d'homme adulte

The Natufian entity was first identified and described in the early 1930s by D. Garrod (39) following her excavations at the Shukba Cave in the Samaria (Figure 1). Other assemblages identified as Natufian were subsequently uncovered within the boundaries of what was to become identified as the Natufian core area, encompassing the Galilee, Mt. Carmel, and the Judean Hills and Desert (41, 64, 83). Though the original definition of the Natufian complex was based on the characteristics of its chipped stone industry, both Garrod and Neuville (63, 64), who explored the Judean desert Natufian sites, were impressed by the nonlithic finds. This is the first Levantine prehistoric entity with durable architectural remains bearing evidence of intensive building activities. Some of the sites exceed in size anything known before, heralding the appearance of the villages and compounds of the Neolithic cultures to come. Besides an unprecedented abundance (in quantity and variety) of bone implements, there is a wealth of limestone and basalt artifacts. Also, for the first time there appear numerous art objects and ornaments made of a variety of raw materials, both common and exotic. All these components place the Natufian apart from preceding archaeological cultures. Since the early discoveries, sites identified as Natufian have been reported both from the core area (12, 49, 65, 67, 78, 88) and from regions further away, some within different phytogeographic zones: northern Syria (26, 27, 60), north and south Lebanon (19), the Jordan Rift Valley (9, 33, 38), southern Jordan (46, 55, 56), the Syrian-Arabian Desert (20), and the Negev (43, 58, 61) (Figure 1). The abundant data accumulated over the years

The Natufians of the southern Levant (15,000–11,500 cal BP) underwent pronounced socioeconomic changes associated with the onset of sedentism and the shift from a foraging to farming lifestyle. Excavations at the 12,000-year-old Natufian cave site, Hilazon Tachtit (Israel), have revealed a grave that provides a rare opportunity to investigate the ideological shifts that must have accompanied these socioeconomic changes. The grave was constructed and specifically arranged for a petite, elderly, and disabled woman, who was accompanied by exceptional grave offerings. The grave goods comprised 50 complete tortoise shells and select body-parts of a wild boar, an eagle, a cow, a leopard, and two martens, as well as a complete human foot. The interment rituals and the method used to construct and seal the grave suggest that this is the burial of a shaman, one of the earliest known from the archaeological record. Several attributes of this burial later become central in the spiritual arena of human cultures worldwide.

This paper considers the recent radiometric dating (14C-AMS, TL, ESR) of 76 late Middle and early Upper Paleolithic samples from Ortvale Klde Rockshelter, located in the Republic of Georgia. We present a critical evaluation of each date based on its stratigraphic and archaeological context, its pretreatment and contamination history, and its resulting accuracy and precision, the goal being to establish a sound chronology for the site. Only by systematically identifying aberrant dates within a data set and isolating them from further analysis can we hope to understand cultural and biological phenomena on an accurate temporal scale. Based on the strict discard protocol outlined here, we omit 25% of the dated samples from the analysis. The remaining data speak to the lengthy tenure of Neandertals in the region, but also to their relatively rapid demise and the establishment of modern human populations approximately 38-34 ka 14C BP (42-39 kacalBP(Hulu)). We compare these chronometric data with those from the neighboring sites of Bronze and Dzudzuana caves, as well as Mezmaiskaya Cave, located in the northern Caucasus. While the lack of key contextual information limit our ability to subject these other data sets to the same critical evaluation procedure, they provide the first interregional temporal assessment of the Middle to Upper Paleolithic "transition," the results of which suggest an initial expansion of modern humans into the southern Caucasus followed by expansion along the Black Sea coast and into the northern Caucasus.

