ANT/HIST 500 The Ancient City Day 3

Toward the Neolithic

The Ages Paleolithic: Old Stone Age Mesolithic: Middle Stone Age Neolithic: New Stone Age Chalcolithic: Copper Age Bronze Age: d’uh Iron Age: ditto

Natufian  Khiamian The “Epi-Paleolithic” or Mesolithic

Natufian

Natufian/Khiamian

Polity Not much to be said Hunting & Gathering societies typically share “Episodic” leadership just as small groups do No obvious social stratification in burials, architecture, jewelry

Economy Hunting & Gathering “Broad Spectrum” (Flannery) Evidence of “Down the Line” trade

Economy Necklace of Teeth, Bone, and Sea Shells from El Wad This would have required trade or foraging parties in order to get the sea shells from the coast

Economy Natufian Sickle: Although they had such technology, this is not evidence of domesticated grains.

Culture Natufian Burial at El Wad

Culture Burial with Dog at Ein Mallaha

Culture Natufian animal carving

Culture Natufian platform. Pits and staircase are from later period. Possible sanctuary?

Environment Early Natufian: Relatively warm, wooded; 12,500-11,000 BC; sedentism in favored environments Late Natufian: “Younger Dryas” little Ice age; 11,000-10,000 BC; nomadism Khiamian: End of Late Natufian & return to sedentism; 10,000-9,500 BC

Environment Plan of Hayonim Cave

Environment Reconstruction of Natufian Hut, Beidha

Toward Urbanization Neolithic A. Pre-Pottery Neolithic 1.PPNA (9,500-8,500 BC) 2.PPNB (8,500-7,000 BC) 3.PPNC (7,000-6,000 BC) B. Pottery Neolithic 1.Halaf Culture (6,500-5,100 BC) 2.Samarra Culture (6,000-5,000) BC Chalcolithic A. Ubaid (5,000-3,900 BC)

Neolithic The first agricultural villages 9,500BC-6,000BC

Pre-Pottery Neolithic (PPN) Gobekli Tepe

PPNA Polity Appears to still be based on episodic leadership and age No evidence of stratification Likely religious “shamans”

PPNA - Polity Jericho

PPNA Economy Cultivation of Wild cereals Domestication of fig (9600 BC) Domestication of cereals (9200 BC) Domestication of Legumes (9000 BC) Evidence of Trade in Obsidian, likely for Dead Sea shells and bitumen

PPNA Culture(s) Sultanian (Jericho and Jordan Valley) Aswadian (Syria near Damascus) Mureybetian (Euphrates Valley and Southern Turkey)

PPNA Culture Plastered Skulls from Jericho

PPNA Culture Religion like based on ancestor worship In north, also evidence of animistic concepts at Gobekli Tepe, but this is not in evidence in the Sultanian or Aswadian regions Religion appears to be the mechanism by which leaders motivated people

PPNA Culture Gobekli Tepe

PPNA Culture In south (Sultanian and Aswadian) goddess figurines In north (Mureybetian) we see animal carved in sculpture, introduction of bull symbolism

PPNA Environment Housing at Mureybet

PPNA Environment Largest villages such as Mureybet and Jericho grew to as many as 700 residents Held religious authority over surrounding villages and received “help” from them

PPNB The “root” of the later Neolithic Seems to be a later expression and spreading of the Mureybetian culture

PPNB Polity Appears to still be based on episodic leadership and age No evidence of stratification Likely religious “shamans”

PPNB Economy Widespread use of Domesticated cereals & legumes Evidence of Trade in Obsidian, likely for Dead Sea shells and bitumen Introduction of goat and sheep herding

PPNB Culture Plastered Skulls at Mureybet

PPNB Culture Wall Fresco at Dja’de

PPNB Culture Bucrania embedded in PPNB wall at Dja’de

PPNB Environment Key communities such as Mureybet, Jericho & Beidha on early trade routes, growing to as much as 1,000 residents Use of stone for housing, first rectangular housing in world history

PPNC An extension of the Aceramic PPNB culture in the southern Levant In the north, ceramics had been invented during the Late PPNB and the subsequent culture is called “Halaf”

PPNC Polity Appears to still be based on episodic leadership and age No evidence of stratification Likely religious “shamans”

PPNC Economy Comes to be dominated by goat and sheep herding Environment is degraded due to herding, and in time pastoral nomadism becomes the rule Extensive trade between settled villages and nomads; likely fellow clans Extension of Near Eastern trade routes

PPNC Economy Grain Storage at Ain Ghazal, centralized and likely controlled through religious mechanisms

PPNC Culture Sanctuary at Ain Ghazal, near Amman Jordan

PPNC Culture Clay figurines from Ain Ghazal

PPNC Culture Burial beneath house at Ain Ghazal Plaster Death Mask from Jericho

PPNC Culture Statues from Ain Ghazal

PPNC Environment Use of plaster on floors Stone rectangular buildings

Pottery Neolithic Primarily in the north, an extension of PPNB culture with the advent of ceramic pottery A sequence of cultures, including Proto- Hassuna, Hassuna, and Pre-Halaf leading to the Halaf culture after 6,000 BC “Culture” is equated with pottery styles

PN: Catal Hoyuk BC

PN: Catal Hoyuk Polity Seems to have been based around family units, with each “matriarch” family having a slightly more elaborate home with space for rituals Rituals included plastered skulls, likely of revered ancestors No other evidence for social stratification; homes are approximately the same size No centralized location for collective worship or meetings

PN: Catal Hoyuk Economy Based on agriculture, hunting and gathering for subsistence (same as earlier agricultural societies) Trade in Obsidian

PN: Catal Hoyuk Culture Pottery (above) Burial of Pregnant Woman (right)

PN: Catal Hoyuk Culture Wall mural of hunting scene (above) Goddess figurine seated on throne flanked by two animals (right)

PN: Catal Hoyuk Culture

PN: Catal Hoyuk Environment

Reconstruction of House, except side entrance