From the Epipalaeolithic into the earliest Neolithic (PPNA) in the South Levant

A significant shift toward early agricultural lifestyles in the Southern Levant occurred over a 15,000-year period during the transition from the Epipalaeolithic to the earliest Neolithic (PPNA). This study reveals that environmental changes during the terminal Pleistocene and earliest Holocene played a crucial role in shaping human adaptations. By analyzing interactions across the Early, Middle, and Late Epipalaeolithic phases, researchers demonstrate how these long-term dynamics laid the foundation for fully developed agricultural practices in later Neolithic periods. The findings highlight the region's complex socio-environmental history at UNESCO World Heritage Sites like Mount Carmel's Nahal Me'arot/Wadi el-Mughara Caves.

Belfer-Cohen, A., & Goring-Morris, N. (2020). From the Epipalaeolithic into the earliest Neolithic (PPNA) in the South Levant. Documenta Praehistorica, 47, 36–52. https://doi.org/10.4312/dp.47.3