The excavations at Kotias Klde, a karstic cave in the western region of the Republic of Georgia, uncovered a sequence of Neolithic layer topped by some Bronze Age remains (A1 and A2), a complex Mesolithic layer (B), and the top of layer C, tentatively recognized as late Upper Palaeolithic. The preliminary report describes the contents of the Mesolithic deposit with its particular industry, characterized by triangles of various shapes and a faunal assemblage of hunted brown bear, dated to 12,400-10,380 cal. BP., Résumé: Les fouilles conduites à Kotias Klde, une grotte karstique de l’Ouest de la Géorgie, ont permis de mettre au jour une séquence formée de quelques restes de l’âge du Bronze qui surmontent une séquence néolithique (A1 et A2), une couche complexe mésolithique (B) et le sommet d’une couche C, qui relèverait d’un Paléolithique supérieur tardif. Ce rapport préliminaire porte sur les assemblages du dépôt mésolithique daté de 12 400-10 380 cal. BP, dont l’industrie particulière se caractérise par des formes variées et par un assemblage faunique composé de restes de chasse à l’ours brun., Meshveliani Tengiz, Bar-Oz Guy, Bar-Yosef Ofer, Belfer-Cohen Anna, Boaretto Elisabetta, Jakeli Nino, Koridze Irakli, Matskevich Zinovi. Mesolithic Hunters at Kotias Klde, Western Georgia: Preliminary Results. In: Paléorient, 2007, vol. 33, n°2. pp. 47-58.

This paper presents an analysis of the large Natufian tool assemblage (N = 10,378) from the excavations ofM. Stekelis (1954- 1957, 1959-1960) at the site of Nahal Oren Terrace. The site is located on the western escarpment of Mt. Carmel, situated amidst various ecological microhabitats within a Mediterranean climatic zone. The Natufian levels at the site, observed throughout all seasons of excavation, provided a plethora of archaeological data including a unique cemetery. The present account is a summary and discussion of a study focused on the Natufian lithic component recovered during excavation. Except for some very general observations, the material was never published. An endeavor was made to accommodate our results within the framework of modern research and current data pertaining to the Natufian culture, including information obtained during the 2nd series of excavations at the site (1969-1971). The importance of this assemblage stems partly from the fact that it represents one of the very few instances where there is seemingly a continuum of occupation from the Natufian through the following Neolithic cultures. Besides a detailed typological analysis, an endeavor was made to explore the spatial distribution aimed towards establishing relationship among the various activities areas at the site, especially between the burial ground and the surrounding areas. A study comparing this particular assemblage with both the Natufian assemblage derived during the 2nd series of excavations and assemblages from other Natufian sites made clear the basic nature of this Late Natufian assemblage. The various lines of study demonstrate that there was a continuum of human occupation (or at least a constant presence) all through the Late Natufian (13-11 600 BP cal)., Résumé : Dans cet article, nous présentons une analyse de l'abondant matériel lithique natoufien (n = 10 378) récolté lors des fouilles de M. Stekelis (1954-1957, 1959-1960) sur le site de la terrasse de Nahal Oren. Le gisement se trouve sur le rebord Ouest du Mt Carmel, aux confins de différentes micro-niches écologiques au sein de la zone méditerranéenne. Les niveaux natoufiens, fouillés tout au long des différentes campagnes, ont livré une quantité impressionnante d'informations archéologiques incluant une nécropole remarquable. Nous présentons ici une synthèse de l 'étude réalisée sur le matériel lithique natoufien récolté durant ces fouilles, et les discussions qui en découlent. Ce matériel n 'a jamais été publié, àpart quelques observations d'ordre général. Nous avons tenté de replacer les résultats obtenus dans le contexte de la recherche actuelle sur la culture natoufienne en intégrant également les informations obtenues lors de la seconde série de fouilles sur le site entre 1969 et 1971. L 'étude de ce matériel trouve tout son intérêt dans le fait que la terrasse de Nahal Oren semble constituer l 'un des rares cas d 'occupation continue depuis le Natoufien jusqu 'au Néolithique. En plus d'une étude typologique détaillée, nous avons tenté, par une étude des répartitions spatiales, d'établir les relations entre les différentes zones d'activité sur le site, plus particulièrement entre la zone des sépultures et les zones environnantes. Les comparaisons effectuées avec le matériel provenant des fouilles plus récentes et avec celui d'autres sites natoufiens indiquent clairement que ces assemblages lithiques appartiennent au Natoufien récent. Tous les éléments de notre étude démontrent la continuité des occupations (ou du moins une présence constante) tout au long de cette période entre 13 000 et 11 600 BP cal., Grosman Leore, Ashkenazy Hila, Belfer-Cohen Anna. The Natufian Occupation of Nahal Oren, Mt. Carmel, Israel - The Lithic Evidence. In: Paléorient, 2005, vol. 31, n°2. pp. 5-26.

