Study Identifies 154 Natufian Clay Artifacts at Three Israeli Sites

Researchers have identified 154 figurative clay artifacts from three Natufian sites in Israel, according to a study published on November 11. The finds come from el-Wad Terrace on Mount Carmel, Hayonim Terrace in the Galilee and Eynan-Mallaha in the Upper Jordan Valley. The researchers place the Natufian communities in a period approximately 15,000–11,650 years ago. The collection includes 15 recognizable figurines and 139 cylindrical fragments thought to have been parts of figures. Birds account for 11 of the recognizable objects; the others depict a mammal, a gazelle and two human forms. Researchers examined previously overlooked clay fragments and identified fingerprints, tool marks and traces of coloring as evidence of deliberate shaping and decoration. Microscopic analysis of the fingerprints indicated that adults and children took part in making the objects. One human figurine bears overlapping prints attributed to an adult or young adult woman and a child who had not reached puberty. The researchers suggest that the object may have passed between them while it was being made. The team describes the assemblage as Southwest Asia’s earliest known established tradition of making clay figurines. It argues that symbolic work in clay preceded the region’s farming communities, among people who were establishing permanent or semi-permanent settlements.