This paper presents the results of renewed excavations at the late Upper Palaeolithic site of Nahal Ein Gev 1 on the eastern margins of the Sea of Galilee. The lithic assemblage is characterised by a chunky flake technology produced using a hard hammer. The tool repertoire is heavily dominated by burins on Clactonian truncations and notches. Other tool classes are not especially standardised, and there is a small microlithic component. The results broadly conform to those of the previous excavations and corroborate that the described assemblage is indeed representative of the site as a whole. It seems almost certain that the previously described skeletal remains are indeed integral to the site, which appears to represent a foraging camp as indicated by the broad range offaunal remains. The assemblage is placed within the framework of the later Upper Palaeolithic "Atlitian " entity. It is concluded that the techno-typolog- ical configuration of this and comparable Atlitian assemblages bear little, if any, resemblance to Levantine Aurignacian industries., Sont présentés ici les résultats de fouilles qui furent reprises sur le gisement paléolithique supérieur tardif de Nahal Ein Gev l, situé sur la rive orientale du lac de Tibériade. L 'assemblage lithique est caractérisé par un débitage sommaire à éclats grossiers obtenu à l 'aide d'un percuteur dur. Parmi les outils prédominent les burins sur troncatures et encoches clactoniennes. Les autres classes d 'outils n 'apparaissent pas spécialement standardisées mais comportent une petite composante microlithique. Ces résultats recoupent largement ceux obtenus lors des fouilles antérieures et montrent bien que l 'assemblage décrit est représentatif de l 'ensemble du site. Il semble presque certain que les restes humains qui avaient été signalés appartiennent bien au site ; celui-ci devait être un camp de prédateurs comme l 'indique la grande variété des restes d 'animaux recueillis. Dans le cadre du Paléolithique supérieur tardif l'assemblage appartient à l 'entité Atlitienne comme le montrent aussi bien la technologie que la typologie alors qu 'ils n 'offrent peu, si ce n 'est aucune, ressemblance avec les industries de l'Aurignacien levantin., Belfer-Cohen Anna, Davidzon Angela, Goring-Morris A. N., Lieberman Daniel E., Spiers M. Nahal Ein Gev I : A Late Upper Palaeolithic Site by the Sea of Galilee, Israel. In: Paléorient, 2004, vol. 30, n°1. pp. 25-45.

The region of western Georgia (Imereti) has been a major geographic corridor for human migrations during the Middle and Upper Palaeolithic (MP/UP). Knowledge of the MP and UP in this region, however, stems mostly from a small number of recent excavations at the sites of Ortvale Klde, Dzudzuana, Bondi, and Kotias Klde. These provide an absolute chronology for the Late MP and MP-UP transition, but only a partial perspective on the nature and timing of UP occupations, and limited data on how human groups in this region responded to the harsh climatic oscillations between 37,000-11,500 years before present. Here we report new UP archaeological sequences from fieldwork in Satsurblia cavein the same region. A series of living surfaces with combustion features, faunal remains, stone and bone tools, and ornaments provide new information about human occupations in this region (a) prior to the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) at 25.5-24.4 ka cal. BP and (b) after the LGM at 17.9-16.2 ka cal. BP. The latter provides new evidence in the southern Caucasus for human occupation immediately after the LGM. The results of the campaigns in Satsurblia and Dzudzuana suggest that at present the most plausible scenario is one of a hiatus in the occupation of this region during the LGM (between 24.4-17.9 ka cal. BP). Analysis of the living surfaces at Satsurblia offers information about human activities such as the production and utilisation of lithics and bone tools, butchering, cooking and consumption of meat and wild cereals, the utilisation of fibers, and the use of certain woods. Microfaunal and palynological analyses point to fluctuations in the climate with consequent shifts in vegetation and the faunal spectrum not only before and after the LGM, but also during the two millennia following the end of the LGM.

Belfer-Cohen Anna, Goring-Morris A. Nigel. The Tyranny of the Ethnographic Record, Revisited. In: Paléorient, 2009, vol. 35, n°1. pp. 107-108.

Fiel work renewed at Eynan in 1996 was devoted to clarify the site extension and to excavate the upper, Final Natufian, layer. It was shwn that Natufian remains are still found 25 m east of the main excavated area. More than one layer of architecture with oval dwellings (previously not documented at this stage) ans additional graves were uncovered in the Final Natufian; Large quantities of material - including some obsidian - were collected, but vegetal remains are not preserved. Analysis of this material shows that the Final Natufian people maintained former traditions although some aspects forshadow the later PPN. Future work sould clarify the way of life especially the question of sedentism at this time period., Les travaux repris à Mallaha en 1996 ont porté sur l'étendue du gisement et sur les couches supérieures, Natoufien final. Ils ont montré que l'occupation se poursuit au moins 25 m à l'est de la fouille principale. Le Natoufien final a livré plusieurs niveaux d'architecture avec des "maisons" jusque-là inconnues et de nouvelles sépultures. La matériel, ou figure un peu d'obsidienne, est très abondant mais les végétaux ne sont pas conservés. Son analyse permet de mieux comprendre un stade culturel peu documenté qui semble s'inscrire dans la tradition antérieure mais dont certains traits annoncent le PPNA. La recherche à venir devrait éclairer le mode de vie, et en particulier le degré de sédentarité, maintenu à cette époque.

Human remains from the Aurignacian and Mousterian levels of Hayonim cave, Western Galilee, Israel, are documented and described here. Although they are admittedly meager and fragmentary in nature, they testify to the great paleoanthropological potential of Hayonim cave.

The dynamics of Epipalaeolithic and Early Neolithic adaptations in the southern Levant from areas west of the Rift Valley are briefly described and evaluated against the backdrop of climatic changes. Taking account of recent advances in environmental studies and important revisions in the chronological framework of pollen diagrams from the Hula, a high degree of correlation between environmental and cultural developments is apparent. The variable nature of environmental changes and the mosaic of ecological zonation on human adaptive systems are stressed, with differentiation between : long-term incremental trends; sudden climatic changes; and predictable annual fluctuations about a mean. The nature and flexibility of the responses by communities to such external changes depended upon specific combinations of technological, social and ideological, psychological as well as idiosyncratic factors. Favourable niches alternately expanded or contracted. At times human adaptation systems in Cisjordan can be divided into two provinces, Mediterranean and Steppe/Desert ; at other times they included adjacent areas, such as Transjordan and the northern part of the Levantine corridor. A number of crises or "bottle-neck" situations, most resulting from environmental changes, are described which caused radical re-alignments in social and subsistence systems. It is against this backdrop, together with generally conservative social systems, that the transformation from foraging to plant and animal husbandry should be viewed., La dynamique des adaptations des hommes qui ont pris place au cours de l'Épipaléolithique et du Néolithique ancien à l'ouest du Rift dans la partie sud du Levant est décrite brièvement et évaluée par rapport aux fluctuations climatiques. Si l'on prend en compte les travaux récents sur l'environnement et les révisions importantes du cadre chronologique des diagrammes polliniques du Houleh, une corrélation s'établit, apparemment bonne, entre l'évolution culturelle et celle de l'environnement. Est souligné le rôle joué par la nature variable des changements de l'environnement et la multitude des zones écologiques en dissociant les tendances à long terme, les changements climatiques brusques et les fluctuations moyennes annuelles prévisibles. La nature et la flexibilité des réponses des communautés humaines à ces changements dépendent des combinaisons spécifiques de facteurs technologiques, sociaux, idéologiques et psychologiques. Des niches favorables alternativement s'étendent ou se réduisent. À certaines périodes, en Cisjordanie, l'adaptation des hommes aux milieux s'opère différemment dans la région méditerranéenne et dans les régions steppe/désert. À d'autres époques, ces niches incluent des régions adjacentes telles que la TransJordanie et la partie nord du Corridor Levantin. Un nombre de ces crises, la plupart liées aux changements de l'environnement, sont décrites; c'est dans ce cadre et dans des sociétés dans l'ensemble très conservatrices que doit être considéré le passage de la cueillette à la domestication des plantes et des animaux., Goring-Morris N., Belfer-Cohen Anna. The articulation of cultural processes and Late Quaternary environmental changes in Cisjordan.. In: Paléorient, 1997, vol. 23, n°2. Paléoenvironnement et sociétés humaines au moyen-orient de 20 000 BP à 6 000 BP. pp. 71-